Valve Stem came Un-Glued

[MAG]

Installing new tires today using old (3yrs) tubes. Aired the tire to 45 lbs and began bouncing it to seat the bead. About the 4th bounce air came rushing out the stem. Close inspection revealed the air was escaping from the stem where the rubber and the brass area meet. The tube had been installed about 3 years, had no patches and was not leaking air. At least no more than usual.

I ran a needle down between the brass and the rubber and discovered very little resistence to it. With hardly any effort I was able to pull the brass stem out of the rubber.

This is the second tube to fail this way. The first one failed on a tour last spring. I put a small clamp (gas Line) around the stem which stopped the leak. Stayed that way for the rest of the tour.

Could find no brand name on the tube. Marked as follows: CCO Made in USA. A150 L9 9782

[RUNNERBUN]

A friend of mine fixed his leaking valve stem using the same method. At a latter time when a couple of his other stems started to fail while on tour and he didn't have immediate access to the hose clamps so I suggested we try Zip Ties to get him out of trouble and they also worked fine and stopped the leak. It goes without saying that for the sake of safety this method should only be used as a last resort to get you home.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

This is why I promote using metal stem tubes instead of rubber stems! Rubber stem tubes can be outright dangerous because they seem to break away at the most inopportune time.

Several years ago I actually had a fairly new rubber stem tube let go while we were traveling about 45 mph. The sudden drop in pressure on the L/F tire caused the car to veer to the left into the oncoming lane even though I was fighting it from pulling left. Fortunately there wasn't a car coming towards us and I was able to safely come to a stop. IMHO using rubber stems on the tubes that are currently available is not worth the chance that you take if you are going to do anything more than drive in the neighborhood.

Now granted metal stems cost more but like I tell folks, once you have them purchased, they are reusable on the next tubes. The second side of this is if you purchase stems used off of eBay and at swap meets, they aren't that expensive, ...especially if you purchase generic ones that were sold aftermarket. Use them "as-is" without replating. If you do not like the patina, just have the cover replated or purchase a reproduction cover. Even a tarnished stem on a 19" wheel looks OK with a little polish and a shiny rim nut & cap.




.

[Ed Saniewski]

Save those tubes and install metal valve stems. Its not hard to do and they look real nice on the car

[Flathead]

Oh Boy! Now something slse to worry about. But seriously, I am glad to be aware of this. I will check my tubes. Thanks.

[Kurt in NJ]

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I recently replaced 4 tubes on a BMW isetta, 1 week later 2 were flat, leaking around the valve stem, had waited 6 months for the tubes--they have a special bent valve stem, sent them back, in 1 week one of the newest tubes was leaking, and another of the first set, got 2 more, 1 leaks, finally found some old stock tubes

I remember trying to get the brass part out of the rubber in my younger years --that rubber held on with a death grip, had to take off some of the brass to get to solderable clean metal

I have 25+ years on my metal stems, 40 on the tubes, am going to put on new tires, reuse the tubes

It probably costs .005 cents more to do it properly, and generates toxic waste--probably a surface preparation for the brass --or something that causes cancer in California

[MAG]

While we see this problem on our Model A Tubes it brings up the question about our Modern Iron valve stems. Evidently the problem is not confined to the Model A as Kurt experienced the trouble on non-Model A tubes.

Are we not looking at the same basic construction of the valve stems used on tubeless tires? Think of the millions in use today. God forbid this poor construction process does not migrate to them.

I will order metal stems and change all of them to prevent this from happening again.

[Kurt in NJ]

I have had it happen to tubeless stems also, the spare on my wifes car was never used, sitting in the trunk with a spit out brass valve when I got the car -6 years old, the dealer had the special valve stem in stock --and they don't stock anything unless it sells fast

[Special Coupe Frank]

Had this happen with a couple of stems in the 30-some year-old Allstate tires that came on my '28 Coupe... I cut a 1 inch chunk of 1/2 inch heater hose, slipped that over the stem, about 1/2 way down, and put a small hose clamp on it.

Band-aid, but buys some time. I am planning on metal stems... at some point.

SC Frank