tire leak

Dena · 12-30-2021, 12:34 PM

I have 6 Michelin 19.5 tires on my Itasca Suncruiser. New in November 2020. All had been well until the right inside tire went flat while we were on a trip in July of this year. Had a mobile guy out, he tested everything, decided by process of elimination it was probably the valve stem extender. He put a new stainless steel one on, filled it up and we went on our way. It was fine on the way home (about 4 hours). We checked it a couple of more times after we were home and no problems. After that, we didn't check it again for a couple of months, but we did buy TST TPMS for all 6 wheels. My husband put them on last weekend and that same tire was down to 40 PSI! No apparent reason. Filled it up, went on our trip but took our air compressor with us. 2 1/2 hours each way, 4 days of camping and that tire never went below 106 PSI cold and 120 PSI while running. So very strange. What could this be? clearly there is a problem, but I can't fathom what to even tell a tire place!

reeman · 12-30-2021, 08:51 PM

Could be a rim leak, the problem does not sound like a hidden nail or screw but it could be. Rim leaks tend to show themselves after trips or sitting for periods of time, either way having the tire checked by a good shop is a good idea.
Some tire shops get very sloppy cleaning the rims and compensate with goo. It can spell trouble later on as the tire wears and is put under the strain of bumps and normal usage.
I have seen screws do the same thing and only lose air when parked or after a trip. But screws and nails in tires usually create leaks that are constant, whereas rim leaks at the bead surface can be really deceptive.

Sometimes the only way to diagnose a problem like this is to unmount the tire and check the rim surface and the tire.

armullis59 · 12-30-2021, 10:57 PM

My coach suffers from a slow leak in one tire. It loses about 10 Lbs of pressure for every two weeks in storage. I have always checked it before hitting the road and used my air compressor when needed. I have checked the valve stem and made sure the schrader valve inside the stem is tight. My tires are going on 6 years old and will need to be replaced soon. So, I am not worrying about the one tire leaking slowly. But, when I do get new tires, I will tell the techs about it.

mikf · 12-31-2021, 12:46 PM

Could be the valve stem. Maybe check to make sure the nut is tight, but not to tight to damage the gasket. If you take it off to get the bead cleaned I would have change the valve stem just to make sure.

armullis59 · 12-31-2021, 06:23 PM

Probably is the stem. I tightened it up. I will get it fixed when the tire gets replaced. Thanks

AlanO · 01-05-2022, 04:17 PM

Air leaks in tires is really not rocket science. Guessing is really not an answer in my book.
It’s a simple solution to find the leak rather than guessing where it ’might’ be.
Mix up a solution of dishwashing liquid and water and put in a spray bottle. Shoot the entire tire with the solution and look for the bubbles. A very slow leak will develop a foam of bubbles and can take a while to develop but it’s a guaranteed method to find the leak.
I have fixed thousands of tires over my lifetime and it never fails.

Morich · 01-05-2022, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanO

Air leaks in tires is really not rocket science. Guessing is really not an answer in my book.
It’s a simple solution to find the leak rather than guessing where it ’might’ be.
Mix up a solution of dishwashing liquid and water and put in a spray bottle. Shoot the entire tire with the solution and look for the bubbles. A very slow leak will develop a foam of bubbles and can take a while to develop but it’s a guaranteed method to find the leak.
I have fixed thousands of tires over my lifetime and it never fails.

Congrats on showing something that is often missing!

Common sense is not really all that common!
Back when horse troughs were more common, taking the tire off and putting it in the trough of water was a quick one!

Bo Walker · 01-06-2022, 03:48 AM

I had two inside tires to blow due to a bad extender. You can try removing the extender for awhile to see if the leak stops.

RTrider · 01-06-2022, 05:50 AM

I once had a tire with a slow leak. I found it very low the morning after a 500 mile day on the road. I had the tire replaced because I didn't know how long it had run low on pressure. The leak continued. The tire dealer could not initially find the leak. After actually doing the tire in tank"dunk" routine, it was found to be a cracked weld bead in the rim assembly. So, new rim, new stem and new tire finally resolved the issue.