Annie Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I have an 03 Outback, bought it new, and the tires will not hold air. Does anyone else have this problem? Or know what I can do to solve it? I have replaced the tires, but they still leak, sometimes as much as 5-8 pounds/week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subie Gal Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 you replaced the tires with new??? -------------------- has the car ever met with a curb? snow bank? anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 the rims should be cleaned before installing new tires. were the valve stems replaced with the tires? they can leak as well. bead or valve stem, that's where you loose air. did it just happen once or more often? if they filled it with warm air and you drove the car outside where it's 15 degrees, the air will become more dense and less pressure. remember that PV=nRT jazz. it Temperature goes down, the pressure must go down for constant volume. if it happened more than once, then you have a leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 you replaced the tires with new??? Yes. -------------------- has the car ever met with a curb? snow bank? anything? No, it hasn't hit anything. Yet. Looking for some wood to knock on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Have you tried checking for leaks around the valves? Use a 50/50 liquid-soap/water mixture, and brush it on around the base of the valve-stems, and around the top of the valve itself. Any leaks will show up as bubbles growing in the soap mixture. It seems strange though, that all tires should leak.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 the rims should be cleaned before installing new tires. were the valve stems replaced with the tires? they can leak as well. bead or valve stem, that's where you loose air. did it just happen once or more often? if they filled it with warm air and you drove the car outside where it's 15 degrees, the air will become more dense and less pressure. remember that PV=nRT jazz. it Temperature goes down, the pressure must go down for constant volume. if it happened more than once, then you have a leak. I just checked with the tire place and they said as a matter of habit they clean the rims and replace the valves; however, they also said that I could bring the car in and they would check to make sure, no charge. So I will get back with you. THanks for the reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 when are you taking the pressure readings? in the morning after sitting all night or after driving a lot or a mix of both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickson Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 My '03 outback tires hold air fine. Actually, I got a nail in one of them in the first few weeks. The tire was repaired, and has been okay since. I just checked the air yesterday and all tires are good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Davis Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I have an 03 Outback, bought it new, and the tires will not hold air. Does anyone else have this problem? Or know what I can do to solve it? I have replaced the tires, but they still leak, sometimes as much as 5-8 pounds/week. Odd that all four tires would loose air. My 03 Outback has never had a problem, and I dismount and remount snow tires every season. As said before, you need to determine if the problem is tires, rims, or valve stems. I would start by over inflating the mounted tires, then giving them a good dunk in a water tub and watch for bubbles. If there is nothing obvious, have the rim beads checked, cleaned and the rims sealed. This would be the most common problem aria. The next possibility would be porous tires, not likely though. You wouldnt happen to have a two year old boy would you? lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unverviking Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I have an 03 Outback, bought it new, and the tires will not hold air. Does anyone else have this problem? Or know what I can do to solve it? I have replaced the tires, but they still leak, sometimes as much as 5-8 pounds/week. Check the valve stems, it almost seems that would have been checked and changed with the new tires. It almost seems, that with 2 different sets of tires on the rims, there may be a rim defect. I know most, if not all tire places, clean and seal the rims along with replacing the valve stems. Have you consulted a dealer to check about a porus set of rims ??? Keep us posted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickson Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 There was a recall on the following for some outbacks! "September 2002 2003 Outback 6cylinders Alloy Wheels off center. Some 6cylinder Outbacks might have improperly manufactured, off -center alloy wheels. They will be replaced." Maybe this could be the issue????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 when are you taking the pressure readings? in the morning after sitting all night or after driving a lot or a mix of both? It seems to be a mix of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Check the valve stems, it almost seems that would have been checked and changed with the new tires. It almost seems, that with 2 different sets of tires on the rims, there may be a rim defect. I know most, if not all tire places, clean and seal the rims along with replacing the valve stems. Have you consulted a dealer to check about a porus set of rims ??? Keep us posted... The tire place said they clean the rims and replace the valves as a matter of course, but that they would be happy to check both at no charge to be sure, so I will take it in to them, then pursue it with Subaru. What are porus rims? thanks for the reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Ok, that is the answer I was hoping you would give so I could give you my opinion If you are taking pressure readings at random samples, this might effect your readings. Assuming you know nothing, I will describe what MIGHT be happening. As you drive friction in your tires is transfered into heat energy. As the air gets heated, it gets excited and tends to "bounce" around more than say, cold air. This excited air in your tires will cause your readings to be higher after driving than it was before it left the driveway after sitting all night. I would suggest you take a reading tomorrow morning (Wednesday) and then another one on Thursday AM, and one more on Friday AM and see if there is a constant decrease in pressure or it remains pretty constant. Good luck Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unverviking Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 