I'm too young I guess- how to fix a flat tire!

[40P10touring sedan]

Let me get this out of the way 1st...well, I guess I'm a young guy at 47yrs old today. Was out taking pics of my radiator for another post and saw that the pass side rear tire was totally flat- wasn't a few days ago and the car hasn't moved! I aired it up but when I did the valve stem pushed most of the way in. After I grabbed at it and aired it up I heard air rushing and sure enough the area around the valve stem is leaking. So here's my question-

-do I need to find a specialized tire repair shop to work on this since this is a tube tire or can any decent tire shop handle this. I'm guessing that either I need a new tube due to age or something got pinched when she went down and I need a new tube anyway - or both.

Tire in question is a BF Goodrich Silvertown 6.00x16 tube type.

I hate to sound like an idiot but I've never dealt with a tube tire on a car before...bicycles, motorcycles, and gokarts- yes, car, ...no. I doubt I could grab the motorcycle tire spoons a take this off myself, so I'm going to have to take it somewhere....anything I should have them look for while I'm there?

[RobertKB]

Any self-respecting tire shop should be able to replace the tube and get your tire back on the road. It does sound like the tube is the culprit as you mention that air is coming out of the hole for the valve stem. It is the only way for the air to escape if the tire is OK.

However, I am sure there are tire shops out there with young owners and young employees who have never worked on tube tires. A simple phone call will let you know where to go.

[Don Coatney]

Have you kicked the tire? Seems to me that would be the first thing you would do.

[TodFitch]

You setup is a little different from mine in the following respects:

1. 6.00x16 versus 5.50x17

2. You probably have "safety rims" so the bead will be harder to break

3. Your pressed steel rims are probably safe in a tire changing machine while my wire wheels can be (and have been) damaged by attempting to break the bead on a machine.

So my experience might not match up with yours, but I say: Do it yourself.

My first experience with putting tires on resulted in the shop damaging my wheels, so I've done my own tire maintenance for the last 30 years on my old Plymouth. I don't even have official tire irons or spoons, I just use a couple of broken spring leafs I had laying around that I ground the ends on. I notice that Harbor Freight has cheap tire spoons that would probably work better.

If you have a bumper jack and an available car you have a bead breaking machine: Just put the tire on the ground slightly under the car, the jack on top of tire and try to jack up the car. The bead will pop before the car is raised.

From there on out, it is just like a over sized bicycle tire. Takes bigger tools and more force but pretty doable with nothing but hand labor. Do all your dirty work with the appearance side of the wheel down on something that won't scratch it and your tire iron marks on the rim will end up on the inside where only you'll know about them. I use the front lawn as the grass won't chip the paint on the wheel. Use some talcum powder in the tire when you reassemble. It will help getting everything together and allow the tube to move with little friction between it and the tire to find its spot when you first inflate it.

You might want to mark the tire for the valve stem position before you take things apart so that you can put it back where you found it and not upset the balance too much.

While you current problem may will be damage to the tube from being pinched, the original flat might be because of a nail picked up in the tire so you should check that. I've actually had very good luck repairing relatively new tube using the still available tube patching kits. I wouldn't bother though on a tube that was more than a couple of years old.

[Rusty O'Toole]

Shops that work on truck tires are familiar with tubes. There are a few tricks to doing them right. A shop that works on racing tires should be OK too. Be sure and tell them it has a tube and ask if it is OK. If they don't know what to do, find another shop.

[40P10touring sedan]

Have you kicked the tire? Seems to me that would be the first thing you would do.

Mmmmhmmm, was that directed at me or my wife?!...she who tells me that her car has been making some weird noises when she hits the brakes...upon checking I find theres little to no brakes left!{she drives it-not me}...when asked "just how long has this been going on?"..."oh I don't remember, I keep forgetting to tell you." Now we take her car anywhere we go so I can keep an eye and an ear on it.

BTW...I ain't kickin it...you know how much those things cost!

[40P10touring sedan]

Thanks for tips here guys...except Don!{lol}

[bamfordsgarage]

I'm with Rusty on this one. I had flats too often on my D25 and it is surprising how many "tire shops" don't work on tube tires. Worst culprits seem to be the like of Firestone and Sears retail outlets. I imagine a truck tire shop would be your best bet.

Also in my experience, the 600x16 tubes are not all that common. On the good chance your tube is short, you might want to have a new tube handy when you take the tire in for repairs.

BTW, I'm now running my 600x16 tube tires — winter and summer — on original Mopar rims without tubes. Haven't had a flat since I went this route.

