An odd wheel woe

Fourman110

Spring is finally here and I'm quickly running through the maintenance punch list. Pulling the trailer out of storage I noticed I had a really low tire. Ever since I've had the trailer (Dec 2017) I've had a slow leak. After a week out I'd need to top it off a bit, but over the winter, it lost quite a bit of air.

Brought the tire into Goodyear this morning and it turns out the tire doesn't have a leak. Rim seals are good too. Turns out, there's a pin-hole leak in the center of the rim (ie. opposite side of the tire tread). It took nearly 30 minutes to find it, but they sprayed it down and showed me. How the heck do you get a leak in aluminum. Obviously a manufacturing defect (can't see any chipping or damage in that area).

I'll call NuCamp Monday to see what to do. I'm comforted that it shouldn't have any issue of rapidly deteriorating (like a tire hole shredding), but what a whacky problem.

Cheers and may all of your campouts be sunny!

Jay

LuckyJ

Must have had porosity in the casting process. Did they show you if their was surface oxydation on the inside?

Aluminium does not rust, but is does oxydise.

Fourman110

We just looked at it from the outside with soap spray showing the bubbles. Gotta find me some 35psi tape in the meantime.......

CampHub

@Fourman110 we would see this in aluminum aircraft wheels. Most of the time it was the magnesium added to the aluminum for strength that would deteriorate first. It might have been a simple scratch in the paint that started the corrosion process. Guessing your looking at a new wheel for a permanent solution?

Fourman110

@CampHub said:
@Fourman110 we would see this in aluminum aircraft wheels. Most of the time it was the magnesium added to the aluminum for strength that would deteriorate first. It might have been a simple scratch in the paint that started the corrosion process. Guessing your looking at a new wheel for a permanent solution?

Goodyear suggested bringing it to someone who welded aluminum, but that seems like a long time I’d I’d be worried about difficulty balancing the wheels. There’s no noticeable scratch or damage to the area. As it’s slowly leaked since purchase, I’m guessing a manufacturing defect.

WilliamA

Porosity and leaking in aluminum wheels is unusual but not unheard of. My concern wouldn't be a pinhole leak but rather a crack. If careful inspection reveals it to be a pinhole, then I'd just put some epoxy on the inside of the wheel and put it back together. There are places that you could send it to that repair and x-ray aluminum wheels but I doubt you'd get it done with shipping for less than the cost of the wheel. Those guys mostly do exotic aluminum wheels that cost a grand or more a pop. Otherwise, just order another wheel and call it a day. Me? I'd inspect it, then use epoxy...

WilliamA

CampHub

@Fourman110 I agree with you it does sound like a manufacturing defect. Like @WilliamA said a welded repair is going to be much more expensive than a new wheel or even 2.

Fourman110

I> @WilliamA said:

Porosity and leaking in aluminum wheels is unusual but not unheard of. My concern wouldn't be a pinhole leak but rather a crack. If careful inspection reveals it to be a pinhole, then I'd just put some epoxy on the inside of the wheel and put it back together. There are places that you could send it to that repair and x-ray aluminum wheels but I doubt you'd get it done with shipping for less than the cost of the wheel. Those guys mostly do exotic aluminum wheels that cost a grand or more a pop. Otherwise, just order another wheel and call it a day. Me? I'd inspect it, then use epoxy...
WilliamA

Thanks as always WilliamA! If warranty doesn’t work I’ll go that way!

One mistake I made when pulling off the wheel was not installing the metal T@B hub cover correctly. Fell off on my trunk and I thought it would just pop on after I installed the wheel. Nope! Cover then wheel so I ended up pulling off, reinstalling and Retorqueing again.

With the maintenance I did yesterday coupled with the tire changing I’m really contemplating an electric jack mod.... after the Air Maxx mod.