TPMS tire valve stem caps siezed

I have an '08 Rubicon that has a problem with the valve stem caps. They are the factory caps, but have frozen on the valve stems. I don't want to torque them too hard as I believe the valve stems are both fragile and expensive to replace. Is there any secret to removing the caps without damaging the stems? Also, any suggestions on how to prevent this from happening again?

Best regards, Dave

Reply to
D
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Reply to
L.W.(Bill) Hughes III

Bill,

Thanks for the references. You have an amazing library of information at your fingertips!

Do you think there is a way to get the existing caps off without damaging the stems? I was thinking of PB Blaster to see if that would loosen them up, but I don't know enough about the TPMS stems to know if that would damage them. I haven't found much information about how the TPMS system actually works and the stories of people having to cash in their bonds, sell their gold and first born to pay for their repair has me thinking I'll take my time and find the best way to get out of this sticky situation. Fortunately, I have a daily driver which is an old Ford pickup whose most advanced technology is the cigarette lighter. Feed it some gas and oil, ignore the funny sounds it makes, and it seems to get me where I'm going most of the time. Still, I like to get into my Sunday best and hop into the Rubi.

Thanks again for your help. Best regards, Dave.

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I'd just buy professional tool for it like:>

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God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O> mailto: snipped-for-privacy@billhughes.com
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Reply to
D

Maybe a shot of WD-40 and let it sit awhile.

K.

Thanks for the references. You have an amazing library of information at your fingertips!

Do you think there is a way to get the existing caps off without damaging the stems? I was thinking of PB Blaster to see if that would loosen them up, but I don't know enough about the TPMS stems to know if that would damage them. I haven't found much information about how the TPMS system actually works and the stories of people having to cash in their bonds, sell their gold and first born to pay for their repair has me thinking I'll take my time and find the best way to get out of this sticky situation. Fortunately, I have a daily driver which is an old Ford pickup whose most advanced technology is the cigarette lighter. Feed it some gas and oil, ignore the funny sounds it makes, and it seems to get me where I'm going most of the time. Still, I like to get into my Sunday best and hop into the Rubi.

Thanks again for your help. Best regards, Dave.

formatting link
I'd just buy professional tool for it like:>

formatting link
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O> mailto: snipped-for-privacy@billhughes.com
formatting link

Reply to
Kate

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> I'd just buy professional tool for it like:>>

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> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O>> mailto: snipped-for-privacy@billhughes.com
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Reply to
Will Honea

Aren't they a little expensive to just break off?

Kate wrote:

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> I'd just buy professional tool for it like:>>

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> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O>> mailto: snipped-for-privacy@billhughes.com
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Reply to
Kate

Say what?? I assume that we are talking about those dinky little caps that screw onto the valve stem to keep out dirt and such. The plastic ones are a few cents each - even I'm not cheap enough to worry about that!!

Now if you are talking about some fancy extender that is only available from the dealer, that's another story. Hell, they want $20 for a plastic window handle to fit my Commanche!

Reply to
Will Honea

Hold the stem gently with pliers (use a folded rag to prevent marring the rubber) and a use small Crescent wrench to loosen the cap. That oughta do the trick ...

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> I'd just buy professional tool for it like:>>

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> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O>> mailto: snipped-for-privacy@billhughes.com
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Reply to
Jeff Strickland

A few cents? You actually PAY for these? You can walk around the parking lot of the tire store and pick them up off the ground. Or, go to the air hose at the gas station, lots of them laying around there. Well, not lots, you might have to visit a few stations, but it shouldn't take long to collect 4. I've never bought the plastic caps, and I have the fancy chromed caps on my BMW and my Jeep, and the guy at the tire store gives them to me if I ask nice. I like all four, or five counting the spare, to have the same size and shape of valve stem cap, so I always ask the guy to make sure they match. He hasn't the time or energy, so he gives me a bunch and I pick out the ones I like.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

Thanks to all for your help. I used the PB Blaster approach and, after letting it sit overnight, was able to unscrew three out of five of the caps. A second dose of PB Blaster and using a hair dryer to heat up the stubborn ones did the trick. The threads on both the caps and the stems were undamaged.

It seems that the caps are integral to the TPMS system. You can't just use any old cap. Somehow, someone thought that this was progress. Seems to me that it's just another case of creeping complexity. Just because a computer can do something, doesn't make it a good idea. Sometimes you just have to shoot the engineer.

Best regards, Dave.

Reply to
D

Unless the cap is round.... ;-)

Reply to
Will Honea

Personally my gut reaction is, pull the damn stems, replace them with real ones, and send the technocrap ones to the director of the NTSB with a note explaining where he is to store them and in what orientation and at what depth.

Reply to
J. Clarke

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