[BobT-47P15]

I think they are right about finding a truck shop. A few years ago I took a

tube tire to a Firestone store and they had to discuss how to repair the tube among themselves . One brave soul went on to do the job and it held OK.

I usually use a small area chain store - nowhere near so big as the big boys.

They still know their stuff.

[Eneto-55]

If you have a bumper jack and an available car you have a bead breaking machine: Just put the tire on the ground slightly under the car, the jack on top of tire and try to jack up the car. The bead will pop before the car is raised.

For the few cases where the bead is so stuck that the car raises up instead of breaking the hold on the bead (I've seen it), we would lay a chain on the ground under the tire, then hook it up in the frame. That way the car cannot raise up, and the bead will definately let loose.

Neto

[Captain Neon]

Mmmmhmmm, was that directed at me or my wife?!...she who tells me that her car has been making some weird noises when she hits the brakes...upon checking I find theres little to no brakes left!{she drives it-not me}...when asked "just how long has this been going on?"..."oh I don't remember, I keep forgetting to tell you." Now we take her car anywhere we go so I can keep an eye and an ear on it.

BTW...I ain't kickin it...you know how much those things cost!

Precisely why I make a point of driving my wife's car on a regular basis. I also will not teach my wife how to drive a stick so I know that my P15 and Neon are safe from my wife's driving.

[40P10touring sedan]

Luckily there's a "tire management" across from the factory I work at...they do semi truck tires, question is can they do car tires- time to find out.

2nd option I have I guess is Blain's farm and fleet since I know they do farm implement tires and the like.

3rd option, in no particular order, is to find a tire shop around these parts that sells tube type WWW tires and ask them...thinkin that may be my best route.

Time to hit the yellow pages...I can look for somepalce to cut my needed 4 pieces of flat glass too..

BTW, CapN, We love em, but we just never trust them with their cars anymore.

[pflaming]

Try: "old car clubs in (your city). They will know, one may even have a tire changer. When you fill a tube tire, you usually fill it near full without a valvue ine the stem, then let the air back out, install the valve and fill the tire to pressure. Filling and releasing tends to get the wrinkles out of the tubes. Wrinkles rub a/g the tube and cause leaks.

[Labrauer]

I have always on tube tires and nontube tires done them myself. It is an easy way to do it with another car just put the tire on the ground and take the other car and drive on the tire as close to the rim as you can get. Pops loose without the work of tire tools and the swet. I have never had a tire that this doesn't work with. Plain and simple as my father was old fashion and did this and showed me the same method.

Larry

[40P10touring sedan]

Good grief, a town of 148k and so far I'm 6 for 6 of "well, we've never done one of those before for a car", "the guy who could do that retired", "well, if that was for a farm trailer I'd feel more comfortable" and even got "are you sure there's a tube in there...shouldn't be...cause we can patch or plug the tire for you" - not exactly promoting the likelyhood of them getting my tire to fix.

I'll try a few more places then give up and try fixing it myself I guess...who knew "this" was going to be the biggest hassle of owning an old car?!

[PatS....]

Stan here woulda had it done by the time you had asked if they did tube tires

My Dad however woulda had to change out of his fancy duds first:rolleyes:

My Uncle (in the background) would have just looked at it and walked back to his office to write up your bill for $1.25!!!! No need to change his fancy duds, he had no idea how to change a tire

They were dressed up because it was Stampede Parade morning and well, everybody in the city did. 90% still do

http://www.calgarystampede.com/

They did not get a tire machine until about 1952...the Coates Iron

Tireman

Knox Corner Esso 6 Ave and 4 St SW Calgary circa 1949/50 (same Dodge as in first pic and my Dads 34 Olds at the pump)

[40P10touring sedan]

Well I have a happy ending here, I took a drive over to the local farm and fleet last night to buy a 2 ton engine hoist and figured while I was there I'd look for an adult to speak to about fixing my tire....3 confused young kids later I had a grey haired gent walk up and told the boys to go do something. He found the needed tube- the boys kept picking out 15" tubes saying they'd work, my tire is a 6.00x16. The tube used was a tractor tube made for my sized tire- 550-600-16 implement tube #LTI-550. Matched up fine.

Only $23 roughly to get it done...new tube, new plastic valve guide and rebalance.

On the one hand I kind of wish he would've pulled one aside to watch and learn, but these kids were stuck because the computer only went back to 1942..my car is a 40. On the other hand though, in todays stores, if it can't be found on the computer, it ain't out there....young folks just aren't easily being trained to grab a parts book any more it seems. Funny how computers can bring us together more easily, but at the same time it can alienate some of us too...everything is a trade off I guess.