Tyre Pressure

[Guest speedmeister]

I have a 2004 Zetec with 16" alloys and find that all 4 tyres need pumping up every couple of weeks. I always crank 'em up to 41 psi and low and behold they're down to 25 or so in a fortnight. Front tyres are new, backs original.

Anyone else found this problem? I don't think anyone is letting 'em down!! :rolleyes:

[Guest VR6!]

What are the condition of the rims like? badly corroded, scuffed? can the tyres get a decent seal, are the valves ok? take the car back to the fitters and ask them to to check that the beads are sealing ok and if possible can they spin them on the rims and reseal them?

I also think it strange that all four rims are loosing pressure at the same time? unless the rims are totalled, cheap tyres? or someone thinks its funny to let your tyres down? and why are you leaving so long between pressure checks if you know you have a problem?

[Guest speedmeister]

Thought it was just the new fronts badly fitted at first but ATS checked it out and changed the valves. Then realised the original backs were also losing pressure. Rims are as new and tyres Dunlops.

Why am I leaving it 2 weeks between tyre pressure checks? I have other things to do!!

[Guest speedmeister]

Must be just me then.....?

[Andrew T]

I had a similar problem but only on one wheel. After removing and remounting the tyre and reseating and then replacing the valve didn't cure it Masked Marauder suggesting putting in tyre sealant (i.e puncture repair goo) which worked instantly. It's possible for alloys to go porous with age, but it seems funny that you have the problem on all four wheels and on quite a new car, a dodgy batch of wheels possibly?. For the sake of five or six quid for a can of sealant its maybe worth pumping some into each tyre and see if it makes a difference ?

[jwilliams]

I think you are right about alloy being porous which allows the air out. I always thought it was due to the lacquer being damaged.

 

Are there any problems associated with the puncture repair stuff being in the tyre?

[Guest speedmeister]

Thanks chaps

[sanjsanj]

PLEASE!, for heavens sake, do not let your tyre pressure drop to a dangerously LOW. Doing so causes your tyres to burst at speed, particularly at high speed.

 

You wouldn't want that now would you?

 

Do you all promise to check your pressure regularly???

[wood73]

slow leakage from tyres on alloy rims, it is an age old problem, the rims oxidise where they contact the tyre due to water based tyre paste, the coating seperates and the air leaks under the coating.

the short term fix is to get your local tyre depot (avoid big nationals like kwikfit etc.) to remove the tyre, wirebrush the rim and fit with 'rimseal' this is a thicker compound which dries into a rubber like compound which seals the contact area.

On badly oxidised wheels it may be necesary to do this every few months.

the long term fix is to get the wheels refurbished, but this could cost upto

[Guest speedmeister]

Thanks for that- makes sense. Bit unusual when the car's only 2 years old isn't it?

Could it be a warranty issue?

[wood73]

Thanks for that- makes sense. Bit unusual when the car's only 2 years old isn't it?

Could it be a warranty issue?

you'll probably find that warranty dosent cover alloy wheels, A chap I know had the same problem with a 12mth old shogun, only his wheels were blistering on the face, they looked like 20 year old ford alloys, mitsubishi wouldnt cover the wheels!

[Guest Sazere]

We have had the same problem with our 2004 Zetec. But with just one wheel in particular. Had a new tyre on it and just could not maintain tyre pressure, took it back to the garage that fitted it and they said nothing wrong. All 4 tyres didn't hold the pressure for more than a couple of days, we were checking tyre pressures every couple of days.

 

Anyway we have changed our tyres from 215/55/R16's (Goodyear & Bridgestone tyres) to Michelin's all 225/55/R16's and since then we have had no problems. When the tyre fitter took the old tyres off all were wet inside the rims? We have also changed from metal valves to the usual rubber valves.

[electech]

I have got this exact same problem, I took my car to the local tyre fitter to investigate, who revealed that where ford had fitted metal valve stems it had corroded with the alloy wheel and was leaking by. He replaced the metal valve stems with standard rubber ones and guess what???, yes they still leak, it looks like alloy wheel refurbishment for me.

