Tire Stem - how do I access it?

emiddleb · 10-21-2013, 08:46 AM

Have an '04 Vectra, 22.5" wheels on Freightliner chassis. Picture attached.

Stupid problem I can't seem to figure out... front tire has gone flat (currently supported by levelers) because the nut that holds the tire stem has worked loose, allowing stem to loosen/rotate and air to escape. All I need to do (it seems) is to tighten the nut on the stem and then re-inflate.

I can see the darn thing but just can't figure out how to get to it. It's in the small cutout at the top of the photo and I can just touch it with my finger. Not enough room to work in a wrench or pliers.

Center "Freightliner" cap comes off exposing hub. The 10 polished caps come off exposing the real ? 2" ? nuts that look big enough to be holding the entire wheel on the hub. The wheel cover is solid, doesn't feel like a lightweight "decorative" wheel cover. The exposed nuts under the decorative caps are solid, almost seem like they would require an air gun or breaker bar to remove. My concern is that these are actually holding the wheel on the hub, not simply the decorative cover.

Can I safely remove those big nuts and remove the solid wheel cover?

Feeling like I'm going to need a mobile tire guy to come out with proper equipment, just seems like I should be able to do this quickly myself. My prior Class A gasser (Workhorse chassis) had light-weight wheel covers that were just held on by 2 nuts with 10 fake ones... this seems much more solid and I'm not sure how much I can "undo" without issues.

Thought/suggestions?

Dogpatch · 10-21-2013, 08:55 AM

Can't you rotate the tire to get it to bottom and tighten from the inside of the rim?

mikebreeze · 10-21-2013, 08:58 AM

I just recently had a similar problem. Look carefully at some of the fake lug nuts on your wheel cover. Two of them should have a slight line etched into them. These are the lug nuts that you can carefully remove to remove the wheel and hopefully get access to the valve stem. Hope this works for you.

TeJay · 10-21-2013, 09:00 AM

I could be wrong but those hub-caps look very much like the one you had on your previous class A motor home. Carefully check each nut. If you find two that have 2 1/8" wide depressions in them that are about 1" long then those are the nuts that hold the cap in place.

You are familiar with what to do after that.

OPPS IT LOOKS LIKE MIKE SAID WHAT I SAID.

TeJay

Dogpatch · 10-21-2013, 09:03 AM

That's not a wheel cover you have. That is your wheel! It's an Alcoa Aluminum 22.5 wheel. All one piece. Once you take the decorative nut covers off, those are your wheel nuts. Your coach doesn't have the stainless steel wheel covers.

emiddleb · 10-21-2013, 09:30 AM

Thanks Dogpatch. Yes, as I said, all 10 of the decorative nuts are removable and all 10 cover real nuts. At that point I stopped because I wasn't sure if those actually held the wheel on the hub. It is the Alcoa Aluminum wheel.

Guess I'll have to get the pro out. Thanks everyone.

vsheetz · 10-21-2013, 10:35 AM

Yup, time to call ERS.

Ray,IN · 10-21-2013, 06:16 PM

Dogpatch and I agree, the stem may be tightened from the back-side of the wheel if you raise it off the ground with the leveling jacks, rotate the stem to the bottom, store jacks, then tighten the stem nut. Hope you have a compressor with the capacity to inflate the tire to required pressure.

Mr_D · 10-21-2013, 06:25 PM

Those lug nuts take 450 to 500 ft lbs each. Ours take 500 ft lbs and I have a torque multiplier to do it just in case. I don't ever plan on taking them off. We have Coach-Net for that!

emiddleb · 10-21-2013, 08:10 PM

Thanks Dogpatch and Ray, I'll give spinning the tire and coming in from the back a try.

Yes, I have a compressor that will handle re-inflation.

Worst case, yeah, I do have CoachNet...

Dogpatch · 10-21-2013, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emiddleb

Thanks Dogpatch and Ray, I'll give spinning the tire and coming in from the back a try.

Yes, I have a compressor that will handle re-inflation.

Worst case, yeah, I do have CoachNet...

You are very welcome! That's how it works around this here forum!

Stevegd007 · 10-22-2013, 11:15 AM

Call in a Mobile Tire Repair Truck and it's service. Should be much better than messing with a heavy tire all by your lonesome. Flats are nothing to be messed with...there heavy and big.

2005VECTRA · 10-23-2013, 07:43 AM

Just had this happen this weekend. The nut holds the stem tight. There is no way you can get to it. Service shop removed, broke down bead to replace stem. This should be done to replace seals.

Ray,IN · 10-23-2013, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2005VECTRA

Just had this happen this weekend. The nut holds the stem tight. There is no way you can get to it. Service shop removed, broke down bead to replace stem. This should be done to replace seals.

You must have much different rims than the pictures. Mine look like them and I tightened the nut from the backside of the rim by the method discussed.

emiddleb · 10-24-2013, 09:18 AM

I'll let you all know the outcome when I get back out to the RV. Unfortunately will be a week or so due to unexpected obligation... jury duty.

emiddleb · 10-30-2013, 03:26 PM

So just a quick resolution. Unfortunately I have disk brakes on the front tires and despite rotating the tire with the stem down as suggested there was still no way to get a tool in from the back side due to the large brake disk. Did look like it would have worked to come in from the back as suggested had I not had the disk brakes.

Ended up with the local CoachNet roadside guy taking the wheel off, then easy to tighten the stem and re-inflate. Good to go...

Dogpatch · 10-30-2013, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emiddleb

So just a quick resolution. Unfortunately I have disk brakes on the front tires and despite rotating the tire with the stem down as suggested there was still no way to get a tool in from the back side due to the large brake disk. Did look like it would have worked to come in from the back as suggested had I not had the disk brakes.

Ended up with the local CoachNet roadside guy taking the wheel off, then easy to tighten the stem and re-inflate. Good to go...

Dang! At least we tried. Glad you got it fixed. I even learned something from it!