Replacing a car tyre valve core - do I need a jack?

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I've got a slow leak on my offside front tyre, I think it's just the valve core, as I left the dust cap off for a few days and it went down in a couple of days, but with the dust cap tightened up, it's going down about 8psi in a week.

I know replacing the valve core is a simple process, but I don't have a jack, can I just pop one out while there's still air in the tyre and stick the other in before all of the air comes out? Or should I stop being so tight and just buy a cheap jack?
 
Is there not a jack included with the car?

Or you could whip out the core, let the tyre go flat, screw in the new core and then pump it up from scratch.

Or pop into a local tyre place, i.e. not kwik-fit, and turn on the charm, they prpobably do it for couple of quid.
 
DorsetDude said:
Is there not a jack included with the car?

Or you could whip out the core, let the tyre go flat, screw in the new core and then pump it up from scratch.

Or pop into a local tyre place, i.e. not kwik-fit, and turn on the charm, they prpobably do it for couple of quid.
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Nah, car didn't come with a spare wheel and therefore no jack, just one of those pumps that you fill with sealant to repair a puncture with.

I could just let the tyre go flat, just wasn't sure if that would potentially damage the tyre or unseat it from the rim is all.
 
Stick a couple of bricks topped with a block of wood under the jacking point closest to the wheel so there's an inch or 2 of gap. Let the tyre down slowly until the weight of the car is taken by the impromptu support then let the rest of the pressure off as fast as you like. Replace the valve core and reinflate to the correct pressure then remove the blocks/bricks.
 
take it to a tyre place and get it done properly ,it might not be the valve

.is your life really only worth a few quid ???????????
 
You can replace it yourself and as you've said it is a fairly simple process, but you'll need to buy the valve insert / core and the little tool to remove / insert it...Personally, I'd pop to a local independent tyre fitter and ask them if they'd change it for you and how much - I know our local one has changed father in laws for virtually nothing when he had an issue with one...
 
It is better if you use the compressed air "gun" at the garage - the quicker you can re-inflate the tyre the better

and if you do unseat the rim, which is very unlikely, (but maybe it is more likely with the current fashion of low and very low profile tyres), you will have the pressure to blow it back on

I'd only use a foot pump in an emergency
 
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Yes, really. The OP isn't going to be removing the wheel, just relieving the pressure in the tyre so supporting the weight of the vehicle on bricks will be perfectly safe and better for the tyre than simply dropping it on a completely flat tyre. If he was going to be removing the wheel, my advice would be chocks, axle stands etc..
 
My local ATS only charged me £10 for repairing a puncture. As someone who has worked on cars for over 40 years I would suggest that you take it in somewhere and get them to give you a price! If you prop it up with bricks and they are in the wrong place you can distort the floor pan and that will really cost you.
 
My local small tyre place charges £3 to replace the entire valve, including taking the wheel off, fitting the valve and then refitting the tyre.

It seems like false economy to prat about yourself for the sake of the price of a coffee at a tax dodging coffee retailer...
 
Have to agree for the sake of a few quid I would definitely go to a tyre fitters.
 
I'd take the wheel off and immerse it in water to see where the leak is. If it is an alloy wheel then chances are you have a bit of rust bubbling on the rim breaking the seal - approx £12 fix for the local garage to apply a compound to the affected area
 
Nod said:
Yes, really. The OP isn't going to be removing the wheel, just relieving the pressure in the tyre so supporting the weight of the vehicle on bricks will be perfectly safe and better for the tyre than simply dropping it on a completely flat tyre. If he was going to be removing the wheel, my advice would be chocks, axle stands etc..
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One person's "perfectly safe" is another person's "accident waiting to happen.
 
Jason Crest said:
I'd take the wheel off and immerse it in water to see where the leak is. If it is an alloy wheel then chances are you have a bit of rust bubbling on the rim breaking the seal - approx £12 fix for the local garage to apply a compound to the affected area
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if it was that though it wouldnt have leaked quicker with the tyre valve cap off.
 
also spray some soapy water around the value seat just to make sure it is not leaking around that area

corrosion is becoming more common on alloy wheels, around the rim of the wheel and the rim were the value fit, which gives a slow leak...... if you have alloy wheels
 
The other thing AFAIK with the more modern cars is the presence of TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system), it was my understanding with my old SEAT Leon that it used to 'measure' the rotational diameter but on my Ford Focus it has sensors on the inboard side of the valve i.e. inside the tyre. These are fitted to the valve and I was advised that any good tyre fitting place will ensure they are fitted back in place properly when changing valve & tyre.

The valve that accepts the sensor is (I was told) not the old standard one and can be identified by a small ridge on the exposed shaft of the valve.......................whether that type of valve core can be user replaced without use of a jack and/or careful positioning to ensure it not at the squashed deflated zone is unclear as perhaps that could dislodge the sensor.

Or have I had the wool pulled over my eyes but having said that when I got the Focus TPMS checked out the guy had a handheld device that he told me tests the individual tyre sensors and resets/calibrates them.
 
Take it to a local independent and have them take the wheel off and inspect it properly. Not worth trying to half guess at what it could be if your not sure.
 
Box Brownie said:
Or have I had the wool pulled over my eyes but having said that when I got the Focus TPMS checked out the guy had a handheld device that he told me tests the individual tyre sensors and resets/calibrates them.
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I work in a Kia garage and have never seen a tool like that that, all our sensors are set to work at 32psi and either work correctly or they don't and need replaced, there may be other types but I don't see how they could be reset/calibrated so easily.
If I was doing it would the "Crofter" method.
 
Box Brownie said:
Or have I had the wool pulled over my eyes but having said that when I got the Focus TPMS checked out the guy had a handheld device that he told me tests the individual tyre sensors and resets/calibrates them.
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I don't know about individually but you can reset and recalibrate the sensors in the main display on the cars dash.
 
nilagin said:
I don't know about individually but you can reset and recalibrate the sensors in the main display on the cars dash.
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Sorry, I forgot to say the reason I took it in was because I had had a malfunction error on the display that included something along the lines of "failure to connect with sensors". He checked the connectivity and the individual sensors...........now he says aok following his checks.

In regard to what you say, yes when topping up the tyres there is indeed the user function of 'settling the TPMS' for that inflation.
 
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We had an issue with a TPMS sensor on our Mazda 6. Dealer had 5 goes at 'fixing' it under warranty, but said they couldn't tell which sensor it was. I ended up buying one and swapping them out until I found the one that was failing. (first time lucky, front nearside).

OP - haven't you any neighbours with a jack?
 
I'd just go with the 'buy a jack' option personally if it was me, can't imagine not having one!

Also, with my rather bad experience of those little tyre sealant things, I'd probably pop down the scrappy and buy a cheap spare wheel as well, as even a horrible little space-saving donut is far better than being freezing in the middle of nowhere at 2am slowly realising that sealant stuff is totally useless for anything but the smallest punctures. :eek:
 
Took it to a local tyre place in the end, £15 for them to check the tyre and repair it.
 
Fuzzdog said:
I'd just go with the 'buy a jack' option personally if it was me, can't imagine not having one!

Also, with my rather bad experience of those little tyre sealant things, I'd probably pop down the scrappy and buy a cheap spare wheel as well, as even a horrible little space-saving donut is far better than being freezing in the middle of nowhere at 2am slowly realising that sealant stuff is totally useless for anything but the smallest punctures. :eek:
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Yeah, I'm tempted to do this tbh, just in case
 
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