Tire folks?

[gizzsdad]

I have a '10 Maxima with aftermarket wheels with the OE TPMS sensors installed. When I changed out the wheels last week, I noticed one tire extremely low - and upon checking it was at 4 1/2 psi. We have a cold snap this week, and sure enough, that same tire had dropped from 37 psi to 29. I am sure about 4-5 psi of that was just temperature change, but that was enough to light the TPMS icon on the dash, and filling it turned off the light.

I inspected all the tires closely when transferring, so I know there are no punctures, etc. I also made sure the valve core was tight when filling last week. These tires have been on the wheels for about two years, so I doubt the issue is a bead/seating issue.

So my question is - can the valve cores just fail? If so, can I pick one up and change without losing the bead seal? Or should I just take it to a dealer?

 

[SwampSurvivor]

It's probably a bead leak. I have seen people with tires that have leaky valve cores, though.

Inflate it and listen to the valve - if the core is leaking you will be able to tell.

You can buy a set of valve cores and removal tool from Walmart for like $2. Useful tools to have! You won't lose the bead if you remove the valve core to change it - just be careful removing it with pressure in the tires ... they will shoot out at you!

 

[eljefino]

So you put your summer tires back on and they flattenned over the winter? It still could be a bead seal thing and they could work themselves out. Why not pump up to 50 psi overnight to jam the beads back home then bleed down to where you need to be next morning?

 

[gizzsdad]

Yes - I put them on and one had lost considerably more air than the others.

 

[ccap41]

My money would be on the bead over the valve core. It isn't impossible, obvioualy, for the core to leak but it happens far less than bead leaks. Especially on atermarket rims(usually not near OEM quality). Aftermarket rims are notorious for leaking around the bead. Also never rule out a small puncutre. You could drive a half mile down the road and pick something up.

 

[Nick1994]

Pump it up full and get some Windex and spray the bead inside and out and look for bubbles. Valve stem too.

 

[ccap41]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Pump it up full and get some Windex and spray the bead inside and out and look for bubbles. Valve stem too.


Yup. Do this.

 

[Cardenio327]

There was a valve stem recall about two years ago.

The vast majority of valve stems went to being made in China about 5 years ago. The quality dropped dismally low on some brands about 3 years ago, so there was a recall on ALL valve stems around the time when you bought yours.

The brand 'Dill' I think is still good. Schraeder has been garbage for about 10 years, even the ones not made in China. Pretty much all the others are Chinese.

 

[Cardenio327]

+1 on the Windex.

Check the bead and valve stem/core carefully.

*Puncture
*Cracked rim
*Porosity of rim [difficult to detect]
*Filtration caused by damaged liner or bead, plug only repairs, too small of patch, improperly prepared while patching, or porosity of liner. [These are all difficult to detect]