[chevron169]

Yep mine used to do the same. After splashing a bit of car washing mixture on the valve stem it was clear that problem lies with seating of the rubber stem that holds the valve in the hole in the alloy wheel. I always resolved to get the whole stems replaced when I next changed any of the tyres but always forget.

 

Over the years as more dirt and general detritous has built up inside the wheel and round the base of the rubber stem the problem has got less & less, still have to check them and blow them up but not nearly as often !

[draughtyknee]

I have a 2004 Zetec with 16" alloys, same as the first chap. My trusted tyre specialist used leakfinder (?soapy water?) to show me the leak on all 4 of the original metal valves. With leakfinder you can see the air coming out of the thread area of the nut shaped section - a few mm from the dust cap, though the air should never have got this far - it is the rubber seal right at the base of the valve, inside the wheel, which has failed.

The specialist replaced all 4 with ordinary valves, so the one sure thing is that air will not escape from the join in the metal valves again. However I am unconvinced that the new valves will not leak, I have a feeling that the tyres need taking off so that the valve hole can be thoroughly inspected, cleaned and made smooth, to enable a good seal.

Anybody know about these metal valves - can you get replacement rubber seals without spending an arm and a leg?

[draughtyknee]

I have looked again at the original metal valves, the corrosion seems to clean off the rubber seal OK, so the main issue would seem to be to get the tyre fitter to clean off the corresponding part of the valve area of the wheel so as to make a good seal - and to then discourage the corrosion from returning, for a few years at least. Anybody tried having the tyres pumped up with nitrogen to avoid oxidation?

[draughtyknee]

Well after months of getting used to pumping them up all the time, and then thinking that they had lost pressure even after the visit to the tyre dealer, I have now checked the pressures properly and after a week they are steady. Hooray!

 

So it looks like my trusted local tyre specialist knew their onions. Whatever they did when they fitted the new ordinary rubber valves in place of the decorative metal ones seems to have sorted the problem.

 

As for the original metal valves, I'm glad I asked to keep them but have no appetite for refitting them. So the most likely scenario is that they will be handed, in a bag, to the next owner.

[les64]

Glad I found this thread. We have the same problem on our 2004 Ghia. The front off side and rear near-side tyres need pumping up quite often and the car is not good to drive.

 

Would putting an inner tube in the tyre (presuming you can still get them), solve the problem ?

 

Les

[seatkid]

Glad I found this thread. We have the same problem on our 2004 Ghia. The front off side and rear near-side tyres need pumping up quite often and the car is not good to drive.

 

Would putting an inner tube in the tyre (presuming you can still get them), solve the problem ?

Yes, but there are number of problems.

 

When you get a puncture with a tubed tyre - they deflate almost instantly aka "blowout"- very dangerous

 

Not sure a large reinforced tyre / performance tyre such the Galaxy is safe to tube - ask a senior manager in a tyre fitting centre.

 

Better by far to solve the leaking by finding the leak. Most good tyre fitting centres will help find the cause.

[draughtyknee]

Spoke too soon. Months down the line from my previous posts and now all 4 tyres are losing pressure again.

For now all that I am doing is to choose my petrol station for working airline rather than lowest petrol price, as every time I need petrol I need air in all 4 tyres too and footpumps aren't designed for such intensive use. Longer term I shall ask my tyre specialist to look at it again if I need other tyre work doing, and/or the Ford main dealer when it next goes in for a routine service as to whether it is a known Ford issue with a known cure. In the meantime it is just very annoying - in 27 years' motoring I have never known persistent tyre pressure problems like this.

Finally a reminder to all Galaxy owners with these wheels (including myself) that tyre under-inflation is dangerous and illegal so do please keep checking your pressures much more regularly than you are used to - even if it seems to settle down for a while.

[cyborg]

do you park on street or drive ? am thinking pesky kids its not easy to piss in the petrol tank any more not like the good old days B)

[big_kev]

Personally I would sell the Alloys, you get a decent price for them.

 

The cost of new ones ( minus the money from the sale of the old ones ) is worth looking at.