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Pennzoil Fix a Flat

Folks, I want to pass on a tidbit -- Pennzoil brand Fix a Flat freezes solid in the can in cold weather!!!! That stuff has been so handy to me so many times that I never dreamed it could freeze & leave me in a lurch. I use the stuff to seal bead leaks, slow leaks when I don't have the time/stuff to seal properly, etc - you're general quick temporary fix -- but the issues always seemed to happen in warmer weather until now.

Pennzoil tells you on the can to heat it over the defroster before use. 20 minutes later and it still didn't work and I could feel a "thud thud" as a solid sloshed around in the can. When I read that notice in the past I assumed it was so it would optimally flow since gas volume decreases as temperature decreases. Gee was I wrong :-)

At any rate, I'm passing this along because I have always kept a can under the seat of my vehicles & now know I can't count on it in cold weather. My dad had some junk from TMP that we used to fix the problem last night that has an additive to prevent freezing and it sealed the bead leak no problem - cold weather and all.

Thus, I hope this helps you avoid any surprises. Either keep the Pennzoil stuff inside where it's warm or find another product that will not freeze in the can and be there when you need it.

--George

Reply to
George
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George wrote in article ...

Your tire guy must groan when he sees your car in the driveway.

Probably has a nickname for you such as "Gooey Tire George" or "The Latex Kid."

I hope - at the very least - you heed the label on the can and warn anybody who is about to dismount one of your tires that you have used this stuff. Most of them use propane as a propellant, and can create a highly explosive situation if any sort of spark is generated from metal-to-metal contact during dismounting.

Many of the "Insta-Flat" cans sold today actually have a peel-off label which they recommend you attach to the wheel to warn tire service people that they are working with a potential bomb.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Race Chassis Setup and Dial-in Services

Reply to
Bob Paulin

|I hope - at the very least - you heed the label on the can and warn anybody |who is about to dismount one of your tires that you have used this stuff. |Most of them use propane as a propellant, and can create a highly explosive |situation if any sort of spark is generated from metal-to-metal contact |during dismounting.

Most of the manufacturers - Pennzoil, Johnsens etc - now are making/converting to non-flammible formulas.

When you come out of the restaurant at 10:00 and find yourself with a flat, a can of aerosol inflation is the right choice. Get home and then fix it right tomorrow. Rex in Fort Worth

Reply to
Rex B

There are two reasons not to use any Fix-A- Flat type aerosols. Economic and safety.

In my experience (forty years with passenger, truck, construction and ag tires) about 1 in 4 tires injected with this stuff cannot be properly repaired. The sealer reacts with the tire inner liner; making the rubber so slick and slimey (even after cleaning and buffing) that a patch will not adhere.

Safety is the most important reason not to use it though. With modern radial tires, most people don't even know they have under inflated or flat tires until someone waves them over or they come out of a restaurant and see it.

In a very short time, enough heat can be generated to seriously damage the under inflated tire. This damage may not be visible from the outside. Secondly, whatever penetrated the tire may still be stuck in the tire. As the tire goes down, a nail can really chew up the interior sidewall of the tire. This unapparent damage can cause the tire to literally blow out in your face.

Sad to say but that might be the better of two evils. Suppose the damaged tire holds with your Saturday night repair. You make it home. Mom will take it to the tire store Monday after taking her car pool kids to school. But she takes a hard corner or hits a hole. Then the tire lets go and the headlines blame a faulty tire for the deaths of local school kids.

These are also the reasons a tire should not be repaired (plugged) without inspecting the inside of the tire. I don't care if you are sealing the hole with bubble gum, a bolt and two washers, at least inspect it first.

The popularity of diesel ag tractors increased the life expectancy of tire techs. The farmers could no longer inflate their flat tire with propane from the tractor tank. Purging the tire took more time than the actual repair. Thank God for brass valve stems.

No one appreciates how high tech tires are and how much abuse they are subjected to.

Reply to
andy asberry

You can also generate enough heat to "cook" the grease out of a wheel bearing and destroy that as well. I speak from experience :o(. Murphy's law also says that the liklihood of this happening is inversly related to the proximity of competent assistance :o). Greg Sefton

Reply to
Bray Haven

Rex B wrote in article ...

making/converting

Actually, replacing the flat tire with the spare tire is the correct choice

- regardless of time-of-day and place from which you are emerging.

That is why the manufacturers go to the expense of providing a spare tire in the first place.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Race Car Chassis Setup and Dial-in Services

Reply to
Bob Paulin

Yea. Untill they started using those "donut/fakes" for spares. :-( ...lew...

Reply to
Lewis Hartswick

Correct. I drive for a living, or driving is a big component of my work. I keep a plug patch kit, a can of nonflammable fix a flat as a last resort and a 12vt tire inflator. And a full sized spare.

Gunner

"Gun Control, the theory that a 110lb grandmother should fist fight a 250lb 19yr old criminal"

Reply to
Gunner

There are many places where it is impractical or dangerous to jack up the vehicle; on bridges, on slopes, in mud etc. Flats usually occur where it is most inconvienent. I don't like fix-a-flat but a 12v air pump can get you to a better location.

Reply to
Nick Hull

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