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Technical Tire rim leaks

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by tubman, Sep 17, 2019.

  1. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I have had a slow leak on a front tire on my C2 Corvette the last 6 months or so. Yesterday, I took the tire off and literally slathered it with soap bubbles. I could not detect a leak, no matter what I did. I dis-mounted the tire today, and found that the beads were covered with rust. There was a small amount of rust on the rims as well. I could clean it off and re-mount the tires, but the rust bothers me. I would like to clean it off and paint the inside of the rims with something that would 1.) stop the rust, and 2.) help make the beads seal.

    Anyone have any suggestions?
     
  2. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I'd think Rustoleum the same color as the wheels after properly prepping the surface. A couple of coats should seal it off for a good number of years. I've had to do a lot of wheels for the same reason over the years.
     
    Hnstray and '51 Norm like this.
  3. In out tire store here in the NE rusty rim beads were fairly common and a source of aggravation for our customers for sure. We would grind the beads off with a serious aggressive wire wheel and coat the bead with bead seal. This is a product that is usually in every tire store. Clean the bead of the tire and reinstall. Usually works to reseal the tire. In worst cases we had to grind the rim down to steel and repaint but we would also add the bead seal.
     
  4. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    I use the brush on bead sealer, works great. Napa has it.
     
    low budget likes this.

  5. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,406

    alchemy
    Member

    I'd blast all the rust off and paint the wheel with some nice paint. Then, use minimal or no liquid to remount the tire. What do you think that liquid is gonna do inside the tire for the rest of eternity? Just sit there nicely minding its own business?
     
  6. I have repaired some wheels, that were keepers but bad enough that the rust had pitted the bead area. I used a wire wheel to clean the bead, wiped the bead area with metal prep, and applied several coats of black enamel to seal the area. I sanded between coats, which filled the smallest pits, but it was probably an overkill.
    Before inflating the tires, I wiped on some green slime, which not only made it a breeze to mount the tires but also helped to seal the seams.
    It worked like a charm, no leaks, and no extra effort required.
    I have been finding lately, that the culprit at least 50 percent of the time is a leak between the valve stem and the rim. I have also had problems where the bond between the rubber of the valve stem and the brass that holds the valve. Now, it is the first thing I check.
    To check for leaks, I put the tire flat on the ground, and spray a mixture of Dove and water in the hollow between the bead of the rim and the tire and wait to see bubbles. Sometimes, if the leak is minimal, I beat on the tire on the area of the leak, and this will often seal the area. Then I flip the tire over and repeat the process.
    I inherited some badly pitted rims with my trailer, and because of the unusual design, I was going to have to repair the wheel or discard all four. I used the same procedure as above, except for sanding the worst of the pitted areas, and I was able to save the rims.
    Don't ask me how many tires I have changed at home this summer. That is the price I have to pay for getting years behind because of my medical problems.
    Bob
     
    Hudson31 likes this.
  7. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    "j-jock" - Thanks for your reply, but I sat staring at this tire for about half an hour looking for bubbles. Nothing. I will replace the valve stem, as that is SOP when the tires are removed from the rim.

    I like the "Rustoleum" idea.
     
  8. I had that issue as well, and dropping the inflated tire into a water bath revealed a leak from the beginnings of a tread separation. I should have thought to look at that as a potential issue, because I had the same type of tread separation in two other tires of the same brand on my 3/4 ton. The solution was to replace the remaining two tires.
    Bob
     
  9. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,179

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    bead blast rims - powder coat. how old are tires? - as j-jock said may be tire problem that is not even visible - kind of like problem with battery slowly losing charge
     
  10. Did you have submerged in a tire pool?
    How many PSI per (hour, day, week??) does it loose?
     
  11. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Don't have a "tire pool", just a lot of "bubble bath" solution. After I removed the tire yesterday, I inflated it to 56 psi. When I came back and checked it today (about 24 hrs later), it showed 55.5 psi.
     
