Sealing a tire/bead leak on an al. rim

SDE · Feb 2, 2013

Todays project is to remove a tire and find out where it is leaking. I think it is a bead leaker. Other than cleaning the rim and the tire, is there a product to use, to either lubricate or seal the area, to help it seal and not leak again?
Thank you
SDE

redneckpulling · Feb 2, 2013

NAPA sells a product just for that--use it on tubeless garden tractor tires.

SDE · Feb 2, 2013

Our NAPA closed down. I will call Oreilly's
Thank you
SDE

Dean · Feb 2, 2013

There is no miracle cure in a can.

If the leak is caused by corrosion of the rim where the bead seats, proper cleaning and recoating of the rim is the only reliable long-term cure. The problem will return otherwise.

Dean

Anonymous-0 · Feb 2, 2013

clear silicone

NEsota · Feb 2, 2013

1st, Take the wheel off, over pressurize and submerge in laundary tube or use soapy water and spray bottle to find leaks. Sometimes only one of the beads needs attention. A wire brush on a drill works well to clean-scuff bead area on tire and rim. If that does not fix it NAPA sells Tre Bead Sealer, in a 32 oz., can with a brush for about $20, (plus tax and recapable tire-kidding). The sealer is black and messy but it does work. I claim no expertise, there are a lot of people on here that know more about this problem.

John B. · Feb 2, 2013

Yes bead sealer is the most widely used for such leaks.

But before dismounting the tire make sure it isn't the aluminum wheel that is leaking. I have seen some aluminum wheels that were porous.

I have a plastic tub from walmart I use to check leaks in my tires. The wife also uses the tub to give the dog a bath in.

J.Wondergem · Feb 2, 2013

I agree with NEsota. Find the leak first then dismount it and fix it.

SDE · Feb 2, 2013

Oreilly's has a can of tire sealer for $12. Now that it up to 1 above zero, I guess I should get at it.
Thank you
SDE

MSM · Feb 2, 2013

May not be a bead leak, I have had trouble with several that the rims themselves were leaking. Porous castings. Had them bead blasted inside and out and recleared. Evidently the manufacturers rely on the clear coat to seal minor imperfections.

El Toro · Feb 2, 2013

You need to remove the tire and rim as suggested. I lay the tire and rim flat on the ground and use plain water to cover the tire bead area. Make sure the tire is fully inflated.
Look for air bubbles. Also make sure your valve stem isn't leaking. Flip the tire over and check the other side. If its leaking I break the tire bead down and check for rust, but you shouldn't have that problem. Coat the tire bead well with dish detergent and reinflate the tire. Hal

Dr. Walt · Feb 2, 2013

Also check for hairline fractures in the rim. If you've ever hit a rock, or kissed the curb with the rim then check for hairline fractures. In order to have the strength that they do, Aluminum rims have to be tempered, and tempered Aluminum is easily susceptible to fracturing.

IaGary · Feb 2, 2013

Had trouble with alum rims leaking at the bead.

Removed the wheel weights and the tire now stays up.

Gary

donjr · Feb 2, 2013

Find out, first, if it is leaking around the bead. Take a spray bottle, and fill it with some soap and water, and spray around the bead. If it is leaking, it won't take long to find out- you'll start getting bubbles. Also spray around the valve stem- the air will cause bubbling around it. If you still don't find anything, jack the wheel up, and rotate it slowly while spraying it. If it's a nail, or a puncture, it will start bubbling on the tread, and tattletale the problem to you. Just be slow and allow the soap to work....

donjr · Feb 2, 2013

Oh, by the way, if it is the rim leaking, dismount the tire and check the bead. I had some new skins put on my truck last year, and they had a slow leak in one. It was caused by a crud buildup where the old weight had been placed. A minute with a wire brush solved the problem.

Jim in MN · Feb 2, 2013

Just had a bead leak on my car. The rim was pretty oxidized so I cleaned it up with some scotchbrite and then used a shop vac to suck up the crud. I only broke the bead on the one side so I didn't have to re-balance the wheel.

DoubleR · Feb 2, 2013

I had trouble on my truck with it leaking around the wheel weights. Causing the bead to not seal around them.

Ray · Feb 2, 2013

If it's a tubeless you want to find the leak before removing the tire.I put a couple drops of dishwashing liquid into a cup with water and pour it over the tire.A leak will blow bubble
at the leak.Sometimes it's just dirt between the rim and tire.I usually clean the rim,put some permitex around the sealing bead and reinstall the tire.Sometimes on a smaller tire it's beat just to install a tube.If it's a tubeless rim you need to check for weld burrs on the rim before installing a tube.When tubeless rims come from the factory they dont's sand the rim center welds cause there's no tube to worry about.Sooner or later it will wear a hole in your new tube.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 2, 2013

Aluminum wheels, especially where road salt is used, are a problem. Remove tire. Clean/sand all surfaces. I have used lard for bead sealer for years with excellent results.

Glenn F.

NEKS · Feb 2, 2013

Van wheels started leaking this winter. Always on inside. They cover them cast Alum. wheels with tin foil. It oxidizes between the cast alum. and the tin foil, not the tin foil and bead. Had to grind them down to get it off then used tire bead sealer. Holding yet.

Janicholson · Feb 2, 2013

Using a flap wheel abrasive to remove oxidation (tire removed) then spray with clear acrylic and let dry. If you don't the issue will return rapidly. Jim

Whichester1 · Feb 2, 2013

Some tire stores also repair pitted aluminum rims. If your store does not do it I'll bet they can point you in the right direction.

As others have said this is a common problem, your auto parts store may be able to help too.

BushogPapa · Feb 2, 2013

Remove the tire, Clean the rim, especially around the Bead area, put the tire back on and run a good bead of "Gasket-Making Silicone" around each bead and inflate..will not leak again.. or, won't for another 10 years at least..

Ron..

S.Crum · Feb 2, 2013

Avoid using that "Fix a flat" stuff. Within a month or few you'll have a leak that will likely be the brass valve assembly coming out of the rubber stem. I'm told with the cheap chinese valve stems (all of them now) the sealer eats the glue that holds them together.

BushogPapa · Feb 2, 2013

I suppose I should have said to put the Silicone down, behind the Bead flange, so the tires bead squashes it when inflated.

Ron..

SDE · Feb 3, 2013

I brought the tire into the house and laid it down on the floor. It was a bead leaker, leaking on both sides. I broke it down and cleaned the corrosion off the rim. I applied some sealer that I got at Oreilly's to the tires bead area. I aired it up in the garage and then brought it back into the house to dry. I feel very confident that it will be not leaking any more.
It was 8 degrees, but no wind and sunny out yesterday. A nice day.
Thank you
SDE

Sealing a tire/bead leak on an al. rim

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