wheels frozen/stuck, can't budge them

bowenx · 04-25-2003, 06:23 PM

Hey folks,

for a few times now I have tried to get my steelies off and put on my summer wheels/tires, but the buggers are frozen on.

