Things You'll Need:
- Air compressor
- Household cleaner
- White tape
- Tire repair kit
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Step 1
Locate the damaged areas of the tire. You can patch a flat tire if there's a puncture or a limited amount of damage, but wide-scale blow-outs will need a full replacement. Patches work best for single punctures such as those caused by nails. You should only attempt to patch a tire which is damaged on the treads (the part that touches the road) rather than the sidewalls.
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Step 2
Inflate the tire with an air compressor if you can't determine where the leak is. Spray its surface with a household cleaner such as 409. Examine the surface of the tire, looking for any point where the liquid is frothing or bubbling. That is the location of your leak.
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Step 3
Mark the spot with a piece of white tape, then remove any foreign objects from the leak with pliers or a similar tool. You must remove whatever punctured the tire before you can patch it.
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Step 4
Clean out the hole with a ream or properly sized tool to remove any bits of lingering detritus from it. One should be included in any tire repair kit, but you can use a circular file or similar tool if it fits in the hole. You don't want to be removing any more of the tire's material, just make sure that the existing hole is clean and free of any edges.
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Step 5
Thread the repair plug through its insertion tool (both should be available in the tire repair kit) and insert it into the puncture. It should make a seal tight enough to withstand the air pressure that will be exerted on it. There should be a small part of the plug still showing from the hole.
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Step 6
Trim the excess plug away from the tire and seal it with a thin rubber patch. Make sure neither the patch nor the plug sticks out too far from the remainder of the tire: you want the surface to be as smooth as possible.
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Step 7
Re-inflate the tire to its proper pressure and place the tire back on the car.
