How to repair a tire pressure gauge?

@A Bug

Good on you for going Full MacGyver!

That being said, closely note a previous post where the member actually calibrated his air gauge to a shop air gauge. That's important.

About three years ago I bought a $30 air gauge to replace the cheap, truck stop air gauge. It had a dial, with the ability to take a reading and pull off the valve to see the reading. Like you, I experienced failure of the "O" ring.

A month ago I was at the Joplin Petro, the trucker's dream store. I picked up a $60 pressure gauge, with a digital readout. I calibrated it at my last PM. Dead nuts perfect. Time will tell if this bad boy has any design or engineering flaws. I can't see any and I spent decades of my career helping customers bring product to market.

I believe this is the product I bought:


Digital & Dial Gauges - HALTEC Corporation

Never heard of Haltec before, but this gauge is the bomb.

 

I've got the Digital Haltec too, I love the thing, but nothing beats a milton.

 

I see the value in doing both ways, it really just depends on how patient you are, I suppose. Personally I usually order a bulk box of 100 for I think it's like $175/box or something from our supplies store. Hand em out like candy. Are they cheap? Yes. Do they break? Yeah pretty much. Am I okay with this? Yeah.

 

Don't understand the problem, I've been using same gauge for 20 years and it don't leak air. Accuracy is another story but close enough for me. If tire says 120 I put 125 in and 3-4 months when down to 115 back to 125.

 

Once you get enough experience behind the wheel all you will need is your foot or tire thumper. Rookies and nickel and dimers use tire gauges. I check my pressures with a gauge only when I swap out a tire. 10 pounds of air might cost me 100 bucks at the end of the year. That’s worth it rather than having to pull all the valve stems off and checking each tire every day. If I have a punctured tire or leak, I’ll know about it within a day or 2 by using my boot every morning. Ok so let the insults fly haha

 

The secret to truck tire gauges longevity is getting the correct angle head for your stems. Most inside positions need the straight, although sometimes the angled works much better.

 

I think that's how all the guys that go flying across 4 lanes of traffic, cross the median and wipe out buses check their air pressure, so your not alone in your practice

 

you don’t know what a low tire feels like when you knock it? Better yet, you undo all 18 tire stems and check air pressure manually every morning? Yeah, I’m sure you do. At least us tire knockers check out tires brotha

 

Once a week

 

So for my tire gage, I have an old brass one from who knows how long ago; the center part that pops out is flat, like a wide popsicle stick, instead of square plastic, with stamped in graduation lines and numbers.
Something to be said for all metal tools of any kind.
It's something I found in one of my excursions to a junkyard in the 1980's, took it and ran it on a wire wheel to clean it all up shiny new looking. Keep it under my seat in the truck. It's accurate and doesn't leak.
I would guess it's from the late 40's - early 50's. Works for me; and it was free to boot!