I've had a slow air leak for awhile, finally took it off and dropped it off at Goodyear. The called me and told me it was cracked. Went and looked at it....crack isn't visible, but when you dip it in water, it bubbles up in a 1/2" x 3" area.

Goodyear tells me it cant be repaired, although the tech told me I could consider powder coating them, and that might seal the leak. Huh?

The real problem is the car is a '94 Firehawk, and I doubt there are a lot of those ROH 5 spokes floating around. I'm pretty sure they are out of production.

So what to do?

--try and repair?

--try and replace with a used wheel (for sale section, ebay, etc?)

--look for a used set of C5 (or other take-off wheels)?

I hate to lose the "originality" of a Firehawk, but I don't know how abundant those wheels are (at a reasonable price).

That being said, C5 or other Firehawk wheels would allow me to do the C5 caliper swap.

Ideas??

 

I would not attempt to repair a cracked wheel by powder coating it. Might stop the leak, be certainly won't correct a "crack" that could cause the wheel to fail at any moment - if its really a "crack" on not just a bit of porosity.

Recognizing the value of the stock wheels, I'd find a highly qualified wheel repair shop to evaluate the wheel and advise what is actually wrong, and what, if anything can to done to repair it.

I have not used this source, but I've heard good things about it:

http://www.wheelcollision.com/index.html

 

My first thought was that the air was "leaking" through the aluminum.

Are you aware of any fix for porosity? Wheel certainly doesn't have a visible crack, but the tire is still on it.

Thanks,
CL

 

I wouldn't trust a diagnosis from someone a thousand miles away, who has never seen the wheel. Porosity is a possibility. But why did Goodyear tell you its cracked? It needs to be examined by someone highly qualified to determine what the exact problem is.

 

You may want to read this TSB:

http://www.cadillacfaq.com/stsfaq/ts...-03-10-003.pdf

Basically, if it is porosity, you can clean the area and apply sealer, should be fine. Keep in mind that GM advises replacement for leaks in the bead area.

If it's a crack, you can send it out for repair. But if you have a welder friend you could get it done for cheap. Same thing goes for welding, don't try to repair the bead area (although that wheel shop that was posted could probably do it).

 

I took the wheel to a local wheel repair shop. They said it was a casting flaw that developed a small 2" crack. They ground it out and re-welded it.

They didn't think I would have any problems, and if I did, it would be a slow leak, not a catastrophic failure. I suppose I'll just keep an eye on it, and for a Firehawk replacement wheel. If the wheel is toast, and I can't find a replacement, I'll have to find a set of replacement wheels.

The guy mentioned the Cadillac wheel recall...fortunately, the crack was ~3" from the bead, so hopefully a little welding will do the trick.