I am "trying" to simply get my bike ready to ride for spring.

My tire pressures were low - 25 psi front and not registering (which I found really odd) on the rear tire.

Bought a nice electric compressor (B&D) this past weekend and filled the front...dial in what pressure you want, and turn it on...fills to set point and stops.

Hooked it up to the rear, and it stopped right away...Put the setting to 200 psi, and it almost pegs to there, and then just seems to run forever. Again i tried the pressure gauge - it won't read. The tire valve stem has zero springiness to it. The front valve stem is springy and registers with the gauge at the slightest pressure.

If I try to let air out of the rear tire, I can't get the stem to depress to let air out either....any idea if it's just a bad stem? Can I replace it without removing the tire? I am limited for tools. I think it likely has air in it close to if not at the desired psi from last fall when it read just fine on my gauge at 37 psi.

Should I take it out and run over to HD with it?

 

On my roadwinder wheel stems you have to push the air chuck on there very firmly and hold it on there fairly tight until you hear air rushing in. Wiggle it around a bit while holding it on tightly first and try several angles of approach. Then if it still won't work after repeated attempts depress the stem valve several times with the nubb on the back of your air guage until air leaks out to free it up. Then try again. If still stuck the stem valve should just unscrew. Jack up the bike a bit to take the weight off the tire and unscrew the stem valve with a stem tool and replace it. But get a couple of stem valves first. You will need a valve stem tool to remove the stem valve that is inside the valve stem itself. You should be ableto get one at any auto parts store. You do not need to remove the wheel or tire or valve stem. Just the valve assembly inside the stem.

 

Actually it sounds like it may be a bad valve core, not stem. The stem is the entire part, the core is only the tiny pin-like part in the center.
A valve core tool can be bought at any auto supply store and cores are very inexpensive.
Be careful when removing the core, if there is pressure in the tire it can and will shoot out.
Does the rear tire feel firm at all, as in is there any air inside or totally flat?
Hope this helps.

 

I always thought the stems inserted from the inside part of the tire...
I can just remove the stem nut, and the stem will come out? Why do I need a couple of stems?

So I need 2 tools then, a valve stem tool and another tool to remove the stem from the rim??

 

a valve core tool is all you need

 

Check the simple stuff first. Some valve caps have a tiny rubber o-ring inside them. It's possible for the 0-ring to come out of the valve cap and get jambed into the top of the valve stem. Look in there carefully and if you see the 0-ring stuck in there, use a tiny pick to dig it out. If that isn't the problem, try just replacing the valve core. Any auto parts store will seel you one. for the valve core tool, just buy a cheap valve cap that has a stem wrence built into the top of it - again a few cents at any auto parts store.

 

Flynavy,

Hey There brother, you will not need two tools all you need is a valve stem coreremover tool just like the other guys posted. The stem that comes off the rim with the nut on it stays in place and no need to mess with it, this keeps the tube inside the tire from moving.Thevalve stem core removal tool will justtake out the inner core of the valve stem, remove the old one and replace a new one in itor do a visual on it, take it out slow since there might be some pressure behind it. Once you get the new one in retighten it and pump up the tire and recheck it with the gauge. Hope that helps.

Dennis

 

What am I loosening/retightening if I am leaving the nut alone?

 

The valve stem has a core in it which is just a valve to allow air in but not out. Thecore tool allows you to screwout the core/valve or screw a new one in - see pics below, one first is the tool used to unscrew the core/valve (you can also get a valve cap that as the tool builtin)- the second is the stem with the core/valve screwed out. Pretty simple

[IMG]local://upfiles/33976/36F885E734F84B87B687788C6CC6FD97.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/33976/1107C448DC0947DD984BEA947FA1D91E.jpg[/IMG]

 

Thank You, EVO.
A picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case, a couple dozen posts