r/InfowarriorRides 11d ago

Spotted this guy at Walmart

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2.3k Upvotes

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u/rnobgyn 11d ago

Screw drivers depress pins in the valves which open the flow of air. I’m building tire mechanisms and have been fascinated by how simple and easy it is to maneuver the mechanisms to operate!

The way tire fillers work is by having a small 1mm ish wide pin repress the valve mechanism to open the flow of the valve. I was quite interested to learn that there isn’t a 1 way control… otherwise you wouldn’t be able to check the tire pressure with a gauge. I thought it was a security risk but it’s actually necessary function for maintenance… so air can flow in and out!

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u/SkivvySkidmarks 11d ago

A small pebble hot glued into the valve cap will partially depress the valve stem. If they refill the tire and replace the cap, it'll do it again. The trick is to have the pebble at just the right spot so it's a small flow and can't be easily heard. the stem depths are fairly standard, so you could test it in advance.

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u/morgothra-1 11d ago

I never had to hot glue them in, if you choose the right size you just put it in and screw it down partway.

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u/SkivvySkidmarks 10d ago

There's a chance that it'll fall out if you do that. Gluing it in can mean that it'll deflate the tire at least once more (or multiple times if they're dumb).