Keep getting a flat tire

by Shaunaconda Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:33 am

On my '75 El Camino the tire keeps going flat after a few days of filling it up. I took it to two different tire shops and they couldn't find anything wrong with the tire or stem...no leaks anywhere. Maybe something wrong with the wheel? It started this about two weeks ago and I know I didn't hit anything to damage the tire or wheel. So hoping someone has an idea what might be going on?

by Wallyuph Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:09 pm

Your wife will love you for this one but take the tire off and fill the bath tube. Weight the tire down and let it sit over night submerged. The little bubble will be there in the morning. You may have to test each side as it may be the other side of wheel facing up for testing. Look at the bead of the rim for a small bubble. Slow leaks are hard to find.

by thatfnthing Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:14 pm

It's the rim itself. I had an old POS Ford pickup that had the same thing -- every third day one tire would be flat. You could set your watch by it. Nothing wrong with the tire at all. Basically the sealing surface on the rim was just plain crap. My tire shop at the time tried everything, even a special sealant that worked like RTV. No joy until I bought a new rim.

by JB2wheeler Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:16 pm

thatfnthing wrote:It's the rim itself. I had an old POS Ford pickup that had the same thing -- every third day one tire would be flat. You could set your watch by it. Nothing wrong with the tire at all. Basically the sealing surface on the rim was just plain crap. My tire shop at the time tried everything, even a special sealant that worked like RTV. No joy until I bought a new rim.

I agree, but a very slim chance may be that the tire is dry rotted and letting air thru all over. JB

by bracketchev1221 Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:28 pm

JB2wheeler wrote:
thatfnthing wrote:It's the rim itself. I had an old POS Ford pickup that had the same thing -- every third day one tire would be flat. You could set your watch by it. Nothing wrong with the tire at all. Basically the sealing surface on the rim was just plain crap. My tire shop at the time tried everything, even a special sealant that worked like RTV. No joy until I bought a new rim.
I agree, but a very slim chance may be that the tire is dry rotted and letting air thru all over. JB

Not slim, its possible. My Goodyear slicks were so porous they used to bleed down in a week, even when new.

by dynchel Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:35 pm

I have seen ford rims (jeep also) wheels that rot out and leak. Its usually the styled steel kind, the area the stem comes through rots out. btw i work at a tire shop. Cool

by Shaunaconda Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:39 pm

JB2wheeler wrote:
thatfnthing wrote:It's the rim itself. I had an old POS Ford pickup that had the same thing -- every third day one tire would be flat. You could set your watch by it. Nothing wrong with the tire at all. Basically the sealing surface on the rim was just plain crap. My tire shop at the time tried everything, even a special sealant that worked like RTV. No joy until I bought a new rim.
I agree, but a very slim chance may be that the tire is dry rotted and letting air thru all over. JB

I guess it may be the wheel then, the tire is practically brand new. So where can I get a Rally wheel?

by 77mali Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:11 pm

It might be a really small penetration in the tire. Take it off & give it a good visual inspection. It could be a really small nail or some other sharp object. I usually look for air bubbles with a 50/50 mix of liquid dish soap & water in a spray bottle (about 1/3-1/2 cup of each s/b enough). Spray a liberal amount where the tire meets the rim, both inboard & outboard sides, the stem @ the rim & the stem tip with the cover off.

If that all checks out then it's time to double check the treads, I usually scrub the solution on the treads & in between the treads after spraying it on to give it a bit of a coating. Patience also helps & be sure there is ample air in the tire to start with. Very Happy

by Shaunaconda Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:07 am

Well with the info I got from here I'll try one more tire shop and see what they say. Thanks!

by pila Wed Nov 20, 2013 5:06 pm

If it comes down to getting a new rally wheel, I bought new wheels from Summit, for my '75 Elco, made by Wheel Vintiques, identical to the factory rally type. You would have to measure the back spacing & width....

by Shaunaconda Sat Dec 07, 2013 5:45 pm

So a couple weeks ago while filling the tire I stopped with about 15 lbs of pressure because I was in a hurry and had to be somewhere. I could hear a hiss and found the leak along where the sidewall and rim meet. If I filled to 30-35 lbs no hiss. So I got the tire shop to put some bead sealer around the rim. So far it's worked. Just wondering how long does this stuff last?

by pila Sat Dec 07, 2013 8:57 pm

I would recommend having that tire removed, use a wire wheel or whatever else you can use, to really clean the inside of the wheel where the tire bead is supposed to seal.
Gotta be something wrong with that wheel.
Anyway, when the rim seal area is cleaned, put a couple coats on paint on there, which will smooth imperfections in the wheel.
I go through this all the time on the aluminum wheels on my Chevy pickup, and the steel wheels on my S-10 pickup.
The tire places you went to, should have removed that tire & did a good inspection of the wheel & bead on the tire.
Good help & service seems hard to find......

by Mcarlo77 Sat Dec 07, 2013 8:58 pm

I'm sure you'll be fine till the next time you change tires. At that time, you should insist the shop remove all old, dried sealer from around the bead before they install the new tire. They won't do it otherwise as it takes more time.

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