tire inflator kit did not work!

9033 Views 27 Replies 14 Participants Last post by glasspilot, Feb 27, 2017

fintonissimo

Discussion Starter · Jan 7, 2017 (Edited)

Today my new Volt had yet another problem! I was returning home this morning and started hearing louder road noise. I didn't think anything of it, until I noticed the readout on the dash... 0 PSI in my left rear tire! I was close to a traffic light and parking lot, so I safely made my way into the parking lot. At first I thought it was a mistake, that perhaps my latest warranty repair (replacing the door lock receiver) was acting up again. However, after toggling to the tire pressure screen, the rest of the tires were reading the correct levels, and l got out and saw that the tire was completely flat.

I got the tire inflator out of the car and tried to fill the tire with just air first. The tire didn't inflate at all, so I knew I had a bigger leak. I shut it off after about 30 seconds and then got the sealant canister out and warmed it up for 10 minutes inside the car. I read the directions and hooked it up. The inflator seemed to be working for about 2 minutes, but then it started smoking and the sealant was leaking from the BODY of the inflator, not the hose connections. I turned it off and called OnStar. The tow truck came after about 90 minutes. It was really cold out, about 8 degrees F. I wonder if that cold temperature was too much for the tire inflator, causing it to fail? Even though it failed, though, if the inflator worked the way that it should, my tire was ruptured badly enough it probably wouldn't have been driveable anyway.

Has anybody else had a problem with their tire inflator, or am I one of the first?

The tow truck came. I had to instruct him about using the tow hook. He removed the toe hook cover in the bumper, but ripped it completely off. (I think it is supposed to remain attached once it is pried open.) He didn't seem to be familiar with the Volt at all. I was towed to a dealer, and they confirmed that my tire was toast. They replaced it, and I paid about $200 total just for the one new tire plus installation. A new tire inflator kit was ordered...I think that the kit should be a covered warranty item...the inflator should not have failed the way that it did.

This is the 3rd issue I've had with this new car which was purchased right before Thanksgiving. Good grief!!!

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Steverino

· #5 · Jan 8, 2017

The goop came out of the rectangular air compressor, not the canister or fill hose?

That would mean the goop was flowing backwards into the air pressure hose, as if the tire valve was providing more resistance than the air compressor!

Perhaps you thought you had the hose fully screwed on and compressing (opening) the valve stem,but did not.

In that case the goop had nowhere to go except backwards into the compressor. Hence the smoking, etc. That the goop sprayed out the hose after removing from the valve stem also leads me to believe the goop was not going through the tire valve, it was all backed up and pressurized in the hose instead. Think of taking a nozzle off the end of a pressurized water hose. The water sprays everywhere. Take an open nozzle off, it does not spray water everywhere.

I think the goop either was not going into the tire or the valve somehow closed. Did the dealer find goop inside the tire?

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Steverino

· #26 · Feb 26, 2017

bentbiker said:
I thought the Gen2 spacing switched to 105mm.

Yup. See our spare tire guide and FAQ: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?105593-Chevy-Volt-Wheels-amp-Tires-FAQs

Bolt pattern is 5x105xm12, rim size is 17x7 Offset is 41 mm, center bore is 56.6

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