Avoid Fancy Dust Caps ......

[nira74]

Some time back, I bought a set of nice looking dust caps which came in a fancy pack and was quite expensive compared with regular ones.

They had metallic blue and red ones too but i chose black.

Yesterday when I went to the shed to inflate the tyres the guy there said that the dust caps were stuck and better to get them removed at a Tyre shop because one of the valves was broken.

Had a hard time finding a tyre repair joint who was open on Sunday evening, and that guy to charged me a Premium for replacing all 4 Tyre valves (I think he figured that no one else was open and I hadn't a choice...)

Turned out that the Dust Caps were made of Aluminium which oxidizes on the inside after a while and jams the threads on the valve stems.... !

Take my advice and get rid of these dust caps if anyone of you uses them....

Picture of what was left of my Tyre valves...... dust caps still cannot be removed....

[VVTi]

If you sprayed some WD40 or coated the threads with some oil/grease, you won't have this issue. Its not the item, but how you used it.

[Ripper]

If you sprayed some WD40 or coated the threads with some oil/grease, you won't have this issue. Its not the item, but how you used it.

oh well...i suppose one never expect this to happen! In my case...i always replace my dust caps from the tyre shop fellas...cheap as hell and doesn't look too great but gets the job done!

[SpEeD FrEak]

Some time back, I bought a set of nice looking dust caps which came in a fancy pack and was quite expensive compared with regular ones.

They had metallic blue and red ones too but i chose black.

Yesterday when I went to the shed to inflate the tyres the guy there said that the dust caps were stuck and better to get them removed at a Tyre shop because one of the valves was broken.

Had a hard time finding a tyre repair joint who was open on Sunday evening, and that guy to charged me a Premium for replacing all 4 Tyre valves (I think he figured that no one else was open and I hadn't a choice...)

Turned out that the Dust Caps were made of Aluminium which oxidizes on the inside after a while and jams the threads on the valve stems.... !

Take my advice and get rid of these dust caps if anyone of you uses them....

Picture of what was left of my Tyre valves...... dust caps still cannot be removed....

Same thing happened to me once.But managed to remove the dustcaps using a T spanner (Did u try it?)

Its the oxide that make them tight.After that every month I remove the dustcaps and Oil them.No issues thereafter

[SpEeD FrEak]

If you sprayed some WD40 or coated the threads with some oil/grease, you won't have this issue. Its not the item, but how you used it.

True......

[Elvis_Pil]

Rubber valves tend brake if you tug at them too hard way.. its best to go for steel. (even though they are expensive)

[Ripper]

another thing you can use to avoid this sticky-ness issues due to oxidation and the likes is to use anti-seize compound... summin like Loctite

Got a tube of it when i bought an aftermarket pipe for my bike and that stuff really works!

[nira74]

Agree on the Steel Valve Stems, but it seems a bit much to have to use loctite or WD40 just to keep some crappy dust caps from jamming up.

Hereafter will stick to the regular rubber ones or the Nickel / S.Steel ones with a rubber gasket which I have been using without any issues (or loctite..) for the last 15+ years....

Edited January 4, 2010 by nira74

[MeanGreenZ28]

it's even worst over here 'cos of the salt on the roads during the winter, I check my pressure regularly though and make sure they're not oxidized; I've changed many of them during my time as a tire tech due to this very reason.