Tire leaking and going flat - Montana Owners Club

Driftwoodgal · 12-03-2007, 01:03 PM

We were at Blanco State Park a few weeks ago. Hubby checked the tires before we left, for a four day trip, and tires were fine. He checked the tires before we left to come home and one tire had lost 10 lbs of air. He checked tires last Thursday, as we were going to Houston this past weekend. The same tire was down 40 lbs. He took it to a gas station, they added air, and then put it in water and it didn't show any leaks. We put the spare on, for the trip to Houston, and put the other tire in the back of the truck. The tire did not lose any air this weekend, but wasn't on the Montana.

Has anyone had their tires lose air when only on the Montana? We are supposed to have the newer aluminum rims, and not the ones that were causing problems.

We only have about 3500 miles on the Mission tires. Has anyone ever put a tube in the tire, is this an option?

Colleen

rogue · 12-03-2007, 01:43 PM

Colleen, I have had a slow leak on my prior class C. Found that it was a leaky valve stem core. Sometimes the core can be tightened and that fixes the problem, other times it needs to be replaces. Not sure this is your problem, but its easy to change the valve stem core as long as you have a compressor to refill the air.

Driftwoodgal · 12-03-2007, 01:46 PM

Bob,

They checked the valve stem and it wasn't leaking. My Bob will take the tire to a tire place to have them look at it. We are thinking it might be the rims since the tire has held pressure this weekend without being on the Monty.

Hate to put on a new tire only to find out that it isn't even the tire that is causing the problem.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Colleen

LonnieB · 12-03-2007, 02:16 PM

Colleen,
Put a little liquid dish soap in a spray bottle, fill it with water, and soak the tire and wheel. This method will find leaks that a dunk tank won't (mostly because the guy dunking the tire isn't patient enough to let the water calm down, and stand there without blinking, long enough to see a tiny bubble). This is a trick I learned on this forum from another tire guy, thanks Glenn

.

Driftwoodgal · 12-03-2007, 02:44 PM

Lonnie,

The tire hasn't lost any air since we took it off the Monty and had it filled up at the gas station and put in the dunk tank. We have not put it back on the Monty with the trailer weight on it. So, not sure what the problem is, since it isn't leaking off the trailer.

Thanks for your info.

Colleen

noneck · 12-03-2007, 02:57 PM

Sounds like a bead problem to me...if you have a tire shop check it have them pull the tire off the rim and wire brush then closely inspect the bead area for debris and/or nicks. You may have to get the rim replaced to make this problem go away...is it the steel or aluminum type?

ole dude · 12-03-2007, 02:59 PM

If'n you want to put a push on that tire without putting back on trailer you might take a rachet tie down strap, put'er around the tire and crank it down right tight and see what happens.

Charlie · 12-03-2007, 03:10 PM

Coleen
A couple months ago I had one with a very slow leak that was inconsistent. Run it close to 1000 miles and had to add some air one time. When I got home I pulled it, laid it on the ground and soaked the valve stem with a strong concentration of soapy water. It took several minutes to start bubbling but it was the valve core that was leaking, could not find a leak on the stem. Replaced the valve stem as I felt a new core in the original stem might continue to leak, problem solved.

bsmeaton · 12-03-2007, 03:32 PM

I also would suspect the valve core/stem for several reasons - but the main reason is the leak stopped after you filled the tire, meaning you actually messed with the valve stem and core possibly correcting a misfit stem or slightly loose core.

Then again, I've had small nails in the tire that would only leak when they were at the bottom of the tire where the tread straightened out. (Found that one by mistake on a wet garage floor after having a slow leak for almost a year) Once the tire rotated the nail off the street, the leak would stop.

8.1al · 12-03-2007, 04:31 PM

Could be it's something as simple as grain of dirt stuck in the core.Make sure the core is tight then Stick it back on the trailer and if it loses air do as Lonnie suggested and wet it real good with a soapy solution

Glenn and Lorraine · 12-03-2007, 11:18 PM

First of all do recheck the valve core. Occasionally a small piece of dirt will get caught and the core can't seal. Place just a couple of drops of the soap and water directly into the valve. It can take a while but if there is any leak at the valve core it will show very tiny bubbles.
If nothing is found, place the tire flat on the ground and spray around the bead area, the sidewall and the rim. Again you may have to wait a couple minutes but if there is the slightest leak it will also appear as tiny bubbles. Do the same thing on the back side.
Still haven't found it? Very thoroughly spray the entire tread area and again wait.

At times that leak will be so slow that you may not see any bubbles initially so it is best to take plenty of time. Spray the area and go do something else for a bit. Return after 15 to 20 minutes but not so long as the soap/water dries up. The soap and water solution is nearly fool proof. If there is a leak you will find bubbles.

It takes just a small amount of dish soap mixed with water. The spray bottle works best. Put the water in the bottle first and fill it nearly to the top and than the soap, otherwise you end up with a bottle full of foam.

A leak is a leak is a leak and if there is a leak in a tire and wheel assembly, it will leak whether it is under load or not. The added pressure of the load may make the leak a tad more noticeable but if it leaks under a load it will leak without a load.

Driftwoodgal · 12-04-2007, 03:11 AM

Thanks guys for the information. I will pass this information on the hubby. With all of the tire problems, I am sure this information will help others as well.

Colleen

simonsrf · 12-04-2007, 03:43 AM

I had a similar problem with a passenger tire.

A long story short, there was a very small crack in the wheel near the valve stem that only leaked when it was in use. It finally showed up on the bead under load. I replaced the wheel and the problem was solved.

Driftwoodgal · 12-04-2007, 12:03 PM

Robbie,

Did you have aluminum wheels or steel ones? We have about 3500 miles on this trailer, hard to believe that a wheel/rim goes bad that quickly. Our rims are aluminum.

Bob soaped the heck out of the tire today and no leaks so far. The tire is holding pressure. He intends to put it back on the trailer and soap it up again. Here is hoping his patience holds out.

Colleen

davideboe · 02-04-2008, 12:41 PM

I had a leak on one wheel on my 2003 Montana 3255RL. One of the wheels had a crack in the machined area adjacent to the valve stem. My tire dealer found it using a water tank although you could spray water in the area and see it also. It was difficult to see. The leak did not show up until mid-year 2007. Replacing the valve stem would not have plugged the leak as it was outboard of the lands where the valve stem seats.
I replaced the wheel through a Keystone Dealer. It was about $101.29 plus shipping.

racerjoe · 02-04-2008, 02:07 PM

if you have alum. rims, which you probably do, it it most likely a bead leak around the rim and tire seal. The aluminum has a tendancy to corrode at the bead. Just like auto rims do. With tire flex when on the trailer,it will lose air. The most common repair is to break down the tire clean the rim and use a bead sealer on it. It is a common practice with todays rims with most of them being alum. most tire shops use the sealant as standard practice,so as not to get a return from an irate costomer.

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