Maybe with the fancy kit bkbrno linked to but I'm talking monkey turds. They used to be brown, hence the moniker. I've probably used 100s, if not 1000s, of them in my lifetime, especially when I was an auto tech and tire jockey at a gas station. Nowadays, they are for near end-of-life tires that tend to easily get punctured by a screw or nail. Newer tires are more pliant and don't seem to puncture as easily.
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A couple neighborhood kids know I have the tools to plug tires and a floor jack. So it is not uncommon for them to ask me to plug a tire for them but I'll just say "here are tools, you do it yourself". Keep in mind that a tire repair at a shop is
easily $30 and you risk them not putting the tire back on the wheel exactly where it was, altering the balance. The monkey turds can be installed without even taking the wheel off, although it is easier if you do. You can only use plugs in a
tubeless tire.
Procedure:
- Fill the low tire to spec. Jack the wheel up and rotate the tire while looking at the tread. If you find a nail/screw, verify it is leaking by spraying with soapy water/Windex/saliva/etc. and look for bubbling, which is air escaping from the tire. If not leaking start unscrewing and see if it starts leaking. If still not leaking remove and check hole for leaks then look for another screw/nail and/or carefully inspect the valve stem/TPM for leaks. If you don't see a nail/screw/etc. dampen the entire tire with soapy solution and look again. Also check the bead (the area of the tire that contacts and seals to the wheel) for leaks. It may help to mark the side of the tire adjacent to and circle the leak so it is easier to find.
- If screw is leaking leave it in place and get the reamer (sample shown above) ready to stick in the hole so you don't lose all the air in the tire. Both the reamer and plug are far easier to insert if the tire is up to pressure and firm. Unscrew/remove the screw/nail and quickly jam the reamer in the hole in the same orientation and hole the screw was in--do NOT ream another hole. If the screw was in a little crooked, the reamer and plug will also go in crooked--no big deal. If reamer is tight to go in, a little lubricant will make it easier. I use Vaseline (petroleum jelly) because if it is safe for your butt-hole it must be safe for a tire, right?
- If the wheel is still on the car, you want to orient the tire so you have room to push/pull the reamer in and out. Reaming may or may not require considerable force--depends on the ply construction of the tire. I've had to use a drill before in a HD truck tire.
- Once the reamer goes in and out easily, leave it in the hole and get the plug ready. The plug threads in the tool like threading a needle. The plug will have equal amounts sticking out on either side of the tool. Then apply some lube near the tool and about 1" on either side along the plug. With one hand pull the reamer out and with the other quickly start to insert the plug into the hole the same orientation the reamer was in.
- Firmly push the plug tool until the plug goes in almost all the way but leave about 1/2" sticking out on either side. Then quickly yank the plug tool out and the plug should stay in place in the tire. Refill the tire to spec and check for leaks. If none, take a razor blade and cut off the plug sticking out flush with the tire tread and recheck for leaks.
- If the tire is "bulged" at the repair it means the plies have separated and the tire will need to be replaced immediately. This is usually a consequence of a chronic leak not repaired and road juice getting INTO the tire and causing steel plies to rust. A tire with separated plies is unsafe to drive and a potential blow-out.
