YACT: Slow leak in a tire.

[IHateMyJob2004]

The tires are relatively new and I've noticed the slow leak for a while now. It's probably been there since I've bought them.

So, is there anythign I can do to fix it? It goes from 35 psi to about 20 psi in a weeks time. It seems to stay at 20 psi though and not loose much air than that. No idea why, just the nature of the beast.

Should I just take it to a tire store?

What is the problem? I'm not sure if it's the proper term, but could it be a bad seal? What about the valve?

Do products like fix-a-flat work (if they even exist anymore)?

Thanks!

 

[Sukhoi]

Just last night I was talking to my uncle about this topic, and he said he once used Fix-A-Flat on a slow leak and it pretty much worked permanently. I'm not sure if it hurts the tire though.

The valve you should be able to test easily. First just listen for it, or lightly put a finger over the valve and see if the pressure builds up. Or you could put a little soapy water solution on the valve and look for bubbles.

 

[DaTT]

Are your rims aluminum? Could be a bad valve or a small hole. I don't recommend using fix-a-flat unless your stranded. I really makes a mess of the inside of your rim and a tire shop will generally charge you much more to change the tire.

 

[Jpark]

if they've been doing that since they were new, the beads may not have seated well againest the rim. take it to a shop and they can fix it for you.

 

[AntisociaL]

I had the same problem on my Grand Cherokee with alloy rims. The tire just needed to be broke down and seated again like these guys said.

 

[Minjin]

Never use fix-a-flat unless its an emergency situation!

Take the wheel off. Using a bottle of Windex spray the tread surface very liberally and look for bubbles. Spray the bead areas on both sides. And spray around and IN the tire valve. You're looking for bubbles and if you find some, we can go from there. You don't usually get leaks in the sidewall of newer tires (its normally older cracked tires), so I wouldn't worry about spraying the sidewall but it would be a good idea to give it a look over.

Mark

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Thanks for the comments about fix-a-flat. I won't be using that.

I'll try out hte valve test with soapy water and if that's OK, I'll take it to a shop to get it reseated some time soon.

THANKS!

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Do products like fix-a-flat work (if they even exist anymore)?

Fix-a-flat works really well for slow leaks. My tires on my old car developed slow leaks like what you are experiencing. Fix-a-flat took care of it. I checked the tire pressure on the fixed tires 6 months later and they hadn't lost any air at all.

Well worth the $4 for a can, vs $40-$100+ for a tire.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: EatSpam

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Do products like fix-a-flat work (if they even exist anymore)?

Fix-a-flat works really well for slow leaks. My tires on my old car developed slow leaks like what you are experiencing. Fix-a-flat took care of it. I checked the tire pressure on the fixed tires 6 months later and they hadn't lost any air at all.

Well worth the $4 for a can, vs $40-$100+ for a tire.

The tire is new, jsut needs to get reseated.