Tire Leak

[wjmst]

I have a slow leak in my car tire. I took it off and could not find it, so I took it to the local garage and they couldn't find the leak either. The tire is about 90% good so I don't want to replace it.

I hate dragging out the extension cord and compressor each week to fill up the tire (usually about 5 lbs of air). Here are three choices I came up with.

1. Purchase a the Craftsman Bolt-on 20v drill with air compressor attachment, about $100.
2. Purchase a jumpstart battery unit with air compressor, about $100.
3. Purchase a portable air tank, about $30.

I would use the drill for other things, so that is a bonus. I doubt the air compressor on it would be that good.
I would probably not use the jumpstart unit for much else, but would be handy to have in an emergency.
Portable air tank seems like the best bet, but do they work good? Or is it more of a pain?

Any other ideas?

Thanks
Wes

 

[paulharvey]

I have a slow leak in my car tire. I took it off and could not find it, so I took it to the local garage and they couldn't find the leak either. The tire is about 90% good so I don't want to replace it.

I hate dragging out the extension cord and compressor each week to fill up the tire (usually about 5 lbs of air). Here are three choices I came up with.

1. Purchase a the Craftsman Bolt-on 20v drill with air compressor attachment, about $100.
2. Purchase a jumpstart battery unit with air compressor, about $100.
3. Purchase a portable air tank, about $30.

I would use the drill for other things, so that is a bonus. I doubt the air compressor on it would be that good.
I would probably not use the jumpstart unit for much else, but would be handy to have in an emergency.
Portable air tank seems like the best bet, but do they work good? Or is it more of a pain?

Any other ideas?

Thanks
Wes

95% chance it's loose or shot valve

 

[farmer2009]

95% chance it's loose or shot valve

Or it's leaking around the bead. Is the wheel steel or an alloy. Alloy wheels can be hard to seal if not cleaned when mounted. Lay down the tire and flood the bead with water some should stand in the bead. Look for leak it will be very slow bubbles. Flip over and check other side. Adding some soap can help. Then check valve stem and core. If you can't stop the leak a can of brad sealer goes along ways.

 

[Soundguy]

mix up some dish soap and water in a hand pump sprayer. saturate the tire.. look for foam or bubbles... don't forget the valve stem core.


cores are replaceable if it is leakign there.

if it is the bead.. you can get a can of bead sealer.. black paint on rubber stuff.

if it's inthe tread.. you can patch/plug it.

side wall ??? inside patch MIGHT hold.. but i'm learly of doing sidewall repairs on a road tire.. many times damaged sidewalls will make knots


there are other sealers you can use for porous rubber..e tc. like instant inflaors goops that you put some in and drive.. those sometimes mess with tire ballance if you use more than just a lil bit.


ps.. as to what to buy... all your pump ideas are spendy... many places sell lil 5-9$ air pumps that plug to your cig lighter...

here's the quickest one i could grab a link for... 9$

mind you pumping it ain't the real answer right now.

 

[gwdixon]

If ALL else fails then you can put a tube in it.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd be afraid to do that on a car tire...

 

[Gary Fowler]

i'd be afraid to do that on a car tire...

We put many tubes in tubeless tires without an issue. Remember back when all tires had tubes? Many years back when steel belted radials first came out, a puncture in the steel belt area just about always leaked with a plug after a few miles the steel belts cut into the plug. The fix was a patch on the inside or a tube.

 

[LD1]

5psi a week is going to be hard to detect with soap. Might have to submurge the tire in water. Cheap little kiddie swimming pool does the trick if you dont have anything else.

I am usually too lazy to mix up some soap and water, but always have windex around, and have had good luck with that. Lay the tire flat, and spray around the bead. Works best on stream setting and spray slow as to not agitate the windex and make it foam. Get a nice fill around the bead, and leave it. Come back in 10 minutes. if you have a leak, there will be a pile of foam right there.

Also, are you running a valve cap?

 

[bobhaub]

I have a small 12V compressor, but 99% of the time, I reach for one of two air tanks. One was made from a small freon tank about 30 years ago, and is great for topping off car tires or filling motorcycle tires. The big one, about 5 gallons, I think, will fill a car tire, but not a RV tire or rear tractor tire.

