Can't Find Valve Stem - OUTER TIRE! E/450

[jbrattain]

To prevent problems, I take my wheel simulators off myself if I'm getting tire or brake work done, then put them back on myself after I get the RV back home.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by DesertRatt

Thanks fellas. All good info. I'll go back and try again. But, If I have to remove those hub caps every time for checking pressure......they're outta here! I'm a tire pressure nut. I have to check before each trip and maybe once on the trip! No way, I'm wrestling with that every time!
Cheers!

Get a TPMS. You should run a TPM anyway as there is no way to know if/when you pick up a nail or screw while running. Tires can go flat in just a few minutes and in the dual position that means you have destroyed the tire losing air and overloaded the one with air by 100% which means it is fatally damaged too.


TPM make it easy to know your inflation each morning.


RE the valve stems. The outer wheel stem should be lined up with an opening in the wheel simulators. Whoever put the wheels on did not do the job correctly. There are stems that are short and point toward the center of the RV (away from outside) so you can use a dual foot gauge. There are also stems that are "bent at 90° to 120° which allow you to get acess to the stem more easily.


Pictures of what you have would help us identify what steps are needed to fix your situation.

[RV Tinker]

Originally Posted by DesertRatt

2004 E450 Minnie Winnie (new to me)

On the rear tires, the inside tire has an extended valve stem that protrudes through the outside wheel vent holes. Easy to access. No problem.

However, the OUTSIDE rear tire has no visible valve stem. It is apparently covered by the chromed, full pie-pan, hub cap, which is mounted to the wheel with what appears to be a chrome acorn lugnut! And worse, I think it is put on with an air hammer! My unit came with a 10" long "T-Handle Wrench" which I thought was for removing this beauty hub cap. But, after trying very hard, that acorn nut ain't moving with that skinny metal T-handle.

Anyone have these "chrome hub caps" that cover the outside wheel?
How do they go on or off? Nothing in the Winnie manual at all.

I also have a 2004 minni. "T" tool that came with the coach to remove the covers is almost useless. You can probably find the other valve stem by using a flashlight and looking through the holes of the cover. It is usually placed such that it is 180 degrees from the other one. If not possible then you will need a 1 1/8 deep socket, extension and a ratchet (I use a 1/2" ratchet). There are two nuts that hold the wheel cover onto wheel. They are located 180 degrees opposite from each other. Easiest way to tell which are the two nuts that are removable is to tap nuts with the socket extension. There is a very different sound that is made when you tap on these two nuts. They do not hold the wheel on they actually go onto the wheel bolt above the lug nut. They are only on by a couple of threads. Almost every time I have someone else work on the wheels they are overtightened. When putting back on, Just snug them on using the "T" tool.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by jbrattain

To prevent problems, I take my wheel simulators off myself if I'm getting tire or brake work done, then put them back on myself after I get the RV back home.

Probably a wise move. I’m going to add that to my checklist for down the road.

[Rick 99037]

Lots of good insight here. I still won't be surprised if you find the stem just can't be seen, because it's not real long, and points away. And as others said, about across from the inside dual air filler. I added 135 degree extensions on my outside duals, so I didn't have to buy a double headed filler for my compressor. (Wheel Masters Valve Extenders - 135 Deg - Steel Rear - 2 per package)

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

Lots of good insight here. I still won't be surprised if you find the stem just can't be seen, because it's not real long, and points away. And as others said, about across from the inside dual air filler. I added 135 degree extensions on my outside duals, so I didn't have to buy a double headed filler for my compressor. (Wheel Masters Valve Extenders - 135 Deg - Steel Rear - 2 per package)

I was looking to buy 2 extenders and it seems like 1/2 of sellers are confused about which is the 45 degree extender and which is the 135 degree extender. The more picture I saw the more confusing it got

I would need the one that bend inside of what the 90 degree look like as that is what I would assume to be 45 degree angle, but many have pictures of that extender and they call it 135 degree?

But as I read stories about those extenders leaking and causing flats I have kind of backed off.

[Rick 99037]

It is true that if an extender worked loose, air would come out of the tire. But that's no different than the extension you already have coming from the inside dual now. They open the valve step, so the one on the end of the extension is in control.
Of course the new extension makes it easy to check pressure often too. If you Google Wheel Masters Valve Extenders you will see many picture and even short videos.

