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Topic: TPMS and Teflon Tape (Read 1635 times) previous topic - next topic

TPMS and Teflon Tape

I have found that I need to use Teflon tape on my valve stems in order to keep my Pressure Pros from leaking.  Does any one else do this?
George Stoltz.  Retired from full-time living in a great Foretravel and now are back to living in a traditional sticks and bricks in Florida.

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #1 –
I had to do this on one of my valve stems that was damaged, but since I got it replaced, I don't have to use it.  I do have to use it on the Honda, however, since the valve stems are made out of a different metal (aluminum?) than the Pressure Pro sensors.

George
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George Hatfield

  Never ever use World Line Motors of Nacogdoches for service!

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #2 –
" I have found that I need to use Teflon tape on my valve stems in order to keep my Pressure Pros from leaking.  Does anyone else do this?"

George,

I suspect that your problem might be the tiny little sealing "washer" inside the PP stem.  Sometimes that will stick to the valve stem when the PP is removed from the tire and then has to be put back into and seated in the PP stem which can be very tedious.  However, if it is not in there perfectly it will leak.  And, of course, if you didn't see that it stuck to the tire valve stem and then it dropped to the ground and was lost you are out of luck.  I suspect that PP can supply new inserts.  You should not have to use

Teflon tape.

Paul 36' 2000 U320
Paul
36' 2000 U320
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #3 –
Paul,

Well I suppose your diagnosis is correct.  But now that none of my Pressure

Pro caps are allowing any air to escape, I am happy with that.  I am going to leave well enough alone.

--

George & Sandy & Trixie

Lost in America in a 40' Foretravel aka "Moose"

Follow our adventures at http://sangeo-travels.blogspot.com/
George Stoltz.  Retired from full-time living in a great Foretravel and now are back to living in a traditional sticks and bricks in Florida.

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #4 –
George,

I'm a believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" too, but the next time you have a need to remove one (or all, in the case of rotating tires on your toad) take a look inside the stem of your PP unit.  You may well find the disk in there just waiting to be worked back into place.  Take it to a table where you can sit down with a very small screwdriver and work it back onto place.  On one side of the disk you will find a small square of disk material that needs to be worked into a round hole (Square peg, round hole?) in the PP sensor -- that's the hard part.  I have found that careful, slooow removal of the PP sensor will minimize the chances of disturbing the disk.  Once you get it back into place you can forget about the Teflon, if you care too.

Paul
36' 2000 U320
Paul
36' 2000 U320
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #5 –
George,
Some people aren't aware that the use of Teflon Tape,  if not used with extreme caution, can lead to very bad consequences. 
Teflon, under compression, say in a threaded connection, turns into a low friction lubricant and "micro-defect filler" that is long lasting and highly resists displacement, as long as the connection remains intact.  BUT, take that connection apart and the Teflon Tape turns into tiny "STRINGS" or "SPECS" of equally long lasting material that can be very easily displaced and can plug a small orifice (all air, hydraulic and instrument systems have them).
For instance, take the Pressure Pro sensor off, apply a pressure chuck to a valve stem once (or even several times) to reach the tire's target pressure and then replace the sensor.  OK.  All is well............. Right?  Well........maybe yes, maybe no.  If a tiny "STRING" of that Teflon became dislodged and then subsequently lodged in the Pressure Pro Sensing path, you could potentially have a slow leak that you would not be made aware of because the Pressure Pro sensor reads just fine (due to the trapped pressure) but has now been made inoperable by virtue of the blocked sensing path.
After years of resistance from various industries, "Because their employees were so well trained and were so very careful with Teflon Tape applications", most Federally regulated industries have been mandated to NOT ALLOW TEFLON TAPE on their premises, because of the multitude of unforeseen consequences that have occurred due to the use of Teflon Tape (Nuclear, FAA, NASA to name a few).
So, if tempted to use the easy Teflon Tape route, rather than the more difficult repair or replacement of a defective component or sub-component that is creating the leak problem, be very careful with the Teflon tape residue that is left behind.  I try my darnedest to avoid using Teflon Tape, but if I do use it, when I take that connection apart again, I"m extra-careful, every time, with the cleaning and preparing of that connection prior to reassembly.
Neal
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Neal (& Brenda) Pillsbury
'02 U320 SPEC, 4200, DGFE, Build #5984
'04 Gold Wing
'07 Featherlite 24'
'14 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit
MC #14494
Exeter, NH & LaBelle FL
Quality makes the Heart Soar long after Price is Forgotten

