Phugoid Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 On my 97OBW, I have 3 leaky tires. 1 leaks about 2 psi/week, 1 does about 5psi/week and one does about 10psi/week. It's a huge pain keeping on top of these, but I've done it now for a couple months. Short of new tires (coming soon, >10k), what can I do to stop them from leaking? I've seen the "fix-a-flat" stuff, but that seems like overkill. Thanks! Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 EEEK! thats bad, and u definitly dont want uneven tire pressure with a subaru, ull kill ur AWD transfercase( clutches mostly). Are u running rims or steel rims? Alloy or Aluminum rims i think sometimes, leak air, but it probably a simple fix. Like the valve on the stem, get those flat screw drivers with the stem driver at the other end, or this tool see. http://www.hozan.co.jp/cycle_e/catalog/tire_tube/D-12.htm click the D-12 valve driver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 You can buy a plug kit at Wal Mart, some of the plugs you dont have to use the cement with, but the better solution is what I now use which is the manuel tire changer from Harbor Freight around 50.00 dollars on sale. Once you learn to use it you can do a tire in about five minutes. On my 97OBW, I have 3 leaky tires. 1 leaks about 2 psi/week, 1 does about 5psi/week and one does about 10psi/week. It's a huge pain keeping on top of these, but I've done it now for a couple months. Short of new tires (coming soon, >10k), what can I do to stop them from leaking? I've seen the "fix-a-flat" stuff, but that seems like overkill. Thanks! Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekmedm Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 What condition are your rims in? I have a set of aluminum rims that have a bit of corrosion around the inside bead which makes them leak slowly. I have my winter tires on those right now. I have a second set of the same kind of rims (6 spoke) that are in much better condition with all season tires and they don't leak at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Whoever installed the tires would probably dismount them, grind the rust with a special tool and then cement and reinstall the tires to the rims for free or a nominal fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phugoid Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 Running the 97 stock alloy rims. They seem to be in good shape. No rust, a little corrosion and wear on the edges. This car was 100% dealer serviced before I got it, maybe I'll give them a call. Thanks, Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 how are the valve stems? is the rubber on them all dry and crusty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrturbo Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 i second or third or whatever on the corrosion between the bead on the wheel and the tire, it is another one of those see it everyday things, especially on those wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 but the stem might be loose, cant it ? Mine was, made it nice and tight and no more leaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron917 Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Add another vote for corrosion around the bead. Had the same problem with one of my tires, leaked 7psi per day. The tire shop has a big water tank shaped properly to hold tires and wheels. They dropped it in that, confirmed the leak was at the bead. They dismounted the tires, ground the sealing area on the rim, put some sealer on and remounted and balanced. No leak after that! Go to a tire shop and have them check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 corrossion around the bead. tire needs to be dismounted, clean the rim (they usually just dimount, slap grease and remount without cleaning), then reinstall. the valve stems could be leaking....but with multiple tires doing it i'm guessing it's the wheels. maybe the air that was used to fill the tires had alot of water or something else in it that caused excessive corrossion. or maybe it's the weather, salt....there's something in common across the wheels causing that corrossion. i can't think of a common cause for valve stem failure, so while that's possible i say less likey. the valve stems can be tightened with just about anything though. or throw some soap water on them to see if they bubble. make sure the next set of tires you get they replace all the valve stems and clean the wheels good (after they quote you the price!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaru Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 "...u definitly dont want uneven tire pressure with a subaru..." What PSI differential would cause a probem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usaru Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 ...u definitly dont want uneven tire pressure with a subaru... What PSI differential would cause a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 I've got two tires mounted on alloy wheels that currently leak at the bead; there were three that leaked originally. All were dismounted, corrosion (they use a lot of salt on the roads here) "removed", and sealant applied. Two were done by the dealer, and one of those started leaking again shortly after the repair. The third was worked on at a tire shop, and was never "leak free", although the air loss was slowed. The leaky ones loose about 1.5 psi per day. [...]What PSI differential would cause a problem?Enough to cause an effective (loaded by vehicle weight) difference in circumference of 1/4 inch. No, I'm not going to get further into that discussion again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phugoid Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 Got all 4 removed, cleaned and re-sealed today. Hopefully this will stop the leak. $42 out the door. Thanks! Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 That is hard to believe that so many here have had problems with tires leaking around the bead, that is almost unheard of here in Texas, if we have a low tire most of the time it has a nail in it. However I ordered a front control arm from a junk yard in N.H. and when it got here to Tx. It was covered with rust something not seen much here. Got all 4 removed, cleaned and re-sealed today. Hopefully this will stop the leak. $42 out the door. Thanks! Reid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_bard Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I've got a pair of tires that have got a slow leak, too... worst one happens to be the same tire that was nearly flat when I picked it up off the car lot. I don't imagine sitting their flat did much to improve the problem. I'm planning on using one of my dad's old farmer tricks... mix up some dish detergent and water, then brush/splash/whatever the mixture onto the tires to see where it bubbles up. I'm expecting it to be around the rim, but I could be surprised. I just haven't gotten around to it lately... fillin' them up once a week really isn't all that bad when there's a gas station with free air right around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phugoid Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 That is hard to believe that so many here have had problems with tires leaking around the bead, that is almost unheard of here in Texas, if we have a low tire most of the time it has a nail in it. However I ordered a front control arm from a junk yard in N.H. and when it got here to Tx. It was covered with rust something not seen much here. You should have seen the salt caked on the rim and the tire! I could have saved it and bottled it. They used a grinder with a wire brush wheel and blasted it all away. Definitely a MN thing from the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.