The tire place said they clean the rims and replace the valves as a matter of course, but that they would be happy to check both at no charge to be sure, so I will take it in to them, then pursue it with Subaru. What are porus rims? thanks for the reply Porus Rims... for some reason the rims have a defect that cause them not to be airtight... I'm assuming that the rims are aluminum, there could be a problem with the metal causing it to be porus and letting the air escape. Just my 2 pennies worth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unverviking Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 I just read in the local paper that a local tire dealer is now using Nitrogen instead of air in their tires... They claim "nitrogen helps tires stay properly inflated longer, resulting in less wear, better handling and better mileage. " Anyone hear of other tire dealers doing this ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenSisters Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 The nitrogen theory is it won't diffuse (leak) through the innerliner as fast and it doesn't contain moisture so the pressure is more consistant at different temperatures. Hence more even treadwear etc. In my opinion, it's a profit enhancement product. My tires arready have about 74% nitrogen in them and I fill them for free at the gas station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintman Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I have Nitrogen in our Outback tires and my Mazda turbo. Most I work with have now done the same. Awesome not having to get tthe tires pumped up every few weeks. Any top ups are free for life of the tire. Less wear and more consistent pressure is a bonus. I'll never again have air in tires on any vehicle I own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Clark Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Damn, I'm glad I don't have tires and wheels like some of you have. I may have to inflate the tires once every 3-4 months. I do start at 32 PSI though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjwirth Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Ok this whole business about nitrogen is a little puzzling. First off, air already has about 79% N2, the bulk of the rest is O2. So does getting rid of the extra 20% of O2 keep air pressure constant throughout the changes in temperature?? Thermodynamics is not my specialty, but I would think for the range of temperature we're talking about, O2 and N2 have negligible differences in terms of "gas law" or the relationship between temperature, pressure and volume. (in other words take 2 balloons, one filled with O2 and the other N2, heat them to the same temp, and youll have the same volume- or you can do the same with a fixed volume and measure pressure) Ok, but what about water vapor? I can see how the presence of water will greatly affect pressure, especially if it goes through a phase change. (can someone tell me how hot a tire gets, i have no idea). but are you going to tell me that a) the N2 used to fill a tire is "dry" and assuming it is, that water NEVER diffuses into the tire?? ok, last theory i heard- lets ASSUME tires have a significantly higher diffusivity rate for O2 than N2. then theoretically a tire could lose 20% of its pressure. so you fill it up with more air, but now the mixture is 96/4 N2/O2 and then the tire loses 4% of its pressure, and eventually the presure is 99/1 and on and on. so really you could fill your tire with air, then "top it off" 3 times and you have essentially a N2 atmosphere, right? then it "never" leaks again?? I don't buy the higher diffusivity of O2- I don't have constants or data that shows one way or another- but the molecules are not that different in size. So let's assume that O2 has only a SLIGHTLY higher diffusivity than N2. then instead checking tire pressure every 3 months, you're doing it every 4 months. Now let's assume that they have the same diffusivity.... I've heard of people who use N2 to fill tires and I'm not saying they're wrong for doing so, I just don't know why they do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 There was a recall on the following for some outbacks! "September 2002 2003 Outback 6cylinders Alloy Wheels off center. Some 6cylinder Outbacks might have improperly manufactured, off -center alloy wheels. They will be replaced." Maybe this could be the issue????? How do I find out if my tires are alloy wheels? And if they are, how do I convince the dealer that they need to replace them? Thanks for the reply and the info!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Ok, that is the answer I was hoping you would give so I could give you my opinion If you are taking pressure readings at random samples, this might effect your readings. Assuming you know nothing, I will describe what MIGHT be happening. As you drive friction in your tires is transfered into heat energy. As the air gets heated, it gets excited and tends to "bounce" around more than say, cold air. This excited air in your tires will cause your readings to be higher after driving than it was before it left the driveway after sitting all night. I would suggest you take a reading tomorrow morning (Wednesday) and then another one on Thursday AM, and one more on Friday AM and see if there is a constant decrease in pressure or it remains pretty constant. Good luck Kevin Ok, thanks for the reply and the suggestion, I will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintman Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Using Nitrogen in your tires is a no-brainer. Cooler running therefore last longer etc but the main reason you just don't have go to the damn servo every week or so to pump the tires up. That alone makes it worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinsUBARU Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 You can't go wrong trying it...it's free to check and you won't have to stress about convincing the dealer you aren't crazy!! Good luck with it! Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickson Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 How do I find out if my tires are alloy wheels? And if they are, how do I convince the dealer that they need to replace them? Thanks for the reply and the info!!! If I'm not mistaken, I think all or at least a majority of '03 outbacks have alloy rims. How you go about convincing the dealer if they're off center is another matter. And I don't know if this issue would cause air loss in your tires. Good luck, and I hope you can get this problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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