Tire pressure valve leak

JESSICAJHENDERSON

MEMBER
2015 HONDA ODYSSEY
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
56 MILES

Two years ago I had my tires replaced at the Honda dealership. When we got our car back I noticed the caps to the valves were missing. Called Honda and technician delivered caps. Then got call from Honda asking what size the tire said. Turns out they put the wrong size tire on my car. They got car and changed tires for correct size. Since then, out check tire pressure light comes on every one and half to two months. We have to put air in our tires because they are all low every time. I have been back to Honda multiple times to try to figure out the problem to no avail. I have kept track of all my low tire pressures and the dates and emailed Honda. They took my car in and finally figured out that all four tire pressure sensor valves are slowly leaking because of “corrosion”. They are going to replace them with labor free of charge, but we still have to pay the cost of the new valves ($63.00 each). I have a few questions:

1. Can these tire pressure valve sensors be damaged when repacking tires?

2. Why (after having zero problems before) would we start having this problem on all 4 tires immediately after replacing our tires? The manager at Honda said it is a coincidence.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,179 POSTS

Welcome to 2CarPros.

It is highly unlikely that all 4 would have the same type of problem at the same time. Where is the valve leaking? If corrosion is an issue where the attach to the wheel, they should be able to remove them and clean the corrosion. If the valve core is leaking slowly, the core can be replaced or tightened.

Did you see where the leak was? If it is corrosion, I can't say that they caused that, but again it is odd. I attached two pictures. The first one is of the sensor. When the sensor is installed, it is pushed through from the inside of the wheel. The highlighted part is a seal which is pulled tight against the wheel by a nut on the outside. If corrosion is allowing that to leak, I would think they could remove the sensor, clean the corrosion, and that should fix it.

The second pic shows the valve core. The small pin like component I highlighted can leak too. That core can be removed with a special tool. It could be loose or bad. If loose, it can be tightened. If it is bad, it's a 10 cent part that can be replaced.

If you still have the vehicle at home, try this. Take a spray bottle and put a small amount of dish soap in it and fill it with water. Then, spray the valve on each wheel. If there is a leak, it will cause the water/soap to foam or make bubbles. That way you will know where it is leaking. Do that and let me know.

If the sensors are still working, they should be able to repair them, but not being there myself, maybe I'm missing something.

I hope this helps. Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,
Joe

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