...or how to quickly turn a brand new tire into a spare...
...Just got back from a Truckhaven trip and was so proud that my X came away unscathed..Well, almost...
...The morning we were to head home I found my right rear tire had lost pressure and was about flat...These are a brand new set of 4 KM2's and they hadn't even seen the highway yet until this trip...I did a quick inspection both inside and out looking for the usual signs of gashes, gouges, slits, etc...
...I found nothing but I have previously had similar slow leak problems on tires that were related to valve stems...I filled the tire back up, rechecked both sides again and tugged and pulled on the valve stem but still no leaks were to be found...
...About 200 miles later I was home and checked all my tire pressures...The three good tires were the same but the right rear was 2#'s lower..The next morning though, I woke up to a flat and I don't know how, but it didn't break the bead...
...Since the tires were new, I decided to take them back to where I purchased them but before I did, it was time to clean up the vehicle and the tire that was in question...Just being courteous but really, who wants to work on a muddy truck??
...I started pressure washing the truck and when getting all the mud of the tires, I quickly found this jewel...AKA, a punji stick...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punji_stick
..It had mud covering it and soon as the mud was pressure washed off, the race was on to get this repaired quickly as it was blowing bubbles and hissing at me..:
...I now knew that this was a sidewall repair... Knowing this is Illegal to patch by any tire shop...I would have to purchase a new tire...
...:scratch:...After searching thru all my bank accounts and due to these economic times, it was clear I wasn't going to get a replacement tire soon...
...I was going to have to repair this myself and this tire needs to go on spare tire duty until another new tire gets purchased...Not being able to find my tire repair kit led me to heading over to Kragen to find what they had for plugs..
...I found this little "32 pc.Tire Toolbox" by "Monkey Grip" for the unheard of, cheap price of, $9.99 pl tx...:biggthump
...This kit includes..
10-50 psi Pencil tire gauge
Straight Handled insert and rasp tools
(10) 4" black repair plugs
3/8 oz rubber cement
Metal buffer
4-way valve tool
(6) patches= 3 small and medium
(4) valve cores
(4) plastic valve caps
Instructions booklet
Storage box
...The maker of this product and their other useful stuff can be found here...
http://monkey-grip.com/
...A direct link for this "Tire Toolbox" can be found here..
http://monkey-grip.com/
___________________________________________________________________________
...After identifying the source and location of the leak, I decided it could only take a plug in it's location as an inner patch would not stay on in normal driving conditions let alone, getting aired down...
Disclaimer on package..
...Notice: Tire Plugs are for temporary repair of tubeless tire punctures. The general tire industry standard recommends a combination plug and inner liner patch to be considered a permanent repair. Please see a tire repair professional ASAP.
My Note:...A legal patch would consist of both , a plug and an inner patch from a reputable tire company preferred...Sidewalls can not be patched and plugs will cause tire separation on sidewalls..
...This kit has a handy instruction booklet with pictures...
...What the kit looks like inside...
...I pulled a plug out of the kit and placed it in the insert tool...
...You then center the plug in the insert tool...I like to do this before I pull the debris out of the tire...This makes it not such an urgent condition of trying to thread the needle while air is leaving the tire...
...Next, I quickly pulled out the huge stick with a pair of channel locks...I couldn't believe it was this short but it was long enough to pierce thru the side wall..(compared to a nickel)
...With the stick out, it was time to take the plug that's on the insert tool and insert it in the hole...Following the track at the angle where the stick penetrated the tire is crucial...Take the insert tool and push while probing the hole too, push straight in without turning...Insert the plug 2/3's of the way in...
...You then pull the insert tool out quickly, again without twisting or turning...This let's the insert tool quickly release the plug and allows the plug to stay in the location you left it at...
...Take a knife and trim that sucker...
...While doing this, I like to over fill the tire by about 5#'s before inserting the plug...I believe it opens the hole up during installation of the plug and let's the hole close in on the plug...This is just what I do..Do at your own risk...
...After the installation of the plug, I like to wet the immediate area with saliva on my finger...Although, if you have liquid hand soap, shampoo, or liquid dish soap handy, these work really well to seek out air leaks as they will bubble well...:biggthump
...The finished product...
...This is a must have for any vehicle owner...
...If anyone has anything to add to this or even good deals or better quality items on tire repair kits, please feel free to add them here...
