Tire Pressure Problem.... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Ryan · 08-21-2003, 01:47 PM

Yesterday I purchased a 1999 white Mercury Cougar from my local Police Auction.

The car checked out fine by my mechanic who I brought with me at the time of my purchase. So I am thinking alright this offer is to good to pass up....

( There was only a turnout of about 50 people, and the cougar was the second-to-last car they brought out for auction, so maybe only 35 pepople left when bidding started. They started the bidding at ONLY $1500!!! I quickly offer $2,000 and to make a long story short I end up paying $2,700 for the vehicle!! )

Anyways, I recived the car last night after my credit cleared and everything and I went had an oil change done and put air in all of the tires...

This morning I decide to drive my new shiny car to work and on my way home the car feels as if it is riding low on air in the rear. I pull into the gas station and the air pressure in the rear pasenger side tire is at 23, when I had filled it to 32 the night before!!!!

I am thinking ok I just got a whole or a leak in the tire.. I drive to my mechanic he informs me the tire is in perfect working condition and he could not find anything that would cause that and suggest it could possibly be a bad rim.

What do you guys think?? I am not exactly car savy and I don't know to much about cars in general, Any ideas on what may have caused this?

Pragma · 08-21-2003, 03:03 PM

Might be, as the mechanic suggested, a bent rim that caused the tire to go bad. Probably didn't drive it much at all at the auction place, so wasn't much of a chance of the tire getting a leak - but now that you've got it on the road, things are different.

I'd say have the mechanic take another look at it, see if at all he can look at the rim. Sucks to pay money on a car you just bought to fix things, but you may end up having to buy a new one.

Ryan · 08-21-2003, 04:03 PM

Alright, Thanks for the quick reply I appreciate it. I plan on taking it in tomorrow and seeing what the mechanic thinks about a bent rim and what he feels needs to get done..

DEI37 · 08-21-2003, 06:06 PM

Put the rims on a balancer, and you should be able to see if it's bent that way. Also, does the vehicle have aluminum wheels? If so, take and spray some water around the bead of the tire, and look for bubbles. Check the valve stem as well.

Ryan · 08-21-2003, 06:52 PM

Yes the rims are aluminum and I will be sure to bring some of the things you guys have said up to my mechanic.. Thanks again guys

grumpyolddude · 08-21-2003, 06:53 PM

Does the car have aluminum wheels? In rare circumstances, aluminum wheels can develop porosity leaks. They can be a bitch to detect. Maybe your shiny new car should have some new rims, too!
There's a couple of good tire stores in your neighborhood. Consider taking the car to one of them.

Tickford · 08-22-2003, 07:16 AM

There maybe a nail or screw in the tyre that your mechanic missed. and you could have a slow leak. losing 9 psi over night would be hard to find in a quick 5 minute look at it. take it to a tyre place and see what they think.

Ryan · 08-22-2003, 07:55 AM

Thanks for the helpful advice guys, I am taking it in after work today and will hopfully get everything checked out..

haha and for putting new rims on the car I just might, I wasnt looking at investing any money in this car really lol, my thinking in bidding and winning the auction on it was so that i could give it to my son someday he is turning 16 in about 5 months.. O well i'll see what the mechanic has to say..

Ashton · 08-22-2003, 03:34 PM

It's probally the valve stem...... take a spray bottle filled with water and bit of dish soap and spray the valve stem, if it bubbles you found your problem..... if it dosen't bubble, spray the bead around the rim...... if it still dosen't bubble spray the whole tire, soapy water will always find teh leak.

