Metal Dust Caps

[Dodgydave]

Hi everyone,

I've been working on my daughter's car today, not a Lexus but a Yaris T-Sport. I had to change the anti-roll bar drop links.

Anyways I was giving it a good check over this afternoon just to make sure everything is OK and safe as I always like to do when I get a chance to look at her car. I notice one of her tyres looked a little flat so I decided to check the pressures and add some air if necessary. Now she has these metal, blue to match the coulour of her car, dust caps. I tried to unscrew the first dust cap only to find it was seized solid, tried the rest and they were all the same. I think because the valve stem is brass and the dust cap is steel they have corroded together.

I applied some WD40 and tried undoing the caps by holding the valve stem with pliers and turning the dust cap with a spanner, fortunately the dust caps are hexagon. I finally managed to get the two front ones undone but the rears just wont budge.

Has anyone ever had this problem and how did you overcome it. I thought about taken it to a tyre place to have them replace the valves but I think they would need to remove the tyres to put the new valve stem in from the inside. They would probably charge something like a tenner a wheel to remove the tyre, replace the valve, refit tyre and then re-balance.

I've left them soaking in WD40 and hoping that they might budge after a day or so.

Any thoughts??

Dave

[john99t-reg]

put some heat on it?? may damage valve or alloy though, also might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on pressure anyway as there maybe a problem, think it's not been topped up for a while hence caps stuck on.

[Rob]

obviously has not checked the pressures for a good few months

[Redsteve]

You could try cutting them off with a fine cutting tool like a Dremmel. Just slice the side of the valve cap and then lever them off with a small pry-bar (screwdriver). You would have to carefull not to get the valve stem too hot or it might damage it and cause it to fail at a later date.

I have had the same trouble on work vans, people who don't check the pressures for a few months then pass the van on to someone else who then cops for all the grief. :tsktsk:

Make sure you daughter uses plastic caps in future, who the hell notices the colour of them anyway? :winky:

Redsteve.

[Dodgydave]

You could try cutting them off with a fine cutting tool like a Dremmel. Just slice the side of the valve cap and then lever them off with a small pry-bar (screwdriver). You would have to carefull not to get the valve stem too hot or it might damage it and cause it to fail at a later date.

I have had the same trouble on work vans, people who don't check the pressures for a few months then pass the van on to someone else who then cops for all the grief. :tsktsk:

Make sure you daughter uses plastic caps in future, who the hell notices the colour of them anyway? :winky:

Redsteve.

Thanks for the advise. Her car will be here again on Tuesday when she comes for dinner I'll have another look then and see if the WD40 has done anything and if not I'll get her to bring it round next week end and I'll have a go like you suggest; I've got a small Dremmel type tool I'll try with.

I told her when she fitted them that were crap and only fitted by chavs

Thanks,

Davel

[rhosneigr]

Hope the ones that you can't remove are not on the tyre with the low pressure.

[steve2006]

The tyres don't have to be removed from the rim just to replace the valve, they normally just deflate the tyre,push the beading off the rim on the valve side then there is enough room to refit the valve.

There again that will be around a fiver a wheel.

A little grease on the valve cap threads will ensure the same doesn't happen again.

[lexynik]

i had a similar problem on anather car-i used a set of pliers on the stem and a spanner on the hex cap-no problem,then as said a bit of grease when refitting

[Dodgydave]

Thanks everyone for your help/comments. My daughter called round this afternoon and I had another go at getting the rear dust caps off but still couldn't budge them. I've sprayed them with some more WD40 and I'll get the car back again next week end and have another go. If I can't move them then I will have a go at cutting them off with my Dremmel.

I have checked her pressures only a few months ago but I think the winter weather and all that salt that's been put on the roads has taken it's toll.

I think it stands as a warning though to people who may be thinking of buying those nice looking metal dust caps with a Lexus logo off eBay. I think I will stick to plastic ones myself.

Thanks

Dave

[3000GT ant]

One thing also to check, is some of these metal dust caps have anti theft device fitted, where there is a little allen key headed grub screw in one side to stop someone from stealing them, if not then i would just take it garage. I had mine done about 2 years ago and it was only £3 per wheel.

cheers

Ant

[garyskisplym]

May be silly but i done it before.

Are you shore they are not anti theft valves???

If so all you need normally is a small alain key and there will be a whole somewhere in them where the screw is.

Gary

[scudney]

May be silly but i done it before.

Are you shore they are not anti theft valves???

If so all you need normally is a small alain key and there will be a whole somewhere in them where the screw is.

Gary

hi just a word of advise if u intend fitting metal caps please put some grease/copper grease on the inside b4 screwing onto the value,stops it for oxidizing and make them easy 2 take off too.