Leaking Valve stem

[Saddle_Bag]

I hope there is an easy fix, but I don't think so. Was going to take the beast out and bingo the front tire was flat. That brand new metzler was doing the pancake impersonation. No nail and a full bottle of Ride-on, that tire can't be flat????? It was and the air was coming out of the base of the valve stem. There are two nuts on the base of the valve stem and one appears to be a locking nut. Is there a way to tighten it or does the tire need to be removed to fix it. I tinkered with the stem, but it turns and does not appear to be tightening. Any thoughts?? joe

[GeorgeS]

If simply tightning the stem, does not stop the leak.

 

Pull the tire, and replace the Valve Stem.

[Eck]

You can try to tighten the locking nut to see if it stops the valve from turning (it should tighten up)..however the vavle stem may turn as you do this...

If it does, you could try wrapping the rubber portion of the valve step with some cloth or tape, and with pliers, grab the cloth or tape covered portion of the valve stem and hold it "snuggly" while trying to tighten the nut.

Do not squeeze the living heck out of it!

The cloth or tape adds only a little protection to the rubber stem so do not grip it real tight or you might crush it..if you do, then you will have to remove the tire from the rim and replace the valve stem.

You just want to lightly hold the valve step from turning while at the same time your trying to tighten the locking nut.

Once the nut gets snug, then you should be able to tighten it a little more with out the valve stem turning at all..

[Tartan Terror]

If you do need to remove it you shouldnt Need to replace the entire stem. You can replace the rubber grommet in there and that will be much less expensive than replacing the entire stem especially if you want the one from Yamaha.

[6m459]

Brand new Metzler you say ?

 

I'd take it back to who ever installed it and say WTF ?

 

Bet they will repair it gratis for the good will etc.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Brian H.

[Saddle_Bag]

I thought I'd try to take it back to the shop in PA that I deal with, but the air was coming out fast. I decide to try a shop in Frederick Md. It was only 9 miles away. I threw the my cig/adapter compressor in the back and took off. One stop and I got there with 20 lbs in the tire. They took it off and broke the tire down. According to them, the ride-on in the tire had pitted the rim and destroyed the seal on the valve stem base within the tire. They worked on the inside surface and managed to reseal the valve stem. I thought ride-on(not the cheap kind but the real thing) would not hurt the metal??? I guess putting a new rim on at a later date is better than getting a flat while riding. Unless I discover the rim is too pitted to hold air while I'm riding. Oh Well. joe

[rumn1]

I think you should send those comments on to Ride On. They claim it is chemically inert, so it should not do this.

[greg_in_london]

I tinkered with the stem, but it turns and does not appear to be tightening.

 

It's a simple fixing - the nut tightens up and squashes the rubber seal to make it airtight. If it's loose, then either it wasn't tightened up or some of your 'Ride On' (sorry - not familiar with the brand) somehow made it seem tighter than it was.

 

It can be quite easy to mistake a tightening lock nut for a tightened bolt - if you're not toomcareful - I'd guess that's what happened.

I don't believe that it would damage the rim, though. Possibly it might form gacky strands that affect the seal, but that's all. I'd have been surprised if tightening it up would not have cured it, but cleaning and tightening should be no problem.

 

[Over here they used to say that finilec/tyreweld/etc would prevent an effective tube or tyre repair, but those have no effect on chrome/steel or aluminium rims.]

 

Good job you noticed at home, not during a long run.

[Condor]

I thought I'd try to take it back to the shop in PA that I deal with, but the air was coming out fast. I decide to try a shop in Frederick Md. It was only 9 miles away. I threw the my cig/adapter compressor in the back and took off. One stop and I got there with 20 lbs in the tire. They took it off and broke the tire down. According to them, the ride-on in the tire had pitted the rim and destroyed the seal on the valve stem base within the tire. They worked on the inside surface and managed to reseal the valve stem. I thought ride-on(not the cheap kind but the real thing) would not hurt the metal??? I guess putting a new rim on at a later date is better than getting a flat while riding. Unless I discover the rim is too pitted to hold air while I'm riding. Oh Well. joe

 

I seriously doubt if Ride-On caused any damage to the valve stem seat surface. Otherwise we'd have a lot of distroyed wheels on our hands. The pit may have been there all along and if the stem were tightened properly, when the tire was installed, it wouldn't have leaked. These rims are a casting and occasionally tiny bubbles... sounds like a song... are formed when the wheel is poured. The pit may have been one of those air pockets that made it through inspection.

[skydoc_17]

I Had An 86' Honda V65 Magna With A Cast Aluminum Rim And It Had Pits Near The Valve Stem Hole Just As You Described. My Front Tire Was Always Going Flat As Well. I Had The Tire Removed From The Rim, Spackled Some Jb Weld Into The Pitted Area, Sanded The Jb Weld With 400 Wet/dry Sandpaper, Had A New Stem And The Tire Reinstalled And Never Had A Problem With The Rim Again! It Was A Bit Time Consumming But Saved Me Buying A New Rim. When You Are Finished Sanding The Jb Weld, There Should Only Be Jb Weld In The Pits, It Should Look Like Little Black Dots Where The Pits Were. If You Are Seeing A "bblack Blob" Of Jb Weld Then You Have Applied To Much. No Problem, Just Keep Sanding Till All But The Pits Are Filled.