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tire leaks, and it ain't a hole...

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Jeff S

Jeff S

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Howdy friends,

I put a TKC80 on the front of my bike and I love it. When it's inflated. Which only lasts about 48 hours. I've looked over the tread carefully, sprayed with soapy water, sprayed around the valve stem. That all seems fine. But, the place I'm suspect is around the rims. I sprayed around there checking for bubbles, but it was really hard to tell with the water running down the rim.

Now, I'm not the most careful fella when removing / installing tires, and my rims likely paid the price with a nick or scratch or two. Could a small scratch cause a leak? My thought is to pull the tire off (carefully, this time) and sand down any nicks around the inside of the rim.

Is that a plausible solution? Anyone have an easier idea? I don't think 'Ride On' would make contact with that area.
 
Jeff S said:
Howdy friends,

I put a TKC80 on the front of my bike and I love it. When it's inflated. Which only lasts about 48 hours. I've looked over the tread carefully, sprayed with soapy water, sprayed around the valve stem. That all seems fine. But, the place I'm suspect is around the rims. I sprayed around there checking for bubbles, but it was really hard to tell with the water running down the rim.

Now, I'm not the most careful fella when removing / installing tires, and my rims likely paid the price with a nick or scratch or two. Could a small scratch cause a leak? My thought is to pull the tire off (carefully, this time) and sand down any nicks around the inside of the rim.

Is that a plausible solution? Anyone have an easier idea? I don't think 'Ride On' would make contact with that area.
Click to expand...

But did you spit on the end of the valve stem to check the core?

I would go on and replace the core to start with.
 
Bajaexplorer said:
But did you spit on the end of the valve stem to check the core?

I would go on and replace the core to start with.
Click to expand...

That is where I would start as well. It usually takes quite the gouge in a rim to cause a leak. Heck, I would just remove the core, clean everything really well, and reinstall. Just doing that might solve the problem.
 
I'd start with the valve stem core. Buy a pack at the auto parts store and replace it.
 
Try a new core or clean the one you have as Bill suggested. If it still leaks put the wheel on a bench and set it on each side in turn. Flood the rim/bead joint with soapy water. If it is leaking at all it will make a pocket of tiny bubbles there. Watch each side for a good while, half an hour or more. You can always walk away and come back. Just try to start out with as few residual bubbles as possible when you pour the solution on. Use the soap sparingly too. A week solution well mixed works better than gobs of dish soap.

Go from there.
 
CleatusJ said:
Submerge it in the kids swimming pool.
Click to expand...

+1 . I've never been a fan of the keep fixing things until you get lucky approach. Drop the tire in a tub of water, kids pool, bathtub, etc. Diagnose the problem and go from there. No need to replace this and sand that if it's not the root cause.
 
Rainmaker said:
+1 . I've never been a fan of the keep fixing things until you get lucky approach. Drop the tire in a tub of water, kids pool, bathtub, etc. Diagnose the problem and go from there. No need to replace this and sand that if it's not the root cause.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but I'm lazy. :mrgreen: A valve stem core takes 15 seconds to replace, costs pennies, I don't have to remove the wheel from the bike and I have a pack of them in my tool box. :rider:
 
kurt said:
Yeah, but I'm lazy. :mrgreen: A valve stem core takes 15 seconds to replace, costs pennies, I don't have to remove the wheel from the bike and I have a pack of them in my tool box. :rider:
Click to expand...

Fair enough.;-)
 
Ahhh - valve stem core. Shoulda thought of that myself. Much easier to fix that than having a child, waiting until he/she can swim, buying a swimming pool. :)
 
Jeff S said:
Ahhh - valve stem core. Shoulda thought of that myself. Much easier to fix that than having a child, waiting until he/she can swim, buying a swimming pool. :)
Click to expand...

:lol2: Well, yes that is one way of looking at it!
 
Jeff S said:
Ahhh - valve stem core. Shoulda thought of that myself. Much easier to fix that than having a child, waiting until he/she can swim, buying a swimming pool. :)
Click to expand...

Now that was funny right there.

Hope you get your air leak fikst.
 
Jeff S said:
Ahhh - valve stem core. Shoulda thought of that myself. Much easier to fix that than having a child, waiting until he/she can swim, buying a swimming pool. :)
Click to expand...

:lol2:

and waaayyy less expensive!
 
Had a visiting minister lead his sermon out talking about how he had installed a pool in his backyard the previous weekend. Yeah installed it myself. You know the kind you get from Walmart garden center. Took it out the back of truck and installed it in my backyard:rofl:
 
Had a real slow leak from my back tire- used soapy water and it was bubbly around the rims. Unmounted the tire and cleaned the rim twice. Finally said the heck with it, went to Amazon and got a can of this stuff.

Xtra seal bead sealer. Nasty black goop, cost a little over ten buck for a can that will last years. And no more leaks. Likely to have **** taking the tire off but so what.
 
OK - valve stem core was a good guess, easy to try, but didn't do anything. Still leaking...

Guess I'll need to submerge the wheel and see where it bubbles..
 
Fill tire to 5 lbs. with R-134A fill t0 30 lbs with air, borrow an electronic leak detector use the low sensitivity, if there is a leak you will find it. Its called trace gas and yes it is legal. High sensitivity is too sensitive 2oz per year. Another way is ultrasonic but that may be too much.
 
Jeff S said:
OK - valve stem core was a good guess, easy to try, but didn't do anything. Still leaking...

Guess I'll need to submerge the wheel and see where it bubbles..
Click to expand...

Since some people thought taking the tire off was too time consuming Do you have a center stand? If so you could easily put the bike on the center stand and slide the tub under the front tire then fill the tub with water.
 
Go to Paraguay. There's a small village in the mountains with a shaman named Ted. He only has one eye but that eye can see air leaks. Only problem is you'll have to push your bike up the mountain, he doesn't like the sound of internal combustion engines. He only charges one Susan B Anthony coin.

Tapatalk on a Note 2.
 
Not Dave said:
Go to Paraguay. There's a small village in the mountains with a shaman named Ted. He only has one eye but that eye can see air leaks. Only problem is you'll have to push your bike up the mountain, he doesn't like the sound of internal combustion engines. He only charges one Susan B Anthony coin.

Tapatalk on a Note 2.
Click to expand...

I know a preacher that that can let the air out of it and anoint the tire with Windex and lay hands on it and pry. Your tire will be healllled! He expects an offering though 10%
 
Last edited:
fclay said:
Fill tire to 5 lbs. with R-134A fill t0 30 lbs with air, borrow an electronic leak detector use the low sensitivity, if there is a leak you will find it. Its called trace gas and yes it is legal. High sensitivity is too sensitive 2oz per year. Another way is ultrasonic but that may be too much.
Click to expand...

my sniffer is rated to detect leaks as small as 1/4 oz/year.

good idea but you have to make sure you purge the refrigerant completely after fixing the leak, as it has a pretty wide pressure range with temperature change.
 
focus frenzy said:
my sniffer is rated to detect leaks as small as 1/4 oz/year.

good idea but you have to make sure you purge the refrigerant completely after fixing the leak, as it has a pretty wide pressure range with temperature change.
Click to expand...

that's the thing it my be too sensitive if its got a low sensitivity it may work if not all mechanical joints leak including bead and spokes. I was thinking if the rim was defective this way may find it. I would ride and warm up tire and rim first. Good luck. I just finished putting a rear on KLR by hand and it took about an hour used WD40 on bead worked great.
 
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