Sion · 08-24-2003, 06:04 PM

9 psi overnight is not a slow leak. thats a pretty fast leak. 9 psi over a month is a slow leak. best thing to do is to take it to a reputable tire shop. they will dunk it in a large tank of soapy water and should be able to find the leak. I used to work in a tire shop and you wouldnt believe the things we found that caused leaks. valve stems, objects in the tire, bead leaks, even once saw a wheel with a porosity leak (as grumpyolddude mentioned) but those are VERY rare. another time I pulled a staple (not a heavy duty packing staple, but a regular one just like in your average desktop stapler) out of a tire. took me an hour to find this thing, lady swore up and down there was something causing the tire to lose 3 psi a month. I was almost equally sure she was wrong, until I finally spotted the staple and one tiny little bubble.

anyway, with a 9 psi overnight leak, Im sure a good tire tech will find it.

rs8001 · 08-24-2003, 06:46 PM

I agree with Sion. As matter of fact I could have written that post. So this is mainly a repeat. I have found leaks in the following places.
1 Tire: puncture (keep in mind the object that punctured the tire my not still be stuck in the tire), cuts in the sidewall.

2 Valve stem: from around the area where the stem passes throught the hole into the wheel and also from the valve core. The vavle core is the little valve that screws into the valve stem. Most of the valve cores that I found leaking were corroded.

3 The bead: This is the area where the tire contacts the wheel. It is very common on aluminum alloy wheels due to corrosion on the bead. The general fix was to grind the corrosion off with a wire wheel on a grinder and apply a sealant.

4 The wheel: Like Sion, in my days working on cars I found one bad wheel. It was a brand new aluminum alloy wheel. I've also seen leaks between the wheel halves on mutli-piece wheels.

Sometimes it takes a bit of time to find that really slow leak. A 9 psi leak overnight will show up right away. You've probably already taken it back in but anyone who has a bit of experience tracking down these leaks should be able to find this one pretty quick. It sounds like you made out pretty good on this car so don't let this minor issue get you down.

Oh, and pat yourself on the back. From my experience the tire has to be nearly flat before the average Joe notices that something is wrong.

08-21-2003, 01:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ryan Crazy	Tire Pressure Problem.... Yesterday I purchased a 1999 white Mercury Cougar from my local Police Auction. The car checked out fine by my mechanic who I brought with me at the time of my purchase. So I am thinking alright this offer is to good to pass up.... ( There was only a turnout of about 50 people, and the cougar was the second-to-last car they brought out for auction, so maybe only 35 pepople left when bidding started. They started the bidding at ONLY $1500!!! I quickly offer $2,000 and to make a long story short I end up paying $2,700 for the vehicle!! ) Anyways, I recived the car last night after my credit cleared and everything and I went had an oil change done and put air in all of the tires... This morning I decide to drive my new shiny car to work and on my way home the car feels as if it is riding low on air in the rear. I pull into the gas station and the air pressure in the rear pasenger side tire is at 23, when I had filled it to 32 the night before!!!! I am thinking ok I just got a whole or a leak in the tire.. I drive to my mechanic he informs me the tire is in perfect working condition and he could not find anything that would cause that and suggest it could possibly be a bad rim. What do you guys think?? I am not exactly car savy and I don't know to much about cars in general, Any ideas on what may have caused this?

08-21-2003, 03:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pragma I am Winter Born Location: Alexandria, VA	Might be, as the mechanic suggested, a bent rim that caused the tire to go bad. Probably didn't drive it much at all at the auction place, so wasn't much of a chance of the tire getting a leak - but now that you've got it on the road, things are different. I'd say have the mechanic take another look at it, see if at all he can look at the rim. Sucks to pay money on a car you just bought to fix things, but you may end up having to buy a new one. __________________ Eat antimatter, Posleen-boy!

08-21-2003, 06:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
DEI37 Go faster! Location: Wisconsin	Put the rims on a balancer, and you should be able to see if it's bent that way. Also, does the vehicle have aluminum wheels? If so, take and spray some water around the bead of the tire, and look for bubbles. Check the valve stem as well. __________________ Generally speaking, if you were to get what you really deserve, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

08-21-2003, 06:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
grumpyolddude Deliberately unfocused Location: Amazon.com and CDBaby	Does the car have aluminum wheels? In rare circumstances, aluminum wheels can develop porosity leaks. They can be a bitch to detect. Maybe your shiny new car should have some new rims, too! There's a couple of good tire stores in your neighborhood. Consider taking the car to one of them. __________________ "Regret can be a harder pill to swallow than failure .With failure you at least know you gave it a chance..." David Howard

