395/85r20 XZLs on A3 Rims not holding air!!!

[JimmyThompson]

I've had them mounted and they simply won't hold air. I've taken the truck to another tire shop as the original diesel repair shop had serious issues but the tires still leak! I have replaced the O-rings and had them Teflon all the fittings. Any ideas???

 

[patracy]

Did you use the right oring? Did you clean all the surfaces? Was there any rust in them? Have you soaked them with soapy water to find the leak? Did you use any lube on the rings?

 

[JimmyThompson]

I got the A3 O-rings from CSM Army Tires. They look like large round (cross section) O-rings. There isn't any rust on the rims, the guy said there was some "packing grease" but he removed it. The tire shop stated they soaked the tires and fittings but couldn't find a leak. I am not sure of any lube used on the O-rings.

 

[Scar59]

Are the wheel nuts torqued up to spec?

 

[JimmyThompson]

What is the spec?

 

[MtnSnow]

Are the wheels connected to CTIS? If so have you disconnected the CTIS to make sure it's the wheels that are leaking and not something within the CTIS? Sometimes the easiest thing to do is place the wheel/tire into a "kiddie pool" to find a leak from a wheel/tire

 

[JimmyThompson]

It's not hooked up to a CSIS.

 

[Vintage iron]

Did you use the bead locks in the tires?

 

[JimmyThompson]

Yes. But apparently they are MRAP bead locks, run-flats actually, not A3. I later learned they are 1" too narrow for the rim. I can't imagine how that would affect the tire pressure with the truck sitting for a week.

 

[Vintage iron]

There is your problem. You need the bead locks to hold the heavy beads against the rims. Having the runflats in there isn't helping either. Get the right bead locks and do the work yourself. Tire shop charge you big bucks and don't care about how anything goes together .

 

[JimmyThompson]

Yet others have ran these tires on A3 rims without the bead locks... How does that work?

 

[Vintage iron]

Having that heavy runflats wobbling around in there isn't helping and I guarantee the tire shop is missing something. I mount these tires all the time and never had a leak. I hope you didn't get those wrong sized o-rings that were going around. They were 3/16 instead of 1/4 inch. One of my Customers had that problem.

 

[JimmyThompson]

I didn't think to measure them as I had no clue there was a diameter issue out there. They are installed already. The kicker is half the tires don't leak and half do!

 

[Vintage iron]

I bought a bunch of the O rings in the brown bags. They were all marked the same, some were the right size (1/4) some were the wrong size (3/16). I caught it and ordered new ones.

 

[JimmyThompson]

I'm certain these are 1/4"... CSM Army Tires are really stand-up folks.

 

[gringeltaube]

Yet others have ran these tires on A3 rims without the bead locks... How does that work?

Works fine for me...!

I guarantee the tire shop is missing something....

Agree with that. Even a small, slow leak can be detected by using detergent solution and a brush or sponge to create foam and covering all suspicious areas.
It just takes a lot of patience sometimes. Also, manipulating these heavyweights isn't something for everyone to enjoy...


G.

 

[JimmyThompson]

I do appreciate all the input... It's very frustrating to be so close yet so far away!

 

[JimmyThompson]

Further thinking... I've used the green tire slime before on my ATV and lawn mower wheels. Would it be foolish to put a quart into each tire and drive it around for a while? Wouldn't that find it's way into the leak?!!?

 

[Vintage iron]

Well, I can't help you any further with out seeing them. Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[welldigger]

Did you replace the valve stem grommets?!!! If they are the original a3 valve stems then the rubber grommet under it is very prone to age cracking and leaking.

While the run flats are definitely not the correct ones I don't see that being the problem. You DO NOT need bead locks or run flats for these tires to hold air. My truck hasn't lost 3 pounds of air in a year on any given tire. I'm running 395s on A3 wheels with no beadlocks or run flats.

As suggested earlier, spray EVERYTHING with soapy water. Should help you determine where the leak is.