Slow leak
 

I have a slow leak in a couple of tires. I'm using regular aftermarket tubes, ( not the original type with the metal valve stems). Who sells the best tubes? What tubes should I use if I want to avoid being 30 miles from home with leaky tires? I do use the rim liners.

Thank you in advance

Re: Slow leak
 

I like BRATTONS

Re: Slow leak
 

Carry an extra tube.

Re: Slow leak
 

Are you sure that it's not the valve stems leaking?

Re: Slow leak
 

Bring your leaky tire to an old fashioned service station in farm country and have it fixed. A modern tire shop won't know what to do with a tubed tire. No reason to replace the tube unless its rotten. Lots of 50 year old tubes still running just fine, albeit they probably have lots of patches. A few years ago I had new tires put on my A, replaced tubes in 3 out of 4 but that's because they were rotten, looked to be many,many years old. I bought mine through Mac's and they've been good. Check them once a year and top them off a pound or two.

Re: Slow leak
 

I bought mine from Bert's about 6 or 7 years ago, and never had any issues.

Re: Slow leak
 

Are the vulcanizing kits still available?


I remember my father having a kit with a bracket/press. The cover of the kit was serrated and was used to roughen the tube and the provided patch. The patch was placed into the press, and patch/tube pressed together. Then a match was used to light it. I assume the patch was covered with something like gun powder or something similar. The patch/tube were then fused together.

Re: Slow leak
 

check your valve stem insert,tight.?

Re: Slow leak
 

I think you need to start using better air. :D

Re: Slow leak
 

When I bought my 1930 Model A, I had two tire tubes that leaked. It was not the valve. Here locally there are a lot of older farm equipment running tube tires. The tire guys all know what to look for. The place I go in Sunrise Beach, Mo, tubes that are fixed are guaranteed to not leak in the same place! Since tires were being replaced they pulled all 4 wheels. They cleaned the rims, primed them, and put in 3 tube liners. My problem was poor care of the rims over time that caused rust flakes and no tube liner, to cause the problem. I did wind up getting one new tube based on the tire guys recommendation. (they would not guarantee it would not leak). Have no idea what their tube source or liner source is, but it was ordered over the phone and the car was finished the next day. It has been over a year. Nothing is leaking! The new tires I had put on (Cockers), the tire guy with a smile told me I can bring it back in a couple thousand miles and get the tires rotated FREE! I think he was kidding!

Re: Slow leak
 

A product called SLIME is made for tubes to stop leaks. Bicycle riders use it, search online for more info.

Re: Slow leak
 

A few years ago, tubes were absolute crap. Brattons saw the oprtunity and had decent ones made and did well out of it. I think others have since seen the error of their ways and things have improved Never the less, I's like to buy tubes from Brattons but can't. As was explained ina recent thread, they will not sipply anything to Australia now after our idiot government changed the rules and now requires foreign vendors to collect a 10% tax for them. I can't blame Brattons for taking the simple route and simply stop accepting orders from here but that doesn't help me at all.:(
Many tubes these days are porous, meaning that there is no specific place they leak, the air simply passes through the tube over the whole of its length and width. There is nothing you can do about it other than replace the tube and hope the new one is better (no guarrantee on that, either). The slime mentioned above might work - nothing to lose!

Re: Slow leak
 

Synchro909 is right. I have tubes from Coker that were purchased with tires and all lose about four pounds of air per month, including the spare!

Re: Slow leak
 

Coker, IF a new tube is necessary.

Re: Slow leak
 

Dave, you are probably lucky with only 4lbs/month...Well sorta lucky.
Many Coker tubes split down the seam and all the air fell out!

A's Always
Dave

Re: Slow leak
 

I just buy patch kits for the auto parts store, or a bicycle shop.
Definitely use liners.

Re: Slow leak
 

I accidentally pinched a new tube while trying to install it. I took it to an old time tire place to get it patched. While the guy was working on it, I mentioned, as a kid I remembered patches being set on fire. He told me the EPA outlawed those.

Re: Slow leak
 

I remember setting the glue on fire when patching bike tires. I have no idea whether it was necessary or not. I still patch bike tubes using patch kits from bike shops. They are pretty cool patches, but pretty small.

Re: Slow leak
 

Before you spend time, energy, and money on your slow leaks check for a leaky valve core. Easy to do. Park the car so the valve is in the top position pointing down. Remove valve cap and submerge the valve in a full glass of water you lift up to it.

If you do have to dismount the tire to check the inner tube it can be checked for a slow leak in a bath tub of water when your wife is not home.

In remounting the tube into the tire baby powder sprinkled into the tire helps to avoid the tube being pinched. Also to avoid pinching the tube inflate, then deflate, then inflate again.

Bratton has the best quality tubes if needed.

Re: Slow leak
 

The real reason they no longer use those patches that you vulcanise on by lighting the backing is because they don't work on the synthetic stuff they have used in tubes for decades now. They are VERY different from a natural rubber tube so the patch must be glued on with a special glue (which has a very limited shelf life)

Dave, you are probably lucky with only 4lbs/month...Well sorta lucky.
Many Coker tubes split down the seam and all the air fell out!

There are no seams in a tube. Just look at the inside and you will see that they are uniform all over. The lines on the outside are where the mold has joins, nothing more.