Filling them through the schrader valve is way too slow, so I made a male-male adaptor to connect the quick-connect on the shop compressor hose to the one on the air tank hose. Filling either tank takes less than a minute.

Hope that helps.
Bob

 

[bigtiller]

I wouldn't buy any tools that I know would likely never get used again. Instead, I would go to another garage. Even slow leaks like yours can be found by a competent mechanic.

 

[randy41]

get the portable tank. you'll never find a leak of 1 lb per 33 hours.

 

[dragoneggs]

If you can't find the leak with soapy water or windex, then take it to the shop and have them remount the tire. Maybe the rim needs cleaned up or new valve stem. Cheaper than the alternatives IMO.

 

[George2615]

My wife has the same problem on her Ford Escape. One time she got a nail in the tire. Removed the nail and plugged that. 6 months later both front tires started to lose air pressure. This time I found the valve stem rubber was cracked. I replaced both valve stems. Now they've both started leaking again. This time it's leaking the bead is leaking around the magnesium rims so I have to dismount them, clean the rims and put liquid tire seal on the rims before remounting and balancing. Fortunately I have the tools to do this.

I suspect since your tires have a slow leak they are also leaking around the bead. The soapy water will find it. You may have to look close to see the tiny bubbles.

 

[Soundguy]

We put many tubes in tubeless tires without an issue. Remember back when all tires had tubes? Many years back when steel belted radials first came out, a puncture in the steel belt area just about always leaked with a plug after a few miles the steel belts cut into the plug. The fix was a patch on the inside or a tube.

i've had tubes in tons of things.. but nowadays..if it runs on the road.. it's only in trailer tires.. not drive or steering axles..

 

[Soundguy]

My wife has the same problem on her Ford Escape. One time she got a nail in the tire. Removed the nail and plugged that. 6 months later both front tires started to lose air pressure. This time I found the valve stem rubber was cracked. I replaced both valve stems. Now they've both started leaking again. This time it's leaking the bead is leaking around the magnesium rims so I have to dismount them, clean the rims and put liquid tire seal on the rims before remounting and balancing. Fortunately I have the tools to do this.

I suspect since your tires have a slow leak they are also leaking around the bead. The soapy water will find it. You may have to look close to see the tiny bubbles.

i hate mag rims. my wife had a lincoln mark viii and it constantly had metal flaking on the insides of the rims. I couldn't keep enough bead sealer on it to make it worthwhile...

 

[Mendonsy]

Another possibility (although very rare) is that it is actually the wheel that is leaking. Alloy wheels are made by a casting process and can occasionally have a pinhole leak in the casting.
Locating those is difficult. About the only way that works for sure is to submerge the entire wheel and tire in water the trace the bubbles.
Fixing that type of leak isn't actually that hard. A coat of paint or rubberized sealer sprayed on the inside of the wheel will normally do it.

 

[flyerdan]

Not a fix by any means as all the fixes have been outlined above, but I heartily recommend the portable tank. No fun stringing together every air hose you can find and still be three or four feet shy.

 

[Clint S]

Another vote for portable air tank. Did you try some slime. You could also inflate it to 60psi or so and the leak may become more apparent.

 

[wjmst]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I pumped the tire up to 60lbs or so and had it covered in a tub with soapy water and could not find the leak anywhere, treads, bead, or valve stem. The garage did the same thing and couldn't find a leak either. I put on a different value stem cap the other day just to try. I'll check the pressure again this weekend.

Remounting the tire is probably a good idea. The last time I got tires the garage (sears I think) wouldn't replace the valve stems. They said they were something special and they didn't have them. The car is an 08 Suzuki SX4 hatchback, all stock, nothing fancy. The value stem is a silverish piece of metal of some type.

I am leaning toward the portable air tank. I can also use it to fill the tires in my bike and tractor when the kids are asleep and I don't want to wake them with the noise of the air compressor firing up.

 

[LD1]

Sounds like it has a TPMS on it, which is special valve stems. And possibly dealer only.