[DesertRatt]

Originally Posted by vanovafan

For what its worth, I don't think you need to remove the covers to get to the out board stems. They are there, that are just pointing towards the inside. You have to have a right angle tire gauge. Just one man's thoughts.

You mean the stem of the outer tire is point to the inner tire????

How would you put air in it?

If had to do other non-RV tasks this week, so I have not gotten back to this problem yet. So, still working on it.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

It is true that if an extender worked loose, air would come out of the tire. But that's no different than the extension you already have coming from the inside dual now. They open the valve step, so the one on the end of the extension is in control.
Of course the new extension makes it easy to check pressure often too. If you Google Wheel Masters Valve Extenders you will see many picture and even short videos.

This is perfect and very helpful. It confirms that the 135 degree is what I would need. That is not intuitive at all and I can see why so many are mislabeled.

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Masters.../dp/B0002F668S

As there are so many brands can I assume that your recommendation is Wheel Master to get quality or was it just for me to distinct between the 45 and the 135? They seem a tad pricey, but this is an area I have little knowledge.

Also, if I put these on myself, do I need to worry about have tires removed and rebalanced? Or should I just buy and have and wait until tires need service to be balanced before putting on?

This is new RV and still under warranty.

[Robert T]

When I first bought my motorhome I was as surprised as you were not to find a valve stem for the outer rear wheels. Te reason you can't find the stem is because it is mounted on the INSIDE of the wheel. If you compare it to the front wheel, you will notice that the wheel is mounted "backwards" therefore the stem is on the inside.
I installed a Dually Valve Stem Kit that I bought online from Always Shiny Wheels and now have no problem checking tire inflation with the wheel simulators on.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

I was looking to buy 2 extenders and it seems like 1/2 of sellers are confused about which is the 45 degree extender and which is the 135 degree extender. The more picture I saw the more confusing it got

I would need the one that bend inside of what the 90 degree look like as that is what I would assume to be 45 degree angle, but many have pictures of that extender and they call it 135 degree?

But as I read stories about those extenders leaking and causing flats I have kind of backed off.

I have these on my outside rear, and front tires in order to make topping off the tires easier. I did put some pipe thread tape on them, but I’ve never had any issues with them leaking. Even if it were to fall off altogether, You’d get the same result as if your stem cap came off—no air comes out.

As for which ones to use, I had to use two angles ones to get the correct angle on the outside rear tire (pictured here), and only one for the front.

[akeagle]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

This is perfect and very helpful. It confirms that the 135 degree is what I would need. That is not intuitive at all and I can see why so many are mislabeled.

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Masters.../dp/B0002F668S

As there are so many brands can I assume that your recommendation is Wheel Master to get quality or was it just for me to distinct between the 45 and the 135? They seem a tad pricey, but this is an area I have little knowledge.

Also, if I put these on myself, do I need to worry about have tires removed and rebalanced? Or should I just buy and have and wait until tires need service to be balanced before putting on?

This is new RV and still under warranty.

I just looked at the Amazon page cited above and found a 6 piece set of extenders (3 pairs of 30, 45, and 135 degrees each) for 11.99 and free shipping with Prime. THAT is a great deal!

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

Also, if I put these on myself, do I need to worry about have tires removed and rebalanced? Or should I just buy and have and wait until tires need service to be balanced before putting on?

This is new RV and still under warranty.

These valve extenders won’t make any significant change in your tire’s balance. They’re very light weight.

Now I know this is going to be controversial, but a very famous RV center near me, which will remain unnamed, and who’s been in business 30 years told me “we don’t even balance tires on RVs. They only go 60 miles an hour. Unless you have an uneven ride, the small amount of weight to the tire won’t make the difference to the coach or the tires.”

He told me when I asked him should I balance the tires and a front end alignment his response was. “Well is your unit driving straight? Are you feeling any uneven pull? I answered no to everything and he said why would you waste the money? it’s very expensive to do all those things.“

Now this is from a guy who makes money doing all those things.

Perhaps that’s just “his” opinion, but it got me to thinking...Sometimes we may all be overthink these things...

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by akeagle

I just looked at the Amazon page cited above and found a 6 piece set of extenders (3 pairs of 30, 45, and 135 degrees each) for 11.99 and free shipping with Prime. THAT is a great deal!

