Topic: Tire pressure problem

[susan_t]

Hey guys, Yes, I am back!!  I hope I'm posting this question in the right section as oppose to the tire section. Ok, I have an annoying situation that has been ongoing for over a year now. This is my beater car. The tire pressure on my front driver side keeps losing air in less than 2 weeks. Over a year ago, I took it to 3 shops, 2 of them said it was a rim leak. I took it to a shop and they cleaned it and the problem came back in 2 weeks. I took it to my dealership, they said it was a rim leak as well, cleaned it and the problem came back again in a month this time. I decided to take it to a small garage and they took the tire for a few days and found there was a small leak and sealed it and it appeared to be fine after that.  Well, I put a set of different rims and tires on my car (for awhile now) and just recently I'm having the same problem again. The PSI on my car should be 29 and the front driver side went down to 23 in less than 2 weeks. The rear passenger side went down to 26. I have changed the front CV boots, inner and outer tye rods, front lower control arms, the bushings, an alignment was done and recently the left side axle. Does anyone know why I'm losing pressure on my front driver side tire and also my rear passenger side tire?  I'm baffled on this because these rims and tires were off of my summer car and I had no problems when they were on that car.  HELP!!!  Thanks.

[initial_D]

Someone playing a JOKE on you?!?



I ain't no export at this (nor anything else, but what the heck. 29 psi is a bit low for me, I would try 32psi. Under inflated tires could cost a slow leak??

2 Integras. Hmmmm, guess you get to play 'Teg everyday. Kinda envy you!!

[lsmeteor]

I had a similar problem with one tire losing pressure over a short time period.
It ended up being a nail stuck in the tire, but it was hard to see. It went on for a whole year before I got tired of adding air every so often.
That could be the case with your second set of rims.
The other thing is that you have to make sure that you measure your tire pressure inthe same conditions every time. Otherwise 26 psi vs 29 means nothing if the 29 was measured when the tire is still warm from driving and the 26 was measured first thing in the morning before going to work.

[barrie1]

Check your tire pressure when they are cold like 1st thing in the morning. Unless there is a nail or similar object in these tires then the only 2 other causes could be leaking around the rim or the valve stem is loose in the valve on each wheel. When they cleaned them up did they put any of the Black Sealer on the rims before remounting the tires on the rims? If not then that is the culprit Susan. Over time Rust does build up especially on the steel rims at the edges where the tires seat in and will cause slow leaks like you describe. Have you got a Good tire gauge? A good gauge will set you back around $20.00. The cheaper ones are not as accurate as the better ones. Hope this helps.

[exserviceguy]

Hi Ho Barrie, You forgot one more reason for losing tire air pressure: porous rims.  I'll admit that it's rare but with alloy or mag type rims it does happen and almost impossible to detect with normal methods such as submersion and spraying soapy water on the tire and rim.

[susan_t]

Hey Barrie,  I do have the tire pressure checked when the tires are cold. I guess I should've left out the part about the rim leak. That was from my old set of rims. But I wanted to give you guys a history of what has been happening. Currently the rims and tires on my beater car is from my summer car. I got rid of the old set of rims and tires. My summer car had no issues with tire pressure whatsoever.  I had these rims and tires switched over to my beater car a few months ago.  I had no problems, until now.  They are alloy rims with all season tires on them.  
The PSI on my car is 29 according to what is stated on my door panel. So, going from 29 to 23 in less than 2 weeks is quite drastic.  And it only happens on the front driver side.  Like I said before, I had the same issue before. Could it be the suspension?

[susan_t]

Initial_D,

It sure feels like someone is playing a joke on me.  This has really become a pain in my you know what!!  No, the PSI on my car is 29.

Good one!  I love playing "TEG" everyday!  Hmm, I bet you're no envying the problems I'm having now.  hehe

(Message edited by Susan T on August 01, 2005)

[barrie1]

Check the valve cores for being tight in the valve stems as if they are slightly loose you will have a small leak. You can test these by putting a small amount of spit in the valve core to see if it bubbles. If it does you have your answer, its loose. Driving on a Hot day will increase the air pressure by as much as 2-3lbs and you also have to remember that some low profile tires look low when really they aren't.

[susan_t]

I will give that a try.  I have another question.  My lower engine mount is broken, has been for quite some time, but the dealer didn't think it was that important to fix yet, compared to the other repairs. Would that affect the way the car drives, in terms of suspension, turning, etc.?

[barrie1]

Probably not but it may be hard on the drivetrain alighment as if the engines shifts under hard driving the other parts such as your driveshaft or axles go out of alignment and suffer from it. You will wear other stuff out faster. I have seen different engines actually jump 3 to 4" under acceleration because of a broken mount. I do recommend getting this repaired before long. The design of your car is different from most of the ones I work on but a broken mount is No Good in any vehicle. Is it the Front or Rear Mount?  

[susan_t]

It's the front lower engine mount. So, I left it alone for over a year. What other possible damages or wear could have occured during this time?  I don't like it when the dealership tells me don't worry about it now. It's not that important and then I hear later it can cause other damages or wear to other parts.

[barrie1]

Susan as your car sits for a good portion of the year and I doubt you are a "Wild and Crazy Driver" I would doubt you have done any damage as yet but do recommend having it repaired soon. If you started running it very hard I do think it could cost you some large dollars in repairs. You would know if things were breaking as you would already be spending a fair amount on repairs.

[susan_t]

Hey Barrie,

Actually I use my beater car all year around and I live in "pothole" city and kind of do drive fast. So, the beater car is being used more often than my summer car, which is why it's my summer car.

[barrie1]

Sounds like so far you have been luckey but I  wouldn't push it too far with this problem as sooner or later it will cost you some big bucks. To me the Money is better in your pocket then some garages.

[susan_t]

I hear ya. I'm going to try and get the lower engine mount fixed this week. Thank you

[barrie1]

Your very Welcome.

[susan_t]

I made an appointment to have the engine mount fixed for this Thursday. My dealership told me the engine mount won't affect or cause any other damage or wear on anything else. Am I being snowed here??

[barrie1]

I can't see how a broken engine mount will make the engine just sit there and do no damage. Eventually I do believe you will have a problem. This may be something they don't see or fix very often but I have seen damage from broken mounts myself.

[susan_t]

That's what I thought too. Someone had mentioned it can cause problems with my tranny. Not sure if that's true or not. The service advisor said no and also said it will not damage anything else.  So, I'm baffled.  Sometimes I think the dealerships says it's not a big deal, but very well know it will down the road, which will cost me more money, thus, they will make more money. Could I be wrong??  Hmmm

[barrie1]

Having it fixed will give you the peace of mind you need to enjoy your car from here on in. There will be no maybe with this problem as it won't exist.