  12. Just had the same problem, it turned out to be the little sticky label they put on the bead of the tyre. It took a couple of months to show up, so I de-beaded the tyre, scraped of the crappy paper tag, and re-seated it. So far so good.
     
  13. That decrease could just be due to temperature change.
     
    Boneyard51 likes this.
  14. .5 psi per 24 hrs will be hard to spot.
    If in a pool of still water you’d see the bubbles.
    STILL water and those bubbles will be small and random.

    What the hell kind of Vette tires take 56 psi?
     
  15. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I did the 56 psi after I removed the tire (the gauge on the air line said 60 psi. but my hi-tech digital gauge showed 56) to make the leaks more apparent (or maybe to finally seat the bead on the tire).
     
  16. Beanscoot
    Joined: May 14, 2008
    Posts: 3,053

    Beanscoot
    Member

    I use thin grease as a bead sealing compound on my tires, because to my thinking water based compounds will encourage rust.
    To remove rust I sand by hand with coarse emery paper.
    When I take a tire off some years later, the rubber is always very supple on the bead surface with no rust on steel, or corrosion on aluminum wheels.

    I had a flat in one tire a couple months ago on my truck after the truck had been sitting for a bit over a year. I inflated it and it went quite flat after a few days, so I took the wheel off the truck , inflated it and searched in vain for the leak. I couldn't find one so put the wheel back on. It hasn't leaked since. I suppose there was a slight leak at the bead, and when the truck was driven a bit the tire shifted a bit and sealed up the leak.

    You're right to use soapy water to check for leaks, since the bubbles will stay around to be visible and the soap allows the water to completely cover the surfaces.
     
  17. run an inner tube.
     
    Beanscoot likes this.
  18. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Really? On this site, we are oriented to fixing things properly, not applying "band-aids". You should read more and post less for a while (maybe forever).:rolleyes:
     
  19. I agree with all the suggestions to de-rust and repaint with the product of your choice. But I would use Gibbs Brand as a tire mounting lube. Not only does it aid the mounting but it keeps moisture out of the seal area. I can't say how long it lasts but it probably wouldn't hurt to wipe a little Gibbs B in the tire/rim junction every couple of years......... even on tires and wheels that didn't start out with any.
    GB won't hurt the paint or rubber and it will allow you to color change your rims any time later with no issues.
     
  20. thanks for your input and opinion. however, this being a traditional site, an inner tube is a traditional fix.
     
  21. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Not on cars originally equipped with tubeless tires. Tubeless tires were standard on most American cars by 1960, so, yes, they are traditional. Using a tube in one is a "hillbilly" repair.
     
  22. And what’s wrong with hillbillies,
    or guys named jerry?
     
    vtwhead likes this.
  23. RDR
    Joined: May 30, 2009
    Posts: 1,480

    RDR
    Member

    Running Radials on an early wheel?....could be a minute crack in welded area or rivet area if riveted....
     
  24. lonejacklarry
    Joined: Sep 11, 2013
    Posts: 1,498

    lonejacklarry
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I've had problems a couple times over the years with alloy wheels. No, they do not rust but they will corrode or oxidize. When that happens the aluminum alloy forms a whitish surface skin which can cause the same type of slow tire pressure loss. Once that has been cleaned off it will not leak for a while.

    It has been a long time since Chemistry class but, as I remember, when steel rusts and is cleaned off the oxidized metal goes away. That is not so with aluminum. When it oxidizes the "skin" forms on the surface but can be cleaned off without loss of material.
     
  25. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,406

    alchemy
    Member

    Corrosion is corrosion. On steel it converts to iron oxide and that is removed when you sandblast it away. On aluminum the aluminum oxide is also removed as you sandblast away the whiteish gunk. It will leave pits, just like steel. I've got some aluminum flathead heads to prove it.


    Harrell5.jpg
     
  26. What???
     
  27. Petejoe
    Joined: Nov 27, 2002
    Posts: 12,264

    Petejoe
    Member
    from Zoar, Ohio

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