I saw that too from an even earlier post. I paused because of the below comment by the Seller / Mfg. in listing on Amazon

Warning
Please remove the tire valve stem extension from the valve stem before driving. The stem extenders are not designed to be used on running wheels; incorrect usage could cause high-speed jitter and chronic air leaks in your wheels.

No one ever could explain, thus my question if certain brands are higher quality. i.e. Wheel Master?

[DesertRatt]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

“Well is your unit driving straight? Are you feeling any uneven pull? I answered no to everything and he said why would you waste the money? it’s very expensive to do all those things.“

I wish I had read that a couple weeks ago. I spent $295 on a front-end alignment because I assumed I should protect my very expensive XPS RIB tires. But in fact, the RV drove straight, no pulling or odd character, and it feels the same today. I'm convinced he didn't even loosen a single nut.

[Morich]

The questions of balance on RV tires comes down to this when I look at the question.
Do I put so many miles on that I am likely to wear out a set of 60,000 mile tires or will I trade the RV or they age out first?
If I take 10 % off the wear limit, by being slightly out of balance, does that make any difference to me as long as it drives fine?
So for me, I can look at getting 40-50,000 with a set of unknown balanced tires but never drive that much in the time we have any one RV, so I'm fine with that. When I get down to it, I'm not driving enough for the loss of value on the tires is going to change the overall question of what an RV costs! You WILL have far bigger expenses if you keep one rolling enough for the tire mileage to become a factor.

[Tireman9]

Here is how I ran extension hoses with full wheel covers. NoT
e the 90° on the hose for outside tire.


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OWxzsIPZH...2Bextender.jpg


I would never use pipe tape etc as it can get in a valve core and make it leak. On un-damaged threads you should only need about 1/2 turn after air leak has stopped. Quick spritz of Windex or similar will confirm no air leak. Also note it is VERY important that the outer end of the extension hoses be firmly held down. I am not impressed with rubber donuts which are easy but IMO do not hold the hose firm enough. Vibration can loosen hose connections which can result in air leak. I have been running extension hoses since 2009 with no hose failures using the above or similar.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

It is true that if an extender worked loose, air would come out of the tire. But that's no different than the extension you already have coming from the inside dual now. They open the valve step, so the one on the end of the extension is in control.
Of course the new extension makes it easy to check pressure often too. If you Google Wheel Masters Valve Extenders you will see many picture and even short videos.

I just ordered the 135 degree Wheel Masters to solve same problem as OP

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Masters.../dp/B0002F668S

I went with Wheel Master as opposed to cheaper options as I don't like to fool around with tires. I just hope they fit well to make it easier to check and add air.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by dkoldman

I just ordered the 135 degree Wheel Masters to solve same problem as OP

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Masters.../dp/B0002F668S

I went with Wheel Master as opposed to cheaper options as I don't like to fool around with tires. I just hope they fit well to make it easier to check and add air.

Glad to here you found a solution to your situation.


RE checking air. Please remember that each time you use a hand gauge to check air (morning of every travel day) you are pushing on the valve stem and hard extenders are increasing the torque on the stem mount in the wheel. This can lead to eventual degradation of the rubber seal between the wheel and the stem. One advantage of running TPMS that few people consider is that the TPMS gives you a pressure check each morning, as well as continuous as you drive down the road.



TPMS eliminates this torque force on the valve stem mount along with saving you time to go out, get down on your knees, remove the metal valve cap, push on the stem and get a reading. Lots of fun if it is cold or raining.
I prefer to just turn on my TPMS in the morning and after my cup of coffee look at the TPM monitor and in a minute or two know the state of inflation for every tire.
No Muss or Fuss and the additional benefit of no torquing the valve stem mount.

[Rick 99037]

I mentioned a brand just to make the search more successful. But that's what I purchased too. The mass these things add is insignificant, compared to the heft of the wheels and tires, so balance is not an issue.
On the outside dual, you should have no problem installing w/o removal. A little air will escape in the process, but very little. Just take your time. If you have a tire on something that has a regular extension, you can temporarily screw it on to give you a little more to hold on to. If not, tie a string on it, so if you drop it, you can just pull it back up, and try again. Snug it with an open-end wrench, but don't go nuts.