One thing leads to another

[Roger HartParticipant @rogerhart88496]

Mrs R’s car lost a wheel trim, new trims ordered and fitted. Year goes by, tyre loses air – slowly, drag home brew tyre pump to site. Won’t inflate because 90 degree fitting gets in the way of new wheel trim.

Buy push-on tyre inflator handle, nice red one. Turn on, pressure goes through roof. Ponder, order 1/4 BSP adjustable safety valve, rummage in scrap box, make tee piece – 6mm tubing JB Welded into 22mm brass bar drilled and tapped 1/4 BSP. Nice one, set to 40 psi.

Proper mechanical engineers can stop reading now. Engage brain and study WEB. Red handled push-on inflators are closed till you push on but there are Black handled push-on inflators that are open. Either type will work – same price. Had I engaged brain instead of jumping in with a ‘solution’ I could have saved the (small) cost of a safety valve and the pleasure of making a T piece. But I didn’t know push-on inflators came in two sorts…. Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.

None of this bother if the wheel trim had not fallen off.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

That,s what they mean when they say ;  “It,s all parrt of the learning curve ” !!

You should know by now that these things are not made to be simple to do, that,s the whole point !

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I didn’t read anything about removing the wheel trim before trying to reinflate the tyre.

[Roger HartParticipant @rogerhart88496]

Local garage had fitted tie-wraps to ensure wheel trims could not fall off. This seems to be fashionable. The OEM trims did leave enough room for my 90 degree ex foot pump connector.

But one wheel trim fell off anyway – common problem. Hence replacement. After a while tyre went down and the saga started. The tyre was worn anyway. So off to garage for tyre and MOT. But new tyre went down a few days later – hence my messing about. You are right, in the end I hade to take the wheel trim off to pump up tyre. And booked into garage to fix dud tyre.

Problem turned out to be a rusted pinhole in steel wheel. New wheel £70 fitted and wheel back on – with tie wrap.  And need for a usable pump up connector.

One thing leads to another.

Could be worse, a neighbour dinged his alloy wheel on a pothole. Off to posh garage – £700 Sir!

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Alloy wheels are a huge con. Low profile tyres are even worse. When I bought a diesel estate car they tried to sell me the next model up on the basis that it had both, and would make it corner better. Unless you drive like a prat it won’t make a noticeable difference, and if I drove like that I’m hardly likely to be buying a diesel estate

[Author]

Posts