PSA - Tire Losing Air

[Bee-Positive]

Just an FYI for anyone interested.
Over this past snow season I noticed my left rear tire would lose air over a couple of days and I could find no obvious air leaks. No bubbles around rims or tread. So I just lived with it until the weather warmed up and I could get a good look at it. The weather warmed up and it seemed to have stopped leaking. Went out the other day and sure enough almost flat. WTF!!!

While putting air in the tire yet again I noticed the stem in the air valve was partially unscrewed. After 15 minutes of digging I found the little air stem tool and tightened it down. Problem solved, hasn't leaked since. Checked the other 3 tires and they were fine.

In 50 years of working on all kinds of cars, motorcycles, and tractor it's the first time I've seen a valve stem come loose by itself. I've never even had the tire off or fiddled with the stem in the 4+ years I've own the tractor.

We all know about checking the wheel lug nuts periodically but I've never heard of checking the air valve stem.

 

[Speed25]

Just an FYI for anyone interested.
Over this past snow season I noticed my left rear tire would lose air over a couple of days and I could find no obvious air leaks. No bubbles around rims or tread. So I just lived with it until the weather warmed up and I could get a good look at it. The weather warmed up and it seemed to have stopped leaking. Went out the other day and sure enough almost flat. WTF!!!

While putting air in the tire yet again I noticed the stem in the air valve was partially unscrewed. After 15 minutes of digging I found the little air stem tool and tightened it down. Problem solved, hasn't leaked since. Checked the other 3 tires and they were fine.

In 50 years of working on all kinds of cars, motorcycles, and tractor it's the first time I've seen a valve stem come loose by itself. I've never even had the tire off or fiddled with the stem in the 4+ years I've own the tractor.

We all know about checking the wheel lug nuts periodically but I've never heard of checking the air valve stem.

I've developed a slow leak in one of my fronts, so definitely worth grabbing my stem tool to at least rule this out. Thanks!

 

[Shawn T. W]

Some have screw on stems too, not just the core, mine were loose!

 

[William1]

I was taught long ago, to always put a drop of soapy water on the stem to check for leaks, even tight, they can be defective, probably replaced a few dozen in my life. On a tubeless, I also put soapy water where the stem protrudes and wiggle it, looking for leaks, Found a few split ones.

 

[Vlach7]

You need to watch those valvestems, especially the rubber ones that can dry rot, had some tires from Walmart that they did not replaced the valve stems and going down the road. The centrifugal force would bend it back to where it would leak out the air took a while to figure that one out and destroyed a tire or two and the company would not back their negligence.

 

[Speed25]

You need to watch those valvestems, especially the rubber ones that can dry rot, had some tires from Walmart that they did not replaced the valve stems and going down the road. The centrifugal force would bend it back to where it would leak out the air took a while to figure that one out and destroyed a tire or two and the company would not back their negligence.

I suspect centrifugal force isn't a problem for the valve stems on my BX!

Sticks and other debris might be though...

 

[William1]

I suspect centrifugal force isn't a problem for the valve stems on my BX!

Sticks and other debris might be though...

Driving through the woods, sticks and stuff abuse (certainly not me!) the valve stem,.

 

[fatjay]

My b7200 had hte same issue. No bubbles, but over the course of 3 days, flat.

So I said screw it, and got a tube off amazon for $30.

2 hours of screaming and cursing later, boom. No more leaks. I don't care where the leak was, and now it's not my problem anymore.

Beware, the valve stem was to big for my valve hole, so I had to drill it out. Real pain in the dick, but i packed the inside with greasy rags to catch any shards.

When putting the tire back on the rim, 2 big c-clamps, not even tightened down, will keep the tire from coming up if you have a crappy HF tire changer like I do.

 

[Caden]

Thanks @Bee-Positive , I've never seen one come loose on its own either. Good to know.

 

[6869704x4]

Same with the low side charge port for the AC. High side have to replace the port itself.

 

[Bee-Positive]

Kind off topic but I found it interesting the Schrader Valve was patented in 1893.
If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Schrader Valve according to Wackypedia
August Schrader was a German-American inventor and businessman. In 1844, he opened the Schrader company, a shop dealing in rubber products in Manhattan, NYC. Around 1890, after reports of English cyclists' success using pneumatic tires, August Schrader saw the need for a bicycle tire valve. Working with his son George Schrader, in 1891 they produced the Schrader valve, which was patented in the U.S. in 1893.
In 1845, he began supplying fittings and valves for rubber products made by the Goodyear brothers.

 

[skeets]

I knew a guy that had a problem like that one time, figured he was not going to fight a tube and getting the tire back on the rim , 2 jugs of slime and as far as I know it is still holding air

 

[BruceMc]

Just an FYI for anyone interested.
Over this past snow season I noticed my left rear tire would lose air over a couple of days and I could find no obvious air leaks. No bubbles around rims or tread. So I just lived with it until the weather warmed up and I could get a good look at it. The weather warmed up and it seemed to have stopped leaking. Went out the other day and sure enough almost flat. WTF!!!

While putting air in the tire yet again I noticed the stem in the air valve was partially unscrewed. After 15 minutes of digging I found the little air stem tool and tightened it down. Problem solved, hasn't leaked since. Checked the other 3 tires and they were fine.

Just had a similar experience this past weekend on the LX2620 I bought last fall. Plowed all winter with no problems, then went out Saturday to do a quick job and found the right front tire not only flat, but rolled off the bead. It must have gone flat a few days earlier when I parked it, and I didn't see it getting off the machine.

Figured I must have found a stray nail, but couldn't find anything. Pulled the tire off, took the seat out to get enough air flow to re-seat the tire on the bead, then re-installed. I keep a spray bottle with a mix of water and dish soap just for checking tires, and couldn't find any leaks. Checked everything twice and nothing. Hmmm. I've checked it several times now and PSI hasn't budged. Near as I can figure at this point is that, yes, the valve stem loosened up.