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #6 –
Quote from: Neal Pillsbury –
I try my darnedest to avoid using Teflon Tape, but if I do use it, when I take that connection apart again, I"m extra-careful, every time, with the cleaning and preparing of that connection prior to reassembly.

I agree with Neal.

Also, if used, teflon tape should be replaced if/when the joint is "broken".  You should also barely overlap it, not run several windings.  Keep the last thread or so of the joint (innermost) clear of the tape, too.  Wind it in the direction that the fitting screws in so you don't loosen it when making the joint.

I used teflon tape early in my career when I worked in thin film deposition and reactive ion etching for semiconductor, etc., research.  It was used only for equipment cooling water applications where there was no risk of the tape being exposed to the vacuum or process gas environment because it could wreak havoc with the system if any bits broke loose.  For gas/pressure/vacuum we always used o-rings or metal seals, depending upon the application.

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: TPMS and Teflon Tape

Reply #7 –
Thank you for the head's up.

Quote


On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 11:37 AM, Neal Pillsbury <npillsbury@comcast.netwrote:

George,

Some people aren't aware that the use of Teflon Tape,  if not used with extreme caution, can lead to very bad consequences.

Teflon, under compression, say in a threaded connection, turns into a low friction lubricant and "micro-defect filler" that is long lasting and highly resists displacement, as long as the connection remains intact.  BUT, take that connection apart and the Teflon Tape turns into tiny "STRINGS" or

"SPECS" of equally long lasting material that can be very easily displaced and can plug a small orifice (all air, hydraulic and instrument systems have them).

For instance, take the Pressure Pro sensor off, apply a pressure chuck to a valve stem once (or even several times) to reach the tire's target pressure and then replace the sensor.  OK.  All is well............. Right?

Well........maybe yes, maybe no.  If a tiny "STRING" of that Teflon became dislodged and then subsequently lodged in the Pressure Pro Sensing path, you could potentially have a slow leak that you would not be made aware of because the Pressure Pro sensor reads just fine (due to the trapped pressure) but has now been made inoperable by virtue of the blocked sensing path.

After years of resistance from various industries, "Because their employees were so well trained and were so very careful with Teflon Tape applications", most Federally regulated industries have been mandated to NOT

ALLOW TEFLON TAPE on their premises, because of the multitude of unforeseen consequences that have occurred due to the use of Teflon Tape (Nuclear, FAA,

NASA to name a few).

So, if tempted to use the easy Teflon Tape route, rather than the more difficult repair or replacement of a defective component or sub-component that is creating the leak problem, be very careful with the Teflon tape residue that is left behind.  I try my darnedest to avoid using Teflon Tape, but if I do use it, when I take that connection apart again, I"m extra-careful, every time, with the cleaning and preparing of that connection prior to reassembly.

Neal

Neal Pillsbury

'98 U270, WTFE, 36' Extreme, Build 5336

'03 Odyssey

'04 Gold Wing

'07 Featherlite 24'

Exeter, NH & LaBelle FL

--

George & Sandy & Trixie

Lost in America in a 40' Foretravel aka "Moose"

Follow our adventures at http://sangeo-travels.blogspot.com/
George Stoltz.  Retired from full-time living in a great Foretravel and now are back to living in a traditional sticks and bricks in Florida.