Wheels Stuck

[SSchoenfelder]

I tried to rotate my wheels at 15,000 miles this weekend, but was unable to get the rear wheels to budge from the hubs. Any tricks for getting the wheels off and for preventing the alloy wheels from seizing onto the hubs?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[ThomasLawrence]

Any tricks for getting the wheels off and for preventing the alloy wheels from seizing onto the hubs?

For getting the wheels off - a big hammer (10lb sledge, hit the inside of the tire [not the wheel] with gentle swings). For preventing them from siezing again, wire-brush the portion of the hub that the wheel sits on, then apply a thin coat of anti-sieze on the hubs (but not the lugs).



I once had a tire that refused to come off, even with fairly forceful pursuasion from the sledge-o-matic. I took a bottle jack, some 2x4's, made two 'T's out of them, one on each wheel, with the jack in the middle, and actuated the jack (poor man's porta-power). It came off



-Tom

 

[bmoeller]

If you have aluminum wheels, put some Pepsi in a squirt bottle. Spray the the rims where they touch the steel hubs. Let it sit for about 5-10 mins. They will come right off after tapping with the BFH.



The acid in the Pepsi softens the oxidation.



Sounds crazy, but it works.

 

[scootergmc]

PB Blaster

 

[HENCHR]

This use to happen on a Ford Dually I had with aluminum wheels, not fun when your stuck on the side of the road with a flat in the pooring rain at 2 in the morning. The hammer on the inside works most of the time, just keep rotating the wheel and banging the inside of the tire and it should break free. I put a little white lithium grease on the hub where it made contact but anti seeze would work too.

 

[rbattelle]

I put anti-seize on the hub and all my wheel studs. Observance of a strick 6000 mile rotation schedule also helps keep things from welding together.

 

[bighammer]

I loosened the lugnuts (keep 'em close) and dropped the truck off the jack a couple times.

 

[sarj]

When I was a kid in a tire store, I dealt with this all the time, and I wasn't real big on the hammer thing... . and we had lots of split rim hammers around. I just sat in front of the tire with both feet on the tire at 9 o'clock & 3 o'clock and do a couple of quick alternating foot stomps... . it never failed and I worked there 4 years while going to school. I like the coke thing though... I'd be interested to hear if that's worked for anyone else.



sarj

 

[Hawkeye 04]

Coke does work... We used to use it on our field plow before putting it away for the winter. If we didn't put anything on it, the plow would be rusty and tarnished by spring time and would pull rather hard for a while. With the coke poured on it, it developed a slight film but came off almost immediately. Imagine what that stuff must do to our intestines... ... .

 

[CChase]

With stuck rims, I usually give it a backwards kick. Stand facing away from tire lean over slightly and kick one side of the tire with everything you got, repeat that a couple of times, alternating sides and it will come off. A BFH works too, but sometimes they just aren't available. I think I have only come up against one rim in my life that I couldn't get to come off the hub by kicking it.

 

[SSchoenfelder]

Well, I tried the various kicking techniques. I didn't have any colas on hand, so I sprayed Liquid Wrench in the lug holes and at the center of the wheel. I finally resorted to the BFH technique (20 lb sledge hammer) and got the wheels to break loose.

I cleaned the wheels at the hub contact point with Liquid Wrench and steel wool. After removing all the rust stuck on the alloy wheel, I applied the silver anti-seize lubricant.

I am looking forward to my next wheel rotation in anther 7,500 miles. I suspect it will go better.

Thanks to everyone for their ideas.

This is really a great forum!