Nail in tire was removed but tire did not lose air. Nail did not penetrate all the way thru. Is tire still safe?
I was going to repair tire that had a nail showing in the middle of tire. Removed the nail expecting to have air loss but found nail did not go all the way through. Is tire safe to continue driving on it?
My car has 36000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hey there. As long as you sprayed soapy water on the area and no leak was found then you should be okay to operate the car without too much worry. If there was a leak, you would begin to see air bubbles where air is purging out of the tire. I would still bring the car to a tire shop to double check and make sure that it is okay to drive on.
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If the nail is little and the tire is still retaining air, then yes, it is okay to drive with it in your tire. It`s common for drivers to run over nails without even noticing it. If the nail is huge and the tire is losing air quickly, it`s best to take it to a tire shop rather than try to fix it yourself.
There are Several Possibilities as to Why Your Tires Lose Air: a hole in the tread, probably from a nail or something sharp in the road. a hole in the sidewall, probably from an encounter with something sharp on the road. a poor seal where the tire attaches to the wheel, which lets air escape.
Sometimes, you drive over a sharp object like a nail which can instantly cause a flat tire. But other times, the nail can wedge its way in just right so air doesn`t escape even as you continue driving with a nail in your tire.
If you have a screw in your tire, but no air is leaking, should you still get it removed and plugged or not? The screw might not have penetrated through the tire and removing the screw will not cause the tire to leak. Leaving it in will eventually cause a leak.
You run over a stray nail on the road. A tubed tyre would suffer an immediate puncture due to the nail piercing the inner tube. On a tubeless tyre, the nail becomes embedded in the tyre, causing a slow puncture.
Nails can lodge in a tire so tightly that air isn`t able to escape; the car hits the nail so fast and so hard that air is never given the opportunity to release. When this happens, drivers won`t notice the nail until the vehicle is in for some other kind of service such as a tune-up or replacing a different flat tire.
The good news is that this problem is usually easy to fix. New tires can and do leak air, but there`s no need to panic.
You could damage the tire beyond repair
If there is no air or not enough air in the tire (which is needed to support the weight of your vehicle), it can cause `internal structural damage,` meaning the material inside the tire can get damaged beyond repair.
Punctured tires will likely need to be replaced if: The puncture is more than a ¼ inch in diameter. There`s a puncture in the sidewall or shoulder of the tire. You have multiple punctures that are less than 16 inches apart.
And that`s good, but every time your tire rotates, that screw is rubbing against the walls of the hole and making it a little bigger. That`s not good for a couple of reasons: 1.) Your tire could blow out, and 2.) if the hole continues to grow, you run the risk of ruining the tire altogether.
If your tires are pretty new, you may be able to get away with just replacing one or two tires. If your tires have worn down and there will be more than 4/32” difference between the new tires and old tires, you should get all new tires.
No, you should not leave the screw in the tyre. Leaving the screw in the tyre can cause further damage and potentially lead to a blowout while driving.
If there is something still in the hole, you should remove it (to prevent further tire damage), then go through the above described steps to get the sealant to reseal. The only time you really need to patch is when the hole is too large for the sealant to plug.
Yes, you can drive your car with a punctured tubeless tyre, but not for long distances as it can damage the rim or alloy wheel.
You may only spot a change in tyre pressure when you get home, or the next time you try to drive the car. But with slow punctures, it can take days or even weeks for deflation of the tyre to become obvious.
For a safe repair, the puncture must be 1/2 inch away or more from the edge of the tire tread where the internal steel belt begins. Any puncture less than 1/2 inch from the start of the internal steel belt on the shoulder or sidewall of the tire cannot be repaired (highlighted in red).
When the car is off, turn the key in the ignition to the on position. But don`t start the car. Instead, press the TPMS reset button until the tire pressure light blinks three times. Then let go of the button.
One cause of pressure loss in tires is permeation of air molecules right through the rubber, as gas inside the tire tends toward equalizing pressure with the outside. This will happen regardless of whether a tire is in use or being stored.
Also, this is the reason why tubeless tires loose air at a much slower rate. Most high-pressure tires will lose up to 15 pounds in just a few days while lower pressure and tubeless tires may last a week or more before being noticeable. Slow leaking punctures in the tread are another cause of tires losing air.
To permanently fix a tire leak caused by a puncture, you will need a “plug and patch”. This method of repair involves removing the tire from the wheel, and placing a combination plug and patch on the tire. If your leak is caused by a faulty valve, you may need to replace it or your tire.
Whereas a flat tyre has lost most or all its air, a puncture can often be a slow release of air from inside the tyre. When you have a slow puncture, it can be possible to pump up the tyre before setting off and drive quite far before the pressure drops to an unsafe level.
When driving on a flat tire, not only are you damaging the structure of your tires, but you`re also concentrating more weight on your rim edges. Since these components are not meant to touch the road`s surface, they can become bent, warped, or permanently damaged.
