Repairing a tire bead

[LoonASea]

I have a slow leak on the bead of my trailer tire ,,which is on a steel wheel ,,can I break the bead and use soapy water to make a new bead or is there some other cheap product that does a better job???

LAS

[jeffreyd]

i would take it to a tire shop have them dismount the tire, clean the rim and check it for damage etc. maybe just the fact that is is sitting in one spot over the winter and created a flat spot but if the bead is junk i would rather have it there to find out then me dinking with it in my garage. I would not put slim in it as you may have a crack or something wrong with the rim and need to have it checked. hopefully it will only be something simple.

[Dave S]

Definitely have the bead broke down if the trailer has been sitting. Anything from rust to small rocks can get in there and cause a leak. It could also be a bad valve stem.

[shizzy]

more then likley there is a bunch of rust buildup behind the tire. Id agree to have a tire shop handle it.

they will dismount it, and take a wire wheel to the bead and remount.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Steel wheels can also get what I like to call "bead warts." They are lumps of rust that form on the bead. One of the better ways I have found to get them off is to use a chisel hammer and whack away.

When there done have them apply a thin layer of any bearing type grease they have to the bead area. Do not let them you bead sealer!!! Most people do not understand the concept of the product and apply way to much which will only cause more problems in the future!!