I'm fixing up my mother's 2004 PT Cruiser to make it road worthy, it sat for many years...
It has 29,000 miles, and the OEM tires and chrome wheels.
All four of the tires' treads still look new (some sidewall checking), but lose air after about 1 week, they go completely flat; the car is just sitting in my garage for now.
Is this an issue with the wheels or the tires? I'm concerned if I put new tires on it, it will have the same problem; maybe the chrome wheels are pitted or something and causing the tires to leak?

Anyone have any experience with this issue or any thoughts?

Thanks,

Mike

Did you use soap water to see where there leaking yet?

Not yet, will do that this morning if it gets out of the 30s here!

Check the valve stems real close if there rubber.

Some chrome wheels tend to peel inside the wheel. If that happens around the bead the tires can't seal to the wheel and you lose pressure.

Just tried the soapy water, not seeing anything obvious yet, maybe it's leaking on the inboard side of the wheel? Valve stem seems okay.

Guess I'll pull them and look closer...

Thanks for the tips!

Not sure if I should try to fix this, or just go for new wheels and tires...

Sounds like one of those problems that might not go away too easily.

guaranteed they are leaking around the bead and/or the valvestems are indeed dryrotted, see this everyday..

OT a little.

My 99 pickup truck recently had the front left tire blow out sitting in the driveway. It leaked out of the valve stem, just sitting there. We heard it and walked out while it was hissing air.
It has 87K miles on it and I remember changing the front tires at around 65K miles but didn't replace the rubber stems that day because I didn't have the right size on hand.

I put the 12 year old spare on it and the valve stem on it was crusty. lol It'll get me to work so I can fix my front tire. Never had the spare out until recently.

So exactly 2 days later sitting in my driveway again the right front tire goes flat, I take my air hose and air it up and sure enough that valve stem on that side was leaking too, damn only 12 years out my valve stems! They sure don't make em like they used too!!

Well when the second front tire blew I still had the spare mounted and I hadn't repaird the first one yet. So I aired it up and if I bent the stem over some it would almost stop leaking. So I took a peice of budweiser 12 pack and folded it up and wedged it against my valve to make it stop leaking. Drove it 2 miles to work and replaced all 3 valves stems. lol

The rear dually wheels need them next, but they were replaced when I got new tires. So I'm putting them off until either I need new tires or one goes flat.

Funny how both front valves stems had the almost exact same life span.

Actually I replaced the rubber stems with brass ones that I had the other day. so no more rubber replacements needed now.

Probably not related but I have had this issue a couple of times over the years with tires. The manufacturer places a fairly thick small decal near the tire bead. The tires are mounted and you lose air sloooowly. Like it takes a month to lose 10psi. This decal causes a small leak around itself and the rim necessitating letting the air completely out of the tire and prying the bead back in the spot of the decal and peeling it off with a razor.

ALso - Check the rims closely when the tires are off - I've seen some with holes in them or cracked from corrosion.

My PT Cruiser used to have problem with the tires loosing air. I had a second set of takeoff wheels and tires from another one that only had 40 miles on them. I used those as my first replacement set. Same problem, would lose air. I changed from the OE Goodyear tires to BF Goodrich Traction T/A and never had a leaking problem again. Same factory chrome aluminum wheels. Maybe costco peeled off the sticker? I never looked. I've had two sets of the BFGs.

8 years with chrome wheels and a lot of sitting.
Add how many times the temperature has changed and the heating/cooling cylces caused moisture to build up inside the tire.
Result? Calcium buildup between the alloy wheel and tire bead.
A natural chemical reaction that cannot be avoided.
Break them down,clean and reseal make sure bead sealer is applied.
If you are running the original equipment tires (Eagle LS or Eagle RS-A's),replace them.Sure they may have lots of tread,but I guarantee if you drive the car everyday,the belts in the tires will separate within the next 10K miles.All the moisture inside the tire can rust the steel belts
The rubber is no longer soft and pliable,traction will be a big concern in wet conditions and may squeal under braking and/or cornering.
GM and Chrysler chromed alloy wheels of that era were notorious for the chrome plating corroding and even delaminating from the bead.
I had seen many of these wheels cause many a flat tire.In extreme cases especially in the northern climates where road salt is used,the rims are deemed junk after a few years of winter driving.

This may not be your case,however,but for a piece of mind get them broken down and inspected,clean the rims,replace the tires,and fill them with nitrogen.
Hope this helps.

BTW,I work at a Goodyear Tire shop..

All good advice... another option. Call the Tire Rack and see what a new set of wheels with mounted tires would cost. If you aren't too picky about wheel type, it could be the lowest cost and most reliable option. Consider breaking down and cleaning up your current wheels (if possible) for a set of snows.

Ive done tires since the 60s.I always use bead sealer and new stems when we mount tires.Mopar really didnt have corossion problems on the beads.Now GMs thats a different story.Usually you can find a leak if you put the tire in a water dip tank if the shop has one.I would also use soapy water around the beads with the tire laying flat.Look for tiny bubbles.Rocky