Tire With Slow Leak

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RobbS

Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
757
Location
Northern Va.
I have a 15" tire that looses 5 lbs of air every day. I have had it checked for defects or leaks 3 times at a shop. Nothing found.
My idea was to deflate the tire a bit low, add Fix A Flat, top off with air compressor.
What is a good idea to do? Find a "tire shop" and make an appointment or go with Fix A Flat?
Thanks
 
JTK said:
Aluminum or steel wheel? The tire should be removed from the wheel and the bead inspected, cleaned, prepped, sealed. Don't use fix a flat. It makes a mess of things.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I real tire shop will usually have a tank they can submerge the entire tire/wheel in to look for a leak.
But not uncommon for the wheel rim to have corrosion on the inside lip. A good cleaning will restore the seal.
 
One of the alloys on my Scion had a slow leak because of a poor bead seal on the back side. It had been that way for over a year and just needed a squirt of air every couple of weeks, but when it dropped to 0° here it would go flat overnight. I pulled it off and took it to a local shop that charged me $20 to dismount it, clean up the rim and reseal it.

A can of Fix a Flat is $9, so spending the extra $11 to do it correctly seems like a wise investment.
 
Our local Big O sends corroded (at the bead surface) alloys out for clearcoat powdercoat -- presumably blasted before.
 
To check for bead leaks, remove from car and lay the wheel flat on the ground. Put soapy water around the rim. Repeat with the other side.

Some bead leaks will only happen if the car is parked with the bad spot down, deforming the tire. Those are hard to find. If you're losing 5 lbs every day consistently that is a major leak and should not be hard to find.
 
Thank you all for useful information. Like the shop, I just soap and water sprayed tire and valve stem and found nothing
My brother n law is an old retired mechanic and said he could definitely find it, so I'm giving him a shot at finding the issue Tuesday night, this week.
Thanks for saving me from adding any chemicals inside the tire.
At worst, I will have a tire shop remove/inspect the tire the right way.
Thanks again!!
 
JTK said:
Aluminum or steel wheel? The tire should be removed from the wheel and the bead inspected, cleaned, prepped, sealed. Don't use fix a flat. It makes a mess of things.
Click to expand...
I will have tire shop do just that exactly. Thank you
 
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5 psi a day is NOT a slow leak! They should be able to find a leak of that much.

Slime will work on it. Fix-a-Flat will not. So if you want to do that, get Slime. I can vouch for Slime. It is awesome :D

The used tire shops can probably find the leak. I had a tire lose 1 psi a day, and the shop was able to find the leak and patch it. If 3 shops couldn't find it, there could be a problem with the wheel :unsure:
 
Get a wheel barrow or a big galvanized garden tub and fill it up with water. Air up the tire and put it under water. Roll the tire to check all the way around until you find the leak. Make sure it's deep enough to submerge the valve stem. I have found some leaks that I couldn't find with soapy water or leak detector this way.
 
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Living here in a townhouse with huge snow piles between spaces. My brother n law lived on a farm 2 miles away. He's been a mechanic for over 30 years and has the equipment to get any work needed. And it is fed with a heat pump, conditioned garage, big screen tv, fridge, and tools.
I'm not using any Fix A Flat thanks to you all and the great advice.
Thanks again, might have to replace a set of tires. Had to replace two front tires because of two slash cuts along the tire wall, last week. Front passenger side tire. Might find another tiny slash along this tire wall also. Like I said, shop inspected this tire twice.
I'll update what it was later this week.
 
slacktide_bitog said:
5 psi a day is NOT a slow leak! They should be able to find a leak of that much.

Slime will work on it. Fix-a-Flat will not. So if you want to do that, get Slime. I can vouch for Slime. It is awesome :D

The used tire shops can probably find the leak. I had a tire lose 1 psi a day, and the shop was able to find the leak and patch it. If 3 shops couldn't find it, there could be a problem with the wheel :unsure:
Click to expand...
Just curious if you have had Fix A flat fail to inflate or seal puncture? Should I just throw it in the trash and purchase Slime? I just need something kept in the trunk for an emergency. Thnx
 
RobbS said:
Just curious if you have had Fix A flat fail to inflate or seal puncture? Should I just throw it in the trash and purchase Slime? I just need something kept in the trunk for an emergency. Thnx
Click to expand...

Oh yes, quite a few times I've used Fix-A-Flat with no success! Usually it just pisses foam out the hose, but even when it does make it in the tire, it still doesn't work!

Slime does work and is a much better product. So yes, throw the Fix-a-Flat in the trash and get Slime instead :)
 
RobbS said:
Just curious if you have had Fix A flat fail to inflate or seal puncture? Should I just throw it in the trash and purchase Slime? I just need something kept in the trunk for an emergency. Thnx
Click to expand...
The Fix-a-flat and Slime will make a mess of the tire and the rim. Some tire shops will refuse to work on such a repair, including mounting new tires.

I suggest that you take the tire to Discount Tire in Fredericksburg, VA. They will inflate the tire close to max rated pressure and submerge it in a dunk tank to find the leaking bubbles. They repair punctured tires for free, regardless of where you purchased them.
 
slacktide_bitog said:
Oh yes, quite a few times I've used Fix-A-Flat with no success! Usually it just pisses foam out the hose, but even when it does make it in the tire, it still doesn't work!

Slime does work and is a much better product. So yes, throw the Fix-a-Flat in the trash and get Slime instead :)
Click to expand...
OK, I believe you. I've never had to use it, I'll get some Slime for the trunk in case it is needed,thanks again.
 
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