Pulled the trigger

[Danno]

OK, I pulled the trigger...I am now the proud owner of a 2001 PT Cruiser Limited. Inferno Red. 68000 miles. Paid $4250. Actually, I bought it for my mother-in-law, so she will be the one driving it.

It's in pretty nice shape for a 10-year-old car (build date was Oct. 2000). Besides needing a good detailing inside and out, the only problems with it are:
* small dent in the tailgate
* cracked dash top
* a couple tires have slow leaks
* the speedometer is inaccurate- it says 30 when I'm really going 35; 62 when I'm really going 75.

I have a couple questions for all of you more experienced owners:

1. I've read about the chrome wheels getting corroded on the inside and causing the tires to lose air. Don't know if this is my problem, but if so, is there a fix, other than buying new wheels, i.e. apply a thick bead of sealer, or sand/grind the rust off, or...?

2. What might cause the speedometer to be off? Anyone else have this problem? The wheels are stock chrome 16" with original spec 205/55R16 tires. Could a software flash fix this, perhaps?

I appreciate any input...thanks!

PS. I will get some pics up once I have cleaned and detailed the interior and polished/waxed the paint.

[cruserdad1976]

a flash might do it it seems odd that they are the correct wheels and it is off that far'

the leaking whees sucks and as far as i know nothing rally fixes them the bead seal will help as will a good sanding and or even tubes



good luck

[chris15]

Some have reported that dismounting the tires and reconditioning the rim have brought about better results, but the real issue lies in the material of the rim. It flakes and leaks.

As for your speed issue-- I would attempt to have the PCM flashed. If that doesn't correct the issue, you may have an issue with your VSS (vehicle speed sensor). Is the speedo needle erratic at all or does it seem to hold nicely?

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by Danno

OK, I pulled the trigger...I am now the proud owner of a 2001 PT Cruiser Limited. Inferno Red. 68000 miles. Paid $4250. Actually, I bought it for my mother-in-law, so she will be the one driving it.

It's in pretty nice shape for a 10-year-old car (build date was Oct. 2000). Besides needing a good detailing inside and out, the only problems with it are:
* small dent in the tailgate
* cracked dash top
* a couple tires have slow leaks
* the speedometer is inaccurate- it says 30 when I'm really going 35; 62 when I'm really going 75.

I have a couple questions for all of you more experienced owners:

1. I've read about the chrome wheels getting corroded on the inside and causing the tires to lose air. Don't know if this is my problem, but if so, is there a fix, other than buying new wheels, i.e. apply a thick bead of sealer, or sand/grind the rust off, or...?

2. What might cause the speedometer to be off? Anyone else have this problem? The wheels are stock chrome 16" with original spec 205/55R16 tires. Could a software flash fix this, perhaps?

I appreciate any input...thanks!

PS. I will get some pics up once I have cleaned and detailed the interior and polished/waxed the paint.

1. I have reconditioned these wheels, so it is possible. You have to dismount the tires and pull the valve stems to tell if the wheels are salvageable. If the wheels are good, though, it could be the tires. Certain cheap-o far-eastern brands just ooze air. If the wheels have corroded in the valve stem holes, they are not worth saving and are actually unsafe. If they are corroded in the bead area, and the corrosion is less than about 1/16 inch deep, it can be removed by wire brushing, and the flaking chrome completely cut off. The pits and low areas need to be filled. I used JB Weld. Then the repaired area has to be sanded and the remaining inside area needs to be scuffed, and primed with epoxy primer. That needs to be followed with acrylic or some other fairly glossy paint. Unless you are good at this yourself, new wheels will be faster and cheaper. I would avoid Chinese-made wheels.
2. As for the inaccurate speedometer, I have no clue, but it needs to be fixed. Could the speedo problem have been caused by a mileage rollback? I don't understand the electronic instrument clusters so I am out on a limb speculating here and may be waaaay off.

[Danno]

Hey guys, thanks for your replies.

The tires are Goodyear RS-A, but they're date coded 2005, so maybe they're just getting old. Still lots of tread on them, though, as the previous owner didn't drive much. I'll go to a tire shop this week and have them dismounted so I can check the rim and the valve. Maybe just a leaky valve, if I could be so lucky! The car spent the first 4 years in California, and the past five in Texas, so salt damage is a non-issue. I'd rather not have to buy new rims, and reconditioning the wheels is more trouble than I'm willing to subject myself to.

As for the mileage, its legit. CarFax records show the mileage each year at the annual safety/emissions test; there is no evidence of rollback or other abnormalities involving the odometer. Hopefully a flash will do the trick. If not, I'll replace the speed sensor. The speedo needle is perfectly stable at all speeds. In the meantime, I've told my mother-in-law just to drive 10% under the speed limit. The

[chigger_ns]

What size tires are on the car?

[leftoverture]

I brought my Cruiser that had one leaky tire to Discount Tire and they took the tire off, cleaned up the bead, and remounted. It's been a year or so and still no more leaking. They charged me exactly nothing.

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by Danno

2. What might cause the speedometer to be off? Anyone else have this problem? The wheels are stock chrome 16" with original spec 205/55R16 tires. Could a software flash fix this, perhaps?

Haven't heard of that one - how do you know????

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by Danno

Hey guys, thanks for your replies.

The tires are Goodyear RS-A, but they're date coded 2005, so maybe they're just getting old. Still lots of tread on them, though, as the previous owner didn't drive much. I'll go to a tire shop this week and have them dismounted so I can check the rim and the valve. Maybe just a leaky valve, if I could be so lucky! The car spent the first 4 years in California, and the past five in Texas, so salt damage is a non-issue. I'd rather not have to buy new rims, and reconditioning the wheels is more trouble than I'm willing to subject myself to.

As for the mileage, its legit. CarFax records show the mileage each year at the annual safety/emissions test; there is no evidence of rollback or other abnormalities involving the odometer. Hopefully a flash will do the trick. If not, I'll replace the speed sensor. The speedo needle is perfectly stable at all speeds. In the meantime, I've told my mother-in-law just to drive 10% under the speed limit. The

It actually could be the tires, knowing now that they are Goodyears. My 04 came with a set of Goodyear WeatherHandlers sold only at Sears. They were on the steel wheels in 195/65R15. They had nice tread, and didn't do the usual "follow the cracks in the road" as badly as all the previous Goodyears I've been stuck with. So I didn't replace them with Michelin immediately, and anyway, I was collecting used OEM dimple 16 inch chrome aluminum wheels for the big swap. Then I ran over a piece of metal. It ruined one of the Goodyears. There was really insufficient (in my opinion) thickness of ply and belt between the tread and butyl layer of the tire. I bought one Pirelli to replace it until I was ready to switch to the 16 inch set. I inflated all four tires to 40 PSI.

Fast forward 60 days. I checked the tires again. The Pirelli had 40 PSI. The Goodyears had all leaked down to 32 PSI. Gotta love `em. I am now running Michelin Pilot Exalto in 205/55R16 on both PTs. I switched to Michelin in 1973 and never really looked back. Saved my neck, my wife's neck and my family more times than I can count. I also use them on the minivan, the truck and the travel trailer. They don't make wheelbarrow tires, though.

Good news on the CarFax. The car's early days, if not in coastal areas will pretty much mean that there won't be much corrosion if any at all. If there is a bead problem on the wheels, it should be minor. As leftoverture said, look for a Discount Tire. In California and in a few other places, they are America's Tire Centers. Spend the few extra bucks when you buy tires for their road hazard certificates. Worth it.

[Danno]

Originally Posted by chigger_ns

What size tires are on the car?

Tires are stock 205/55R16