08-22-2003, 07:16 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tickford Insane Location: Australia	There maybe a nail or screw in the tyre that your mechanic missed. and you could have a slow leak. losing 9 psi over night would be hard to find in a quick 5 minute look at it. take it to a tyre place and see what they think. __________________ Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined. Samuel Goldwyn

08-21-2003, 04:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ryan Crazy	Alright, Thanks for the quick reply I appreciate it. I plan on taking it in tomorrow and seeing what the mechanic thinks about a bent rim and what he feels needs to get done..

08-21-2003, 06:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ryan Crazy	Yes the rims are aluminum and I will be sure to bring some of the things you guys have said up to my mechanic.. Thanks again guys

08-22-2003, 07:55 AM	#8 (permalink)
Ryan Crazy	Thanks for the helpful advice guys, I am taking it in after work today and will hopfully get everything checked out.. haha and for putting new rims on the car I just might, I wasnt looking at investing any money in this car really lol, my thinking in bidding and winning the auction on it was so that i could give it to my son someday he is turning 16 in about 5 months.. O well i'll see what the mechanic has to say..

08-22-2003, 03:34 PM	#9 (permalink)
Ashton PORNHOUND Location: California	It's probally the valve stem...... take a spray bottle filled with water and bit of dish soap and spray the valve stem, if it bubbles you found your problem..... if it dosen't bubble, spray the bead around the rim...... if it still dosen't bubble spray the whole tire, soapy water will always find teh leak.

08-24-2003, 06:04 PM	#10 (permalink)
Sion Dumb all over...a little ugly on the side Location: In the room where the giant fire puffer works, and the torture never stops.	9 psi overnight is not a slow leak. thats a pretty fast leak. 9 psi over a month is a slow leak. best thing to do is to take it to a reputable tire shop. they will dunk it in a large tank of soapy water and should be able to find the leak. I used to work in a tire shop and you wouldnt believe the things we found that caused leaks. valve stems, objects in the tire, bead leaks, even once saw a wheel with a porosity leak (as grumpyolddude mentioned) but those are VERY rare. another time I pulled a staple (not a heavy duty packing staple, but a regular one just like in your average desktop stapler) out of a tire. took me an hour to find this thing, lady swore up and down there was something causing the tire to lose 3 psi a month. I was almost equally sure she was wrong, until I finally spotted the staple and one tiny little bubble. anyway, with a 9 psi overnight leak, Im sure a good tire tech will find it. __________________ He's the best, of course, of all the worst. Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

08-24-2003, 06:46 PM	#11 (permalink)
rs8001 Crazy Location: Indiana	I agree with Sion. As matter of fact I could have written that post. So this is mainly a repeat. I have found leaks in the following places. 1 Tire: puncture (keep in mind the object that punctured the tire my not still be stuck in the tire), cuts in the sidewall. 2 Valve stem: from around the area where the stem passes throught the hole into the wheel and also from the valve core. The vavle core is the little valve that screws into the valve stem. Most of the valve cores that I found leaking were corroded. 3 The bead: This is the area where the tire contacts the wheel. It is very common on aluminum alloy wheels due to corrosion on the bead. The general fix was to grind the corrosion off with a wire wheel on a grinder and apply a sealant. 4 The wheel: Like Sion, in my days working on cars I found one bad wheel. It was a brand new aluminum alloy wheel. I've also seen leaks between the wheel halves on mutli-piece wheels. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to find that really slow leak. A 9 psi leak overnight will show up right away. You've probably already taken it back in but anyone who has a bit of experience tracking down these leaks should be able to find this one pretty quick. It sounds like you made out pretty good on this car so don't let this minor issue get you down. Oh, and pat yourself on the back. From my experience the tire has to be nearly flat before the average Joe notices that something is wrong. Last edited by rs8001; 08-24-2003 at 06:50 PM..