...Just got back from a Truckhaven trip and was so proud that my X came away unscathed..Well, almost...
...The morning we were to head home I found my right rear tire had lost pressure and was about flat...These are a brand new set of 4 KM2's and they hadn't even seen the highway yet until this trip...I did a quick inspection both inside and out looking for the usual signs of gashes, gouges, slits, etc...
...I found nothing but I have previously had similar slow leak problems on tires that were related to valve stems...I filled the tire back up, rechecked both sides again and tugged and pulled on the valve stem but still no leaks were to be found...
...About 200 miles later I was home and checked all my tire pressures...The three good tires were the same but the right rear was 2#'s lower..The next morning though, I woke up to a flat and I don't know how, but it didn't break the bead...
...Since the tires were new, I decided to take them back to where I purchased them but before I did, it was time to clean up the vehicle and the tire that was in question...Just being courteous but really, who wants to work on a muddy truck??
...I started pressure washing the truck and when getting all the mud of the tires, I quickly found this jewel...AKA, a punji stick...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punji_stick
..It had mud covering it and soon as the mud was pressure washed off, the race was on to get this repaired quickly as it was blowing bubbles and hissing at me..
:...I now knew that this was a sidewall repair... Knowing this is Illegal to patch by any tire shop...I would have to purchase a new tire...
...:scratch:...After searching thru all my bank accounts and due to these economic times, it was clear I wasn't going to get a replacement tire soon...
...I was going to have to repair this myself and this tire needs to go on spare tire duty until another new tire gets purchased...Not being able to find my tire repair kit led me to heading over to Kragen to find what they had for plugs..
...I found this little "32 pc.Tire Toolbox" by "Monkey Grip" for the unheard of, cheap price of, $9.99 pl tx...:biggthump
...This kit includes..
10-50 psi Pencil tire gauge
Straight Handled insert and rasp tools
(10) 4" black repair plugs
3/8 oz rubber cement
Metal buffer
4-way valve tool
(6) patches= 3 small and medium
(4) valve cores
(4) plastic valve caps
Instructions booklet
Storage box
...The maker of this product and their other useful stuff can be found here...
http://monkey-grip.com/
...A direct link for this "Tire Toolbox" can be found here..
http://monkey-grip.com/
___________________________________________________________________________
...After identifying the source and location of the leak, I decided it could only take a plug in it's location as an inner patch would not stay on in normal driving conditions let alone, getting aired down...
Disclaimer on package..
...Notice: Tire Plugs are for temporary repair of tubeless tire punctures. The general tire industry standard recommends a combination plug and inner liner patch to be considered a permanent repair. Please see a tire repair professional ASAP.
My Note:...A legal patch would consist of both , a plug and an inner patch from a reputable tire company preferred...Sidewalls can not be patched and plugs will cause tire separation on sidewalls..
...This kit has a handy instruction booklet with pictures...
...What the kit looks like inside...
...I pulled a plug out of the kit and placed it in the insert tool...
...You then center the plug in the insert tool...I like to do this before I pull the debris out of the tire...This makes it not such an urgent condition of trying to thread the needle while air is leaving the tire...
...Next, I quickly pulled out the huge stick with a pair of channel locks...I couldn't believe it was this short but it was long enough to pierce thru the side wall..(compared to a nickel)
...With the stick out, it was time to take the plug that's on the insert tool and insert it in the hole...Following the track at the angle where the stick penetrated the tire is crucial...Take the insert tool and push while probing the hole too, push straight in without turning...Insert the plug 2/3's of the way in...
...You then pull the insert tool out quickly, again without twisting or turning...This let's the insert tool quickly release the plug and allows the plug to stay in the location you left it at...
...Take a knife and trim that sucker...
...While doing this, I like to over fill the tire by about 5#'s before inserting the plug...I believe it opens the hole up during installation of the plug and let's the hole close in on the plug...This is just what I do..Do at your own risk...
...After the installation of the plug, I like to wet the immediate area with saliva on my finger...Although, if you have liquid hand soap, shampoo, or liquid dish soap handy, these work really well to seek out air leaks as they will bubble well...:biggthump
...The finished product...
...This is a must have for any vehicle owner...
...If anyone has anything to add to this or even good deals or better quality items on tire repair kits, please feel free to add them here...
