Okay, so my lady's (mumble, mumble) American car is losing air in the front tires like crazy. It's winter. She's got aluminum rims. I can't believe we got slow rubber/compound leaks in both at once.
IF the issue is the rims, can something be done to seal 'em up? Do I have to (or can I) put tubes in 'em? I don't want to buy another pair of crappy aluminum rims.
FWIW, the BRMs are just fine on the Bugs.
Check for leaks around the rubber valve stems, if they leak let all the air out and viggle/twist them around. Then refill. Use any liquid to check for leaks, a tad soap helps..
J.
if the temperature allows spray soapy water around the bead area....if temp is too low put some low temp windshield washer fluid in a spray bottle and spray it around the bead area...watch for bubbles.... my 1972 porsche pedrini wheels are a pain in the ass this way...two work fine, two don't seal for crap....i broke them down and siliconed the beads...problems gone....you can use tubes...
I have the same problem with my Mazda. I had two tires removed and reseated with new valves and those two hold air now. The other two leak about 8 lbs per day now. I don't know if it was the rim seal or valve stems. It makes no difference since you have to break the seal to change the valve stem anyway. Dennis
I had the tire shop use some sort of glue when they popped the tires off and put them back on because of leaks. Rusty steel rims... did not seal right. Your alu rims may have corrosion on the sealing surface, preventing a good seal. Scrape the most of it off and use a sealing compound of some kind.. the better tire shops should know.
Jan
Any liquid sealant should work with such a slow leak, however do check the valve stems like I mentioned earlier.
Another thing to watch out for if this is a new car/new rims with "new" leaks, look for injection strings caught between the rim and tire. Last year we had a problem with this on new Vespas..
If you see any of the rubber "hairs" caught between the rim and tire, loosen tire pluck(yes, pluck) all the offending injection strings, refill the tire to the max of the compressor output(In my case aprox 90 Psi), and lower to correct pressure. Then: Bob's your uncle and all is fine.
J.
Thanks. I did that earlier (added some clinical detergent to make the washer fluid bubbly). No leaks on the outside of the rims. I was going to remove each wheel but it was so cold that the air compressor froze up solid after a minute. No air impact wrench now. I'll take the car to the local repair guys and have them removed, checked, and tubes put in.
Thank you again.
If it's a couple of pounds per day the actual rate that air comes out is slow, perhaps too slow for soapy water to make the lead apparent. The last time I had that problem I immersed the entire rim in a kiddie pool and waited a few minutes. A fine stream of tiny bubbles led directly to the rim leak. A little wire-brushing fixed it right up.
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