Hello. My front left tire has been leaking for over a year now despite having new tires. I’ve had bead seals done, a new valve stem put in, rims sanded down and the tires put through the both water tests (spraying and in the water tank) to check but they’re not leaking. Yet I’m still losing PSI quickly and have to refill the tire every week or two. 2009 Honda Civic Sedan. I’m out of ideas and my mechanics are stumped. Please help!
Has anyone tried sealing the wheel on the inside?
Tester
Thanks for the reply Tester! Is that any different than bead sealing? It’s this black liquid they apply to the edge of the tire to form a tight seal before refilling it to prevent leaks.
There are only 3 parts involved; a tire that is new, a valve stem that is new and a wheel that needs to be sanded because the rim is rusted or corroded. I think that it is time to replace the wheel.
Sanding the wheel removes the clearcoat on alloy wheels - and the clearcoat seals the pores of the alloy.
An alloy wheel can leak though the alloy very slowly - and on the order of needing air every week or 2. To find this, you have to be patient and completely immerse the tire and wheel assembly and hold it there. The leaks will appear as bubbles on the wheel surface and will not have a steady stream at any one location.
If you find the alloy is leaking, then you have to clear coat the wheel - and that means taking the tire off the wheel and spraying the wheel with clear coat and allowing the wheel to dry (and there’s more to it than what I just wrote) and that takes a few days to do.
The key all this is patience. It takes time and effort.
Good Luck.