One tire leaking air (tires 4 months old)

[DaveInLA]

A while ago, I thought the rear right tire in my E30 lost about 15 psi over several hours. I figured it was a nail so I refilled the tire up to 35 psi and waited to see if it would deflate aagin. Since it held up to the next morning, I figured that there was no leak. I think figured that my tire actually lost a lot of pressure over a week or so (the last time I checked tire pressure), but just didn't notice.

Today, I checked the tire pressure of that tire and again, it's much lower than it should be. This time, it's lost about 10 psi (35 to 25) over a little more than a week. Can a nail create a slow leak like this? Or maybe the tire just isn't sitting on the beads properly? Or maybe air is coming out of the valve stem?

These tires are 4-5 months old and all of them (all 4) leaked like this the first week after I got them. After that, they all "settled in" and held their pressures for months. Now, only one tire is leaking again.

If it matters, these are Yoko ES100 tires, size 205/60R14.

 

[dkcase]

Do you have aluminum wheels ?
I have to keep topping off the tires on Aluminum wheels on my Ford, less so on the Jeep.

The aluminum continues to corrode slightly and doesn't seal to the tire like a steel wheel. When my snow tires were on with steel wheels, they didn't budge all winter.

There is a bead sealant meant to cure it.

That is a pretty fast leak though. A nail could be the cause.

 

[DaveInLA]

They are stock alloy (alum) wheels. What would cause the beads and wheel to lose their seal 4 months after the tires get mounted?

 

[bdcardinal]

a lot of chrome wheels have the chrome peel from the bead area first. there is a bead sealant that i will use at my work on wheels like that. its basically a thick black glue.

ive seen nails puncture a tire and not leak. i have also seen them not leak until they are driven on enough to wear the head of the nail off.

 

[dwendt44]

check your valve stem. Could be loose, and leak real slow.
Had a friends tire that lost air, just a little twist with the stem wrench and no more leak.

 

[DaveInLA]

Looks like I'm going to take my car to the tire shop. Hopefully this won't cost me too much. But with a leak this small, I wonder what diagnostic tests they'll do if they don't find a nail.

 

[Tosh]

They'll see another clueless BMW owner and take you for what you're worth. Why can't you look for a nail? Why can't you leak test the valve with some soapy water?

 

[Matt_S]

The classic air leak test for tires is to put the leaky tire in a water bath. They'll be able to tell instantly where the leak is coming from. A leak like that could very well be a nail or screw. I've seen it several times. If that's the case, it can probably be plugged for minimal cost. If it's leaking around the bead, they should remove the tire, polish any corrosion off the rim and apply a sealant before reseating the tire.

 

[punisher]

I remember we had porosity problems with some aluminum wheels, that was fun to track down. You don't even need a water bath to find leaks. A spray bottle, with water and a TBSP of diswashing liquid, will bubble nicely to indicate a leak.

 

[alreadygone]

Tosh,

Don't know that I'd take him for what he's worth, but it is pretty simple to use soapy water in a spray bottle and leak test valve, core, beads and tread area. All out of the same spray bottle! Best if wheel is jacked up so that it will turn as you spray.

Save the plugs for OFFROAD!

Bob

 

[Kestas]

Ditto to using soapy water. Sometimes you have to overpressure the tire before the leak presents itself.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

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Originally posted by DaveInLA:
They are stock alloy (alum) wheels. What would cause the beads and wheel to lose their seal 4 months after the tires get mounted?

---

Take them back to wher you got them done and have them reseal the bead.

You have a warranty against this.

 

[Kestas]

This is all conjecture. We don't know if the bead is leaking. Dave (or the shop) needs to determine where the leak is before fixing it.

 

[mechtech]

New tires on old rims don't ensure a positive seal.
If there is any corrossion on the inside rim, you'll have problems.

 

[OriginHacker21]

I had a nail in my tire that lost about 15 psi after a week. Took it in to 2 tire shops. One said nothing was wrong (leak continued) - took it to a trusted mechanic's shop and they found a small nail.

I've seen Wal-Mart TLE check for leaks by spraying soapy watter on a tire.

 

[DaveInLA]

Got it all taken care of. I was going to take my car to JustTires about 1 mile away, but I called them and they said repairs were $17. I decided to call around and the guy at Discount Tire/America's tire said they'd do it for FREE. I figured there would be strings, but the guy made it seem that there were none. Their store is 8 miles away, so it wasn't THAT far. I took my car there and it really was free, no strings at all.

Turns out there was a small nail near the middle of the tread; they guy took off the tire, plugged the hole AND patched it from the inside. I'm happy.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

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Originally posted by DaveInLA:
Got it all taken care of. I was going to take my car to JustTires about 1 mile away, but I called them and they said repairs were $17. I decided to call around and the guy at Discount Tire/America's tire said they'd do it for FREE. I figured there would be strings, but the guy made it seem that there were none. Their store is 8 miles away, so it wasn't THAT far. I took my car there and it really was free, no strings at all.

Turns out there was a small nail near the middle of the tread; they guy took off the tire, plugged the hole AND patched it from the inside. I'm happy.

---

Why wouldn't you have gone to where you got them installed?

There is a road hazard warranty on all new tires.

 

[bdcardinal]

actually there isnt a road hazard warranty on new tires. some shops offer it with the purchase, and others such as where i work(Sears) does not. we charge $19 for a 12-16" tire, $24 for a 17-19" tire and $30 for 20"+ tires. if you get the road hazard, then its no charge. also all of our repairs are a patch plug combo, thats the only legal way a shop can repair a tire in the US.

 

[BlazerLT]

quote:

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Originally posted by bdcardinal:
actually there isnt a road hazard warranty on new tires. some shops offer it with the purchase, and others such as where i work(Sears) does not. we charge $19 for a 12-16" tire, $24 for a 17-19" tire and $30 for 20"+ tires. if you get the road hazard, then its no charge. also all of our repairs are a patch plug combo, thats the only legal way a shop can repair a tire in the US.

---

Yes there is, mine purchased from Walmart does.....

Just because Sears doesn't do it doesn't mean all don't do it.

 

[bdcardinal]

hence why i said some shops offer it.

when i was in sales it was a royal nightmare. you would always get some other sales person who would forget to offer it, and the customers would blow gaskets. other times you get customers who when given the option say that they have AAA so they wont need it, they almost always came back a week later with an unrepairable flat. you would also get people who yell and want to know why Goodyear, Michelin, or whatever other tire they were buyign didnt include that in their warrenty. so glad im out of tire sales, and back in service.