Pressurized tire patches like Fix-a-Flat and other synthetic solutions can fix tire punctures from nails, but they come with their own set of risks and considerations. Most severely, they have been linked to risks of tire pressure monitoring sensor damage.
A tire can be patched twice and up to three times. However, this rule goes out the window if the hole overlaps another patch or damaged area. Is it dangerous to plug a tire too many times? Yes.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Nail in tire was removed but tire did not lose air. Nail did not penetrate all the way thru. Is tire still safe?
ANSWER : Hey there. As long as you sprayed soapy water on the area and no leak was found then you should be okay to operate the car without too much worry. If there was a leak, you would begin to see air bubbles where air is purging out of the tire. I would still bring the car to a tire shop to double check and make sure that it is okay to drive on.
Tire continues to deflate
ANSWER : Since you did not state the reason the dealer suggests a new tire, I can only speculate as to what they found. A 12 to 17 psi loss over a day is a good leak. If soapy water is not showing you anything, then the wheel and tire should be submerged in water and checked. It’s usually more telling than soapy water. I would say that leaking around the bead area is a possibility, but that would be typically be seen in older vehicles where the wheels have corroded a bit and didn’t seal properly, but anything is possible. It could even be a cracked wheel. Dunk it in some water and it should become apparent where the leak is coming from.
Still vibrating after new tires, re-alignment, and balancing when I go over 70 mph
ANSWER : Hello. If this is still occurring then you have an issue with something that is not spinning true or is out of round on the vehicle. If the vehicle is this new then it is usually caused by a wheel hub that is defective or a CV axle that is bad. From what you are explaining, it sounds like there is an issue with one of the axles. It may have lost a weight of its own or it may have too much play in the axle joint. I would usually get the vehicle in the air to inspect these areas for issues. I would also loosen the engine mounts to allow the engine and transmission to align themselves as there may be some binding there also. Since the vehicle is still under warranty you need to take it back to the dealer to have these issues checked.
Screw in tire that is leaking air quickly. Should I remove the screw if air is lost when attempting?
ANSWER : Hi There,
Removing the screw from the tire may cause more harm and damage as this will cause it to continue leaking. I would suggest having the tire removed by a qualified mechanic such as one from YourMechanic and have a spare tire put on to get you safely to a local tire shop to have the damaged tire replaced.
Removing the screw from the tire may cause more harm and damage as this will cause it to continue leaking. I would suggest having the tire removed by a qualified mechanic such as one from YourMechanic and have a spare tire put on to get you safely to a local tire shop to have the damaged tire replaced.
steering vibrates after installing tire sealant
ANSWER : The tire sealant in the front tires are causing the tires to be out of balance and the only fix is to get the fluid out of the tires and have the tires cleaned out then the hole patched. Then balance the tires again. The tires cannot be balanced with the tire sealant in the tires. If after all this the vibration still exists, you can contact a professional technician, such as one from YourMechanic, to diagnose the source of your vibration.
Car is in park position. Key can’t be moved all the way back. Key can’t be removed. Car is not starting. Tried to jump. Still
ANSWER : Hello. Will be happy to assist you. This article should help you remove a stuck key in emergency situations https://www.cars.com/articles/2014/12/gm-issues-fix-for-new-key-issue-in-cars-under-ignition-recall/
There is a recall available for your vehicle regarding the stuck keys. It is a nationwide problem in many Saturn vehicles produced from the early to late 2000’s . It will be best to call the dealership and ask if the recall has been performed on your vehicle. If not the recall should be done by Saturn free of charge. You will also want to check your shifter to make sure there’s nothing keeping your vehicle from getting all the way up to the park position. There have been instances where change fell down into the shifter, obstructing it from selecting the park gear completely which will then prevent the user from moving key past the accessory position when trying to switch the vehicle off..
There is a recall available for your vehicle regarding the stuck keys. It is a nationwide problem in many Saturn vehicles produced from the early to late 2000’s . It will be best to call the dealership and ask if the recall has been performed on your vehicle. If not the recall should be done by Saturn free of charge. You will also want to check your shifter to make sure there’s nothing keeping your vehicle from getting all the way up to the park position. There have been instances where change fell down into the shifter, obstructing it from selecting the park gear completely which will then prevent the user from moving key past the accessory position when trying to switch the vehicle off..
Hot air mixed with cold blows from air conditioning
ANSWER : Hey there. You will most likely have to have a mechanic bypass the heater coolant lines to have this resolved. Your A/C may not be controlling the air flow inside the evaporator correctly out of the vents and may be the blend door actuator stuck in the heat position. Have the AC system diagnosed first before bypassing the heater.
Flat tire is stuck on vehicle. what is the best way to remove
ANSWER : If you have the vehicle raised and the lug nuts remove and the rim is stuck on the vehicle then it will take some power kicks to the sides of the rim to break the tire loose. Try to put your back on the car and do some horse type kicks to rim on each side to break rim loose.
