Removing OKO tyre sealant

[Crispin]

Over the weekend I put the OKO tyre sealant in my tyres and cocked it up and need to remove some of it. Anywhere from 50 to 80 and the steering wheel becomes a blur from the vibration. There are random gaps in there where it is fine.
Right after putting it in I did about 15-20 miles at varying speeds so it did get a chance to fly around inside.

Some ideas on remove it:
1) Get a thin tube which would fit through the valve core and vacuum some of it out. Problem: The tube would have to be very thin and the fibrous stuff would block it.
2) De-bead the tyre enough to get a thinker tube through and vacuum the stuff out. If only a small part of the tyre “de-beads” then it should pop back on itself enough to seal and re-inflate. Problem: I can’t get the tyre back on.
3) Go to quick-fit and ask them nicely to remove each tyre while I spoon out the required amount


IIRC I put in 400ml into each tyre. It appears I should only put in 375 – could that really make a difference?

I have it in the wife’s car and there is never a sign of vibration so it does work. After a couple months of it in the tyre, it is still liquid (I saw it seeping out around a nail in the back tyre) so I should be able to remove it.


Suggestions on the back of a postcard please.

 

[TonyP]

8mm drill bit and drill... make a small hole let is seep out and then get Kwik Fit to do a tyre repair?

/runs and hides

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

doesn't seem like 25ml too much should be enough to cause problems when I first put some in mine they would wobble but settled down eventually, can't remember how long that took sorry. I would wonder if your problem is not enough rather than too little, so that there's isn't enough to get an even coating on the inside of the tyre. 375ml doesn't sound a lot but maybe you have small tyres?

 

[Crispin]

having a look on the bottle, 375 was the quantity for a size band where my tyre size (265 70 17) was at the bottom. Looking at the online chart, for the specific size, 375 is what they say.

Guess I don't have much to loose by putting more in, if it still does not work then I'll still be taking it out

Was "eventually" weeks? months? days?

Any danger if I leave them like this for a week or so to see? Not going to break something or damage something?

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I think Chris is the resident expert on this stuff Crispin so he might have a better idea if it's worth putting more in but my tyres weren't on the chart so I guessed at 3/4 of a bottle I think mine settled down in less than the 15-20 miles you've done. I know that if you want your wheels balanced again you have to clean it all out because it confuses the balancing machine and cleaning it out thoroughly makes a hell of a mess

 

[sae70]

 

[Chris]

Oh dear. Not an expert on this by any means, but I have used several gallons of the stuff. Really sorry to tell you that I have never had a problem. I have put in in just about every tire in the last 10 years at least including my quad, both trailers, all my 4x4s. I have normally put it in new tires, balanced, with the face scrubbed off for a few miles to let them settle in.

What happens is that the fluid does settle in the tire but spins out in a few revs or so. BUT and it a BUTT bigger than Jay Lo's, if you have an out of balance wheel, it will find that 'throw' and make it worse.

Now, my Dear Chap, this makes me wonder if your diff wobble phenomenon is linked to something sloppy somewhere which is being picked up by the OKO. Not simply a tyre out of balance, but the whole wheel / hub / bearing etc.

Adding more or less to a tire that is in balance wouldn't make a difference. I buy the 1250ml bottles and put 500ml in each of 5 tyres. So two bottles per vehicle.

The only solution as far as I know is tyre off, hose pipe, tyre on. At £6 a bottle (£3 per wheel) I wouldn't be pi55ing around trying to save it. It will be black and filthy by now anyway.

Sorry dude.

Chris

 

[Crispin]

The trip home today was different, very little vibration and at different speeds again. I wonder at what speed it is considered "spread" 30? 40? Less?

AFAIK, the tyres were fine before I put the stuff in. The last time I had a bit of vibration, it seemed to go after they replaced the front bearing and hub.

An out of balance tyre on the front is obvious but the back? Would it be vibration and a hum or does it just hide? It would be odd then that the rears are fine but the fronts are a problem.


edit -

Chris, if the problem is still there on the weekend I'll take them off and see if there might be anything loose.
I'm a bit confused by the lack of problems others have had (and your non-scientific method of getting the quantity right) and this. My wife's car is also fine...

 

[sae70]

What happens is that the fluid does settle in the tire but spins out in a few revs or so. BUT and it a BUTT bigger than Jay Lo's, if you have an out of balance wheel, it will find that 'throw' and make it worse

Would it make it worse, or would it act like Dynamic Balancing

Although now I've been back and had a look at the original thread, reading some of the first hand experiences of Dynamic Balancing, you may have a point Crispin

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... Z7ZJflVnvg

 

[sae70]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRVKAxaiDyLFCb1IKeSLTIbNZk0_3_E9Bzu1LhxI94YZ7ZJflVnvg

Sorry Wrong link This is the one viewtopic.php?f=65&t=10452

 

[Graham]

Hi Crispin,

I am not used to using any of this "self balancing" stuff, or is it tyre sealant incase of a puncture?

Graham

 

[Chris]

It's sealant. But it's not a balancer like Dyna Beads. It's not that clever. if you have a wobble, or throw then the fluid will tend to get sent there making the balance worse.

C

 

[Crispin]

I would have thought centrifugal force would through the liquid (or any loose stuff like beads) around the tyre so it is uniform. A slight cavity in the tyre would "receive" more than a raised patch but the inner surface would be true.

If the wheel is spinning as well as an elliptical orbit (is orbit the right word) from a worn something or other, then it could compound it. I guess.... My brain hurts.

 

[Chris]

That's not the case Crispin AFAIK. If the sealant distributed itself evenly then it would have no effect on balance. So an out of balance tyre would still be out of balance. And a balanced tyre would still be balanced. It's not about a deformed tyre, it's about it being out of balance. The point here is that the car vibrates because the tyre is heavier somewhere and this vibration (call it what you will) has an effect on where the sealant concentrates. It's spinning centrally on its axis yes, but it's also trying to spin as you said, in a sort of ellipse. If you traced that point on the tyre it would describe an orbit that was not uniform. This will 'fling' the liquid inside. There is no way that the fluid could position itself to counter a heavier portion of the tyre.

One thing that it won't do is make a perfectly balanced tyre, unbalanced. But beyond that, frankly I'm making it all up.

Chris

 

[Crispin]

Well, trip in this morning was less of a problem so maybe it is sorting itself out?

 

[Gav Peter]

:handgestures-fingerscrossed:

 

[Crispin]

Stopped at the local tyre fitter. 5 fitters all sitting in the waiting room looking bored.
I explained what I had done and asked how much they would charge to remove the tyre, scoop out the stuff (I offered to do it while they removed the other tyres), rebalance and fit.

After a lot of typing on the computer, he started with "Well, you knows those chemicals are very nasty etc etc yudda yudda, elf and safety yudda yudda £20. Yup" he said with another confirming glance at the computer screen, "£20 per wheel"

Thanks. Enjoy your day.

Bye.


Plan b

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

probably not a bad price Crispin. What would you pay normaly to have a tyre taken off, refitted and balanced? The difference is the cleaning so say £10 per tyre isn't bad IMO.

 

[Crispin]

A last resort then - I'll try hoovering it out first

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I take it your wobble hasn't gone away then? you could try swapping the back and front wheels see if those are any better? Did you try putting some more in?