2004 Grand Am tire leak

[Mikealiasmike]

Not bike related but no where else to turn that I trust. I've had my 2004 Grand Am in garage 3 times for slow leak. Was told it's because of the alloy wheels being damaged/corroded. Can I put innertubes in these? New wheels are too dang expensive to contemplate right now. Thanks and God Bless. Mike

[straycatt]

I currently own three Grand Am's, and while rim leaks are a problem with these cars, they are not the only ones that have it.

 

The best way I've found, short of buying new wheels, is to clean up the sealing bead on the wheel. The tire guys will just dismount the tire and swab some sealant around the bead....and it doesn't work for long.

 

I have the tire removed from the rim then take the rim home and really dress it up. Remove from the sealing area, any nicks or burrs with a file. Then use fine steel wool to clean any loose scale or old rubber/rim coating and wash well with water and dry.

I know guys that also spray paint the bead with clear lacquer or enamel after clean up, but I haven't gone that far.

 

I don't have any experience with attempting to install inner tubes on these rims, but it strikes me as a Bandaid rather than a fix.

[Trader]

Not bike related but no where else to turn that I trust. I've had my 2004 Grand Am in garage 3 times for slow leak. Was told it's because of the alloy wheels being damaged/corroded. Can I put innertubes in these? New wheels are too dang expensive to contemplate right now. Thanks and God Bless. Mike

 

 

Have you considered a liquid stop leak product?

 

I used one called "SLIME" ( I think) on mine and it worked well

[Snaggletooth]

Yep on the break down and cleaning the rim in the seating area. I have a Lincoln with alloy rims and had the same issue with two of them. Had them broke down and spent and afternoon cleaning, scraping and sanding on them. After many years of tire changes there is a lot of corrosion on the alloy and crap left over from previous mounts. Once that is cleaned up you should have no trouble for a long time.

 

As stated, most shops break down and tire and rim a lube it up for the new mount and do nothing to clean them up.

 

Mike

[Mikealiasmike]

Looks like I know what I'll be doing this weekend grrrrrr Thanks for the responses. God Bless. Mike

[bkuhr]

After 3 tries, i think I would take wheel off car and submerge in tub of water and identify leak myself. Then mark the tire or rim at point of leak (chalk on tire or masking tape on wheel), then take wheel back to shop for disassembly and correct the problem.

 

After correction resubmerge wheel in tub again.

 

[royalstar09]

If you can. Remove the wheel and use dishwashing liquid mixture with water. Lay wheel down and fill up the area with soap n water at the rims edge. Let it sit and watch it. If you have a empty spray bottle put a fair amount of soap in it mixing with water and mist the entire wheel/tire and watch. IF if it leaking at the bead it simply is not getting cleaned properly by the repair shop. I repair numerous tires each day and I have yet to have a rim I could not clean and make seal properly. I use a angle grinder (air) with 3" rolox buffing pads. Bead sealers, liquid fixes, none of them work, they are a bandaid. A little care in the cleaning process and some pride in doing it right the first time is all a guy needs. I would find a little service station setting where people still care about their work.

[muaymendez1]

An experienced shop wou,dnt give you excuses. Wha they hae to do is pop the tire off. Hit the bead of the rim with a brass wire wheel. The reinstall the tire using a water soluable lubricant. many shops will use soapy water not realizing that the alkali ( I hope I spelled it correct)in the soap is like an acid to aluminum. And will pit the surface allowing air to ezcape.

Some shops will mount the tire. Then dry the bead and apply vulcanizing rubber it it before seating the bead.

I had a shop do the exact thing to my camaro rim and 2 weeks later it was flat again. I complained for ten minutes as the tire guy searched for the leak. I asked him how long he had been doing tires and that this was no way of doing buissness.......as he pulled a drywall screw from my tire. Good luck

[bongobobny]

To answer your original question, I see no reason why you could not use inner tubes...

[Squidley]

The correct way to cure that is what has been mentioned. The rims have a clearcoat on them and the rim edges where the beads seat starts to flake off and this causes rims leaks. I have repaired hundreds of them in my time. Wire wheel the entire bead seat area clean to the aluminum. I would always use a product called bead seal and paint it right where the rim edge meets the body of the rim. Install the tire and you wont have any more worries

 

PS....dont use inner tubes, they will work, but if you pick up a nail the tire will go immediately flat. On a tubeless setup you will have a slow leak and be able to drive it to get it repaired.

 

[CrazyHorse]

Also check the stem area I ve had leaks from corrosion there also on alloy wheels.

[Uturn]

I am impressed with the product Ride-On in the YouTube video.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mid3XqDlyk&playnext=1&list=PLDD2948C869912E27]Tire Sealant - Ride-On Tire Protection System (TPS) - YouTube[/ame]

 

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

 

Good luck in a solution.

 

MIKE aka Uturn

[Black Owl]

Hope you get the problem fixed before the Pork in the Pines. Would hate to see you have to bail out of the chili shoot out because you had no way to get your fixin's there.

 

Or you could just tell me what you need and, not that it would help you, but I could bring them up for you.