How To Use Tesla Tire Repair Kit To Pump Air Into Tire

Flats tend to happen at the worst time in the worst places. If you are on the road or outside of normal business hours and your vehicle has a flat and the spare is missing or no expert, y'all might feel stranded, just there is an option – a tire plug kit. This is something that anybody can do, you just need the right parts.

Liquid tire repair might get yous down the road, but it will make your tire repair impossible and it could damage the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitor Arrangement) unit inside the rim itself. The best solution is a tire plug. Made from cork and a gooey adhesive that keeps it place and seals the tire, a tire plug repair is an excellent style to get your automobile back on the road until you can get to a tire shop for an internal patch.

Installing a plug in your tire works for pierced tread area only. Y'all cannot fix sidewall impairment or compression breaks (from potholes, gravel roads or curbing). The most mutual road hazards you will find are nails and screws. Fixing these issues are perfect for the good onetime fashioned tire plug. Here's how to employ a tire plug kit.

These are the tools you need to install an emergency tire patch. You should keep these in your vehicle, along with a 12-volt compressor. — These are the tools you lot need to install an emergency tire patch. Yous should keep these in your vehicle, along with a 12-volt compressor.

Supplies

You will demand the following to make a tire plug repair:

Tire plug kit

Pliers, preferably needle-nosed or diagonal side-cutters

Compressed air to refill the tire

There are all kinds of tire plug kits, but yous want the almost complete kit, which comes with the plugs, the install tool, and the reamer tool. Some kits just come with the plugs and installer, but the reamer tool is a necessary component to a good repair. Some kits come with liquid cement, you can employ it or not, the cement helps make a permanent repair.

How to utilise a tire plug kit

Step 1

Locate the puncture. If you don't see or hear the puncture, spray some soapy water on the tire and look for bubbles.

This is a small staple that was dropping tire pressure by 20 psi in about 12 hours. It needs to go. — This is a minor staple that was dropping tire pressure by 20 psi in most 12 hours. It needs to go.

Step Two

Remove the offending item. This is usually easy, only sometimes the boom or screw is worn down, making it hard to get a seize with teeth on it. This is where the side-cutters come in really handy. Y'all will want to position the tire where y'all get the most leverage.

Side cutters work best for removing these items, as they can grip small round objects better than regular pliers. — Side cutters work all-time for removing these items, as they can grip small-scale round objects meliorate than regular pliers.

Step Three

Insert the reamer. This will take some effort, as you have to push it through the steel belts. Utilize a twisting motion and push button information technology into the tire. One time the reamer is through, saw it in and out of the tire a few times to really brand a nice hole for the plug. Yes, it is counter-intuitive, just information technology is necessary.

The reamer requires some effort. You will hear the belts scrubbing the reamer as your break through. — The reamer requires some endeavour. Y'all will hear the belts scrubbing the reamer as your suspension through.

Push the reamer all the way and then saw it in and out a few times to make a clean hole. — Push button the reamer all the way and then saw it in and out a few times to make a clean pigsty.

Step 4

Prep the plug and installer. Pull a plug off the strip and push information technology through the eyelet of the installer tool. The pliers will brand this easier. Push a little through, take hold of it with the pliers and pull the plug halfway through the eyelet.

Pull a cork strip from the kit and grab the installer tool, which looks like a large needle with a slit in the eye. — Pull a cork strip from the kit and grab the installer tool, which looks similar a large needle with a slit in the middle.

Threading the sticky cork plug is not easy, but if you can get it squished into the hole, you should be able to pull it on through. The side cutters might help. — Threading the sticky cork plug is non easy, but if you can go information technology squished into the pigsty, you should be able to pull it on through. The side cutters might help.

Step Five

Insert the plug into the tire. If the kit has liquid cement, use some to the plug before inserting it into the tire. Simply push the installer into the hole in the tire until the plug is almost iii/4 of the way in. Twist the installer tool 90-degrees and pull it out. The plug will stay in the tire and the tool will come up out nice and piece of cake. You lot may trim away the excess plug, or leave it to wear abroad equally you bulldoze.

Push the plug into the hole. Don't twist the plug as you push it in, just go straight down and stop when there is about a 1/2-inch exposed. — Button the plug into the hole. Don't twist the plug as you push it in, merely go directly down and stop when at that place is about a 1/2-inch exposed.

This is what you should see when the plug is installed. — This is what you should come across when the plug is installed.

Once the plug is in you can now twist the handle 90-degrees and pull the tool out.

Stride Six

Make full the tire to the proper PSI. If you lot have a portable air compressor, this will make things piece of cake, but if you do not, you demand to get air very soon.

All done. You can trim the plug or leave. You will need air, so don't go driving until you have the tire aired up. — All washed. You can trim the plug or leave. You will need air, so don't become driving until y'all have the tire aired up.

Every motorcar you own should have an emergency tire plug repair kit in the tool box, along with a portable air compressor. These emergency repairs are quite good, but for a long term repair, yous should take the vehicle to a tire shop for a proper repair as soon equally possible.

Check out all the steering & interruption partsbachelor on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more than information on how to employ a tire plug kit, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA Machine PARTS store.

Jefferson Bryant View All

A life-long gearhead, Jefferson Bryant spends more time in the shop than anywhere else. His career began in the car audio industry equally a store director, eventually working his mode into a position at Rockford Fosgate as a production designer. In 2003, he began writing tech articles for magazines, and has been working equally an automotive journalist ever since. His work has been featured in Car Arts and crafts, Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, Truckin', Mopar Muscle, and many more. Jefferson has besides written 4 books and produced countless videos. Jefferson operates Red Dirt Rodz, his personal garage studio, where all of his magazine manufactures and tech videos are produced.