ok so here i go! it's a common fact that a tire looses appx. 2 lbs. of
pressure per 10 degrees drop in pressure. so you know that your loss is
exceeding that guideline. are you certain it is a leak at the bead? have
you checked the schrader valve in the stem? they are a common leak even if
the valve is new. (if you have ever extracted one and examined it you would
be amazed it functions at all!) next, the tire could have had the bead
damaged during the mounting process. so in spite of being properly seated
on the rim it can still leak down the pressure. next is the condition of
the rim itself. if the rim had a significant amount of rust , this also may
lead to a poor seating of the bead and improper sealing. there is a rather
"gooey" substance wich tire shops use to seal "troublesome" tires that
insist upon leaking. it's a last ditch thing and i really do not reccomemd
it as it can be a real problem come "new tire time" down the road. first
off check the valve stem for a leak. if that is secure i seriously would
reccomend dismounting the tire and inspecting the bead and it's seat area on
the rim. there is no reason to have to deal with a good tire deflating
itself. now here are the quick checks for leaks! spit on your
finger(yuck! ) and put a bubble of spit on the end of the valve stem where
the schrader valve is. spit seems to be of the right consistency to blow
bubbles if the valve is leaking! next with the wheel removed from the car
lay it on it's side (does not matter wich side you start with). take some
laundry detergent and water and make a soapy solution. gently pour the
solution around the edge of the rim where it meets the tire. you are
making a small continuious pool of solution all the way around the edge.
this will tell you where the rim is leaking by producing bubbles at the leak
site. mark any leaking spots with what ever will work! chalk will work but
it does not tolerate getting wet! garages use "tire crayons" wich are water
resistant . repete procedure for opposite side of rim. you now have a
record of exactly where the tire is or is not leaking. now you know
exactly where to examine it upon disassembly if it is leaking at those
spots.
of course there is a chance you have recieved a puncture. never forget to
examine the tread area for any foregin bodies wich may have been
thoughtfully shared by other motorists. this concludes today's lesson in
tires......... :)
chuck.
whew! my index finger is now tired! ......c.
----- Original Message -----
From "Tracey Converse" <converse at centurytel.net>
To: <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2002 1:27 AM
Subject: Rims...
> Okay...it's gotten cold and my tires aren't holding air...they are leaking
> around the rims. I've had them sandblasted and I'm still having trouble
> with one tire. These are new tires...so, do I need another rim? What do I
> do?? LOL...I've gotten darn good at changing a tire!!! Oh, and another
> question...I still have the original tire tool for my MG...what little
good
> it does. Finally, I wised up and got socket wrench out...NOW...what IDIOT
> designed that tire tool.
>
> t
/// unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net or try
/// http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/spridgets
|