Rep Power: 0

Hi all,

I have a 2003 civic coupe EX. Just found out that the driver side front tire is leaking slowly a few days ago. I took it to the shop, it turns out there is a leak between the valve stem and the rim.

Any suggestions about how to fix that by myself? The shop want to charge 32 dollars to do that.

BTW, is it going to help if I change the valve stem core?

Thanks a lot for your time.

 
Rep Power: 244

You need to change the whole stem if its leaking between the stem and rim. If you have a tire machine you can do it unless there is another way. Changing the core won't help in your situation.

 
Rep Power: 190

If the tire is old, put a new one on. If it's new then just fork over the $30. You have to have special tools to take the tire off.

 
Rep Power: 253

Any leak on the side wall of the tire can not be patched and needs to be replaced.

 
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Just pay the shop to change the valve stem. You cannot do it yourself. (without some serious investment in tools)

 
Rep Power: 195

It's actually not that difficult to do. You just need to break the bead at that spot on the tire. If you have another vehicle, you can just drive over the side to break the bead. Sometimes you can jump on it but not always. (make sure to deflate the tire first)
Grab some pliers, and yank the old stem out. Putting the new one in is a little difficult without a stem puller but can be done. Put a little soapy water on the new stem, slide in into the hole from the inside of the rim. Wrap a towel around the step to protect it and using pliers, carefully grab the stem and using the rim for leverage, pry the new one into place. You will need to take back to tire shop to reseat the bead.

Otherwise, check around for different shops. If they are charging that much, they are probably going to balance the tire when they are finished. If the tire is already balanced, no need to re-balance if you don't remove the whole tire from the rim or spin it at all. (mark the tire and rim to be sure)

There are a lot of good write ups on how to do it. Here is one with images http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...-a-valve-stem/

The other option is to purchase the stems that use nuts to hold them in. Just slide the valve stem in from the back and thread the nut on the outside and tighten. (depends on the wheel for these to work correctly)

 
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Ive done this many many many time. its a small tire. Just hit the bead with a hammer, break the bead, grap the old stem with pliers, pull it out, get a new one from Napa or someplace, and put it in. Use grease on the groove in the stem. if the bead is hard to break, use a farm jack to break it. Its really simple. I fixed my first tire at 11, and have done my own ever since,a nd I dont have more then $50 invested in tools.

And yes, you can patch a sidewall. Tireshops wont do it, but you can buy patches from Napa, and do it yourself. All the tires on my truck have 5-10 holes in the sidewall. i got them brand new that way. patched them, and never have had a problem.

 
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Oh, and if the new stem is hard to put in, use a metal cap, and pull on it with pliers, or get a stem seater. they are pretty cheap.