Do valve cap removal tools work?

I was just looking into this, since vise grips and a chisel seemed like overkill (well it worked, but I had to unwarp the stem after I squished it, ripped the end of the cap off and chiseled the rest off with a multi tool poker). Anyway, I'm going to try using a socket driver next time, after testing that out on an uninstalled valve I tightened the cap onto with pliers (looks like a socket that's slightly smaller than the cap will grip it at an angle and turn it loose--this is working in my hand so it's likely to do the trick). Otherwise I'm wondering if anyone's used an actual removal tool for caps, never knew there was such a thing (doesn't look like a rubber ended one would grip that necessarily).

 

Thanks, this is the knurled-end metal type I'm working with. I'll probably get a tool like that then for putting caps back on at least (and use whatever works to remove one if it's stuck). I've been leaving them off, because every trailer I come across with caps has at least one severely low pressure tire, and it seems pretty much no one wants to mess with a cap they can't reach (well, I might be doing them a favor by leaving those off, but somone wants caps on there, so yeah I have lots of extra ones now in case I drop a few).

 

I think what Schrader says about its caps being airtight is total nonsense by the way: "air cannot leak through the tire valve if a cap is screwed down tightly"... yeah sure, same goes for the auto inflation systems that a mechanic told me could not leak, well guess what they're all nice and snug, and still leaking if the core is having issues. Everyone wants to say it's an atmospheric anomaly, but if one tire is much lower than the others (with no apparent leaks elsewhere), that's nonsense too. Well, I've configured enough npt standard air circuits to know that even with tapered sealed and tightened threads, they don't necessarily act as air reservoirs in themselves and can seep air slowly, so it's more about the valve behind them (if that's leaking, the threads are seeping, especially when straight threaded). In practice anyway, what are the chances of getting so many low tires with valve caps on them if they work as stated? Maybe the notion of airtightness would be more accurate in reference to tank valves, but then those have a gate valve behind them too. I didn't make this stuff up, but obviously it's just me as far as what I've read or heard not adding up, I think questioning this is at least an educated guess, or the tire has something to teach me versus such tire experts, who coincidentally have something to sell there (that's all fine and dandy, except it could be safer as far as regulations not solving this all too common technical issue, some kind of design flaw I'd say, but hey, it's just a valve cap, what do you expect)...

 

Is it? I saw another topic on here where nobody could find that in writing.

I like the valve extensions, although they don't seal the valve either (yet usually make it more accessible, or improve the tilt lock for chucks with longer threads). The valve seals the valve, that's what valves do. I think the caps may protect it otherwise, but the valve can still loosen on its own and leak all over the place no matter what's supposedly sealing that (it's also threaded). I think they should put gate valves behind these things (doubly redundant engineering--more so than what a cap is said to be).

 

Oh yeah, I was calling the flow through caps valve extensions, because they are the same thing, as labeled, just sold in different lengths (whereas the extra long ones may include stabilizers). Truck stems are so long already, I don't see those caps being necessary as "extensions" to the stem (at least for ones pointing in), I just meant extending the valve core that's depressed by it as a push button cap (and think that's what they mean by extension, even if it's relatively short).

Of course they do! Only that mine was leaking, because the valve core was loose, so they totally work unless the valve is not totally working. It's like a placebo effect, I guess (since tires mysteriously get low until I fix the valve, then they don't, cap or not). Just random field tests there, like I said, any trailer with caps on it has had a low tire (especially closed ended ones that are difficult to check), and then that one stays inflated once I remove the cap and tighten the valve (so what, does every cap seal suddenly go bad when the valve leaks, same difference then, or the seepage is occuring because truck stems have a shorter threaded area than the cap and there is no seal, in effect, hmm, well I do have one odd cap that's half as long as the others, so maybe those seal better on truck stems, thread wise, as far as mismatched equipment could explain this).

Anyway, I don't see how stems being positioned so awkwardly is helping matters (unless it protects them, and then caps are kind of redundant). This makes it quite difficult to maintain valves, which seem to need maintenance often enough (or I shouldn't have looked). I think most drivers just look at the cap on there and say "check" (if that). Fair enough, I may have to leave the standard caps off to encourage whoever put them on there to put extensions on if they want caps. It really takes longer than anyone wants for me to check tires as it is, without the extra decap/recap maneuver (what 18, 28, how many times, several more than sticking a gauge on each). The tool might be useful for getting an extension on and off less often, as I keep extra valve cores with me to trade out for the imaginary void left by missing caps (they seem to last long enough without those). You know, every other part on the truck gets dirty, and these things can turn green under a cap, so I don't think that's much of a factor (maybe for off road vehicles, if a bunch of pebbles get lodged in the thing, but I haven't seen a rock in there, and whatever else came off the road gets blown out on a pressure check--close your eyes for that). I must be "tired".