slow leak

[CliffordK]

Actually its the steel. Ive used the brass cores "rated" for calcium chloride and they dont last either. Certainly slow leaking tires are maddening.

I haven't hunted for cores. However, saltwater is very hard on brass. Bronze, on the other hand, will hold up to salt. Stainless? There is a lot of information on ocean going small boats, although they wouldn't use valve cores, except on trailers.

I've got calcium in the rear tires of my old Ford. It is making a bit of a mess. I'm ready to dump it all out, replace the tires, put in tubes if it doesn't have them, then refill with something that is far less corrosive.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Found leak on the left tire and learned a lot.
The tire is full of huisache thorns.
One spot though had a small piece of rubber cut, bout 5x8mm or so.
Set left axle on jack stand and inflated to my cringe factor. Tire gauge useless on a water-filled tire.
The liquid gas leak detector fluid made great tiny bubbles escaping through the hole. Interesting part is that once it was marked and set back on the ground the thorn must have shifted and sealed it.
Because for two days in the shop tire never lost pressure, as the profile was still the same.
tire shop in Shiner repaired it in three hours.
Now am having loader cylinders out for new seals. Found hydraulic oil leaking in the shop floor while looking for the source of tire leak. Well guess after a 1,000 on the clock it's held up rather well.
Safe holidays to all.

 

[CliffordK]

Set left axle on jack stand and inflated to my cringe factor. Tire gauge useless on a water-filled tire.
The liquid gas leak detector fluid made great tiny bubbles escaping through the hole. Interesting part is that once it was marked and set back on the ground the thorn must have shifted and sealed it.

I usually inflate the tires while mounted on the tractor, sitting on the ground, and use the amount of sag with the weight on it on the ground to help judge adequate pressure.

However, you should be able to use your gauge if you rotate the valve to 100% at the top of the tire.

I'm glad you found the culprit. I'd probably carefully pull as many of the other thorns as possible from the tire.

 

[CliffordK]

Set left axle on jack stand and inflated to my cringe factor. Tire gauge useless on a water-filled tire.
The liquid gas leak detector fluid made great tiny bubbles escaping through the hole. Interesting part is that once it was marked and set back on the ground the thorn must have shifted and sealed it.

I usually inflate the tires while mounted on the tractor, sitting on the ground, and use the amount of sag with the weight on it on the ground to help judge adequate pressure.

However, you should be able to use your gauge if you rotate the valve to 100% at the top of the tire.

I'm glad you found the culprit. I'd probably carefully pull as many of the other thorns as possible from the tire.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Yup, learned this from Ask Tractor Mike channel. Using a tape measure from 6 to 12 O'clock and measure height. Then with implement attached look at the contact area of the treads.
Add/remove air to adjust for full contact of tread to ground.

The thorns are all flush and embedded. I did ask the tech to inspect for further possible issue of thorns working themselves in.
He said it was all clear.
Yeah this was one of those things I tell wife; just part of the total package of living our here. I was stunned at the repair bill. $34 bucks.....wow for all the work they did and a three hour turn around, it was a pleasant surprise.
Especially when a trailer tire flat repair here in town cost me $18 bucks.

 

[CliffordK]

I'm pretty good at working thorns, small pieces of glass, etc, out of bicycle tires. Just work them out with a small knife blade or screwdriver. Of course, you don't want to make it worse, and tractor tires are heavier than bike tires.
There may be an argument to leave the thorns alone that aren't hurting anything. They may not work deeper like a screw or nail might do.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Yeah, I tried removal nah ain't happening. They are flush and tightly embedded. The harder i tried the more rubber came off as the thorns just splintered.
So, i really must adjust my nuclear industry OCD mindset and shrug this one off...

 

[not2old]

I spent the better part of an hour two days ago looking for a slow leak in my pickup tire. I don't use it much and the pressure would drop from 45psi to about 25psi in 4 to 6 weeks while sitting. I used water with a lot of dish soap and a paint brush. Gave up looking when I couldn't find anything and leaned the tire again the wall thinking I'd try again later. Came out to the garage an hour later to find a tennis ball sized lump of tiny bubbles around the valve stem. Don't know why it didn't show any bubbles when I tried brushing around it previously but I thought I'd looked there and realize how lucky I was to have left the tire in that position.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Something to be said about those serendipity moments eh???


glad it worked out so well..

 

[toomanymachines]

Put a mark on the pinhole in the tire, rotate it so the pinhole is at the bottom.
If it wets it was filled partially with some liquid. To determine if it was water or not DON'T TASTE IT, find some other way like collect a sample and see if it freezes at 32 degrees.

beet juice is sweet and calcium chloride is nasty tasting. dog urine, well it has a smell. calcium chloride will not kill you. been changing tractor tires for over 40 years and have been sprayed many times when the valve stems rip off from corrosion.