My Precious Mxv4s!

[SW03ES]

Hey guys, I'm having a weird leak in my right front. Yesterday it was down 13lbs from the others which were perfect. No sign of nail or puncture. I filled it back up. Today its totally fine, hasn't lost any pressure at all. I know it lost those 13lbs quickly because I check them weekly.

Yesterday I was even going to put the spare on figuring it'd be flat in the morning. Any idea what would cause such a dramatic loss in pressure that wouldn't persist?

[RX in NC]

It's probably the valve needle inside the valve stem that is in the process of failing. Every now and then you'll get a defective one that takes a while to fail. But the most common cause of failure is the owner (or a tire store guy in a hurry) being careless with the air pressure hose while inflating his tires and bending the valve needle ever so slightly because he doesn't place the hose end squarely and carefully on the valve stem. Doesn't take much of a bend to cause the valve stem to fail. I did it once myself many years ago and learned my lesson to take my time and be careful with the hose.

Take your cap off, spit on the valve stem needle (get it good and wet), and look for air bubbles forming. If you see them, you've found your problem. The good news is that valve stems are cheap and you have no tire damage as you would with a nail or screw.

Let us know how it turns out....

[SW03ES]

That could be it, I'll check it out and report back. Thanks RX!

[Lexusfreak]

That's a good idea RX!

SW, where is the car parked normally? IE: garage? I'm just wondering if someone with nothing better to do decided to fool with the tire kinda deal.

[SW03ES]

Garage. It could have happened while I was at work or something (also a controlled access garage) but I doubt it.

Still no more loss..

Oh, the file uploads are working again I think.

[Lexusfreak]

Oh, the file uploads are working again I think.

Thanks, I'll see if I can post pics this weekend. B)

[SW03ES]

Get this, the tire has completely stopped loosing air. I had Lexus look at it last time it was in, they can find no evidence of a leak anywhere, not even in the valve stem.

Weird huh?

[steviej]

Get this, the tire has completely stopped loosing air. I had Lexus look at it last time it was in, they can find no evidence of a leak anywhere, not even in the valve stem.

Weird huh?

smells like neighborhood pranksters or parking lot kids.

steviej

[SW03ES]

Its very rarely ever parked outside, its in a secured garage at work and my locked garage at home. It did loose air a couple times, then just stopped.

[steviej]

Its very rarely ever parked outside, its in a secured garage at work and my locked garage at home. It did loose air a couple times, then just stopped.

Maybe Carla is doing it to get a rise out of you. :P

sj

[RX in NC]

It could still be a faulty valve stem. I've seen them lose air for awhile, go back to normal for awhile, and then lose air again. Not much you can do except just keep checking the pressure on a regular basis, which you're probably already doing. Annoying, isn't it?

[SW03ES]

Maybe Carla is doing it to get a rise out of you. :P

sj

She could be! LOL She's been bored since she's been out of work.

Not much you can do except just keep checking the pressure on a regular basis, which you're probably already doing. Annoying, isn't it?

Very! I check them every week when I wash the car.