Mondeo Zetec / Alloy Wheels

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Thu 15 Jan 2004 22:22
Mondeo Zetec / Alloy Wheels - joshua
Hi all,
jiust thought I would let you know about a problem I had with the tyre pressures on my Mondeo.

Every week the pressures would drop around 5-8 psi per wheel,thought I had better get it checked and took it to local tyre fitters.As soon as they clocked that it was a Mondeo they said, there all
like that if they have got alloys,"you need the metal valves replced with rubber."

The reason being that the original ones start to rust which leads the air to escape.

The car in question is a mk2 1999 year.

The cost to do the job £24.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 16 Jan 2004 00:43
Mondeo Zetec / Alloy Wheels - Ben {P}
I had exactly the same problem. its a good tip. Mine leaked too. They can be fine. Then oneday when you check the tyre pressures etc you can unsettle the valve and it will start to leak. Not worth the inconvenience of coming out to the car in the morning to find a tyre partially deflated.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 16 Jan 2004 10:15
Mondeo Zetec / Alloy Wheels - Galaxy
Mine are exactly the same.

I particularly noticed the pressures of the front tyres dropping by about 4 PSI per week after having new tyres fitted. Should have gone back to the tyre place to have it sorted out, but never got around to it.

Did take one of the front wheels off and put it into a bath of water. The air was coming out from where the valve screws into a metal tube, which, in turn, screws into the allow wheel itself. I think it was also leaking here, too.

I have tried to find out more about this type of valve arrangement but the manual is silent on this subject. I wondered whether some sort of sealer needed to be applied when the assembly is screwed back together? That, it would seem, would solve the problem.

My previous car, which also had alloy wheels, used rubber valves, which were changed as a matter of course at every tyre change, and I never ever had any problems with them.

Changing the metal valves to rubber ones does seem to be a good idea, the only thing that does concern me, though, is the fact that should rubber valves be fitted to an alloy wheel which is designed to use metal ones? Will this arrangement have any safety considerations?

It's not very good that these metal valves leak like this. Does it happen on other makes of car with them, or is it just a case of Ford have got it wrong yet again!

Perhaps someone who is more familiar with these metal type valves than I am could please answer these questions. I'm sure that many others, including myself, would be very interested to know.

Many Thanks,

Galaxy
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....