Weird Tire valve problem

Last night I was away from home and noticed I had a tire that was low on air. I went to the nearest gas station and added air. Thats when I noticed the air was coming back out of the tire valve on the stem. I suspeced a loose valve, but had no tool for that with me. Being only 5 miles from home, I overfilled the tire by about 10lbs put on the cap (which slowed down the leak), and drove home without any problem. Once home, I got out my valve tool and tightened it. That did not solve the problem. I went out to the shed where I have several usable tires that I plan to sell at the next rummage sale because they dont fit any of my vehicles. I removed a valve and placed it into the leaky tire. I was sure this would solve the problem. It didn't. The tire still leaks at the valve. So I went and took out yet another valve, and changed it again. The sucker still leaks.......

I'm confused. The air is leaking from the valve. Not from the stem, such as around the rim, or a crack in the stem. Putting the cap on the stem slows down the leak considerably, so that alone proves 100% that the leak is the valve, and not anywhere on the stem.

Yet, three different valves and it's still leaking. Both those valves came from tires that were holding air.

How can this be? Over the years I've had tires that had either loose valves, or bad valves. If tightening the valve did not fix the leak, a valve from another tire always did.

This is making no sense at all.....

Yea, tomorrow I'll take it to the tire shop, but this has me puzzled....

(Since this happened on Halloween, I can only suspect ghosts, because this just makes no sense at all otherwise).... :)

Reply to
blackandtan
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I agree. That would puzzle me, also. Please let us know if the tire shop can give you any answers. I'm guessing they will break it down, replace the valve stem, and then the "evidence" goes in the trash. The question will remain unanswered.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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I'm confused. The air is leaking from the valve. Not from the stem, such as around the rim, or a crack in the stem. Putting the cap on the stem slows down the leak considerably, so that alone proves 100% that the leak is the valve, and not anywhere on the stem.

Yet, three different valves and it's still leaking. Both those valves came from tires that were holding air.

How can this be? Over the years I've had tires that had either loose valves, or bad valves. If tightening the valve did not fix the leak, a valve from another tire always did.

This is making no sense at all.....

Yea, tomorrow I'll take it to the tire shop, but this has me puzzled....

(Since this happened on Halloween, I can only suspect ghosts, because this just makes no sense at all otherwise).... :)

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

If a new valve has no effect but capping it slows the leak down, the likely culprit is bad threads inside the valve body preventing air tight mating to the valve.

Reply to
Douglas C. Neidermeyer

On 11/1/2012 8:39 AM, Douglas C. Neidermeyer wrote: ...

Or dirt, etc., ...

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Reply to
dpb

Simple answer: The valve stem is damaged. Not a nuclear science problem.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

It may be time for a new one from the store.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Most tire valve 4-way tools have a thread chaser and reamer that could fix the valve stem so the core will seal. It's possible that it's a bur or piece of trash stuck in the threads of the valve stem. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Yea, replace the stem... or as another poster mentioned, you might try chasing the threads.

Hope it's not a TPMS stem...

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Erik

Reply to
Erik

In any case the damage is immaterial except as a cause. Don't even fool with it, take it to atire shop and get the valve stem replaced. Not worth fooling with.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

But why did it start to leak when it had been ok previously??

Reply to
hrhofmann

Evil possession by a tire demon. O_o

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Glad you found the odd problem and got it repaired. I had a tire that kept going flat and took my van to the shop where I usually get tires and the fellow there sprayed soapy water all over it and couldn't find a leak after I had used a can of Fix-a-Flat to get me around. It went flat and when I went back and had him remove the wheel, we saw a tiny crack in the inner sidewall of the tire where the stop leak compound was coming out. My old van uses 15" tires which have become hard to find on the used market. The tire guys tell me that there aren't as many 15" tires being manufactured as newer vehicles have switched to larger diameter wheels. O_o

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

It's not unanswered. The tire shop said I had a very rare problem. The brass part of the stem is molded into the rubber part. The brass part became loose in the rubber part. The guy took a plyers and pulled the brass part right out of the rubber part, just to show me. I was thankful he took the time to show me. He said he's seen it before, but very seldom. It's just one of those rare things that can happen. When I asked what caused it, he said it could have been molded poorly, jarred somehow, or just fatigue from age.

I could see that they were not joking about the rarity of the problem, because the young guy who began the repair had to get the boss. The boss was the one who told me what happened and pulled the brass part out. He said he might see this problem once or twice a year at most. The young guy said that was the first time he's ever seen it.

I also learned that the brass part goes all the way to the end of the stem inside of the tire. I always thought it was just on the tip.

He replaced the stem, and 10 minutes later I was on my way. Total cost was $8.50 plus tax. I thought that was a fair price, and excellent service.

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Reply to
blackandtan

years ago i got married and used my new wifes vehicle one day, the tire went flat the next day and she blamed me:(

that car had many flats and one day i asked the tiree shop whats up? the flats tended to occur when cold weather hit......

the problem aluninum wheels, the alunimum would actually rust, as a white powder at the bead which caused the leak..

so i bought 4 used steel wheels and 4 new tires, and the problem ended till the vehicle got scrapped

Reply to
bob haller

Thanks, I've never seen that. Something else to know, for such moments.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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The tire shop said I had a very rare problem. The brass part of the stem is molded into the rubber part. The brass part became loose in the rubber part. The guy took a plyers and pulled the brass part right out of the rubber part, just to show me. I was thankful he took the time to show me. He said he's seen it before, but very seldom. It's just one of those rare things that can happen. When I asked what caused it, he said it could have been molded poorly, jarred somehow, or just fatigue from age.

I could see that they were not joking about the rarity of the problem, because the young guy who began the repair had to get the boss. The boss was the one who told me what happened and pulled the brass part out. He said he might see this problem once or twice a year at most. The young guy said that was the first time he's ever seen it.

I also learned that the brass part goes all the way to the end of the stem inside of the tire. I always thought it was just on the tip.

He replaced the stem, and 10 minutes later I was on my way. Total cost was $8.50 plus tax. I thought that was a fair price, and excellent service.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I have a 2007 truck that the TPMS went bad in one tire. They wanted about $

60 to replace it. I asked if it would pass the state's safety inspection and was told it would (it did) without it. That price seems way out of line for what it does compaired to much of the other electronic items on todays market that are mass produced. I may have payed $ 15 to get it replaced. So now I just ride around with the light on the dash.
Reply to
Ralph Mowery

A piece of black electrical tape will fix the light. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

That is a stumper!! But also not worth fooling with.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Probably just a rare problem. For only a couple of dollars, it is not worth fooling with, just get a new one when you have problems. I read all the time about tires going bad just sitting on the dealers shelves. A assume that the steams could go bad just sitting around.

One of the first part time jobs I had over 40 years ago was changing tires. Was told then to replace all the valve steams when changing the tires. Boss said no use in having problems to come back for as little as they cost him.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

There have been a LOT of problems with crappy chinese tire valve stems. I had 3 out of 4 fail within a month when less than 2 years old on the PT Cruiser. After the third one, I replaced the 4th and the one on the spair immediately. My brother had to throw away a whole box when he found they were defective - and the "waggon jobber" he bought them from wpuld not stand behind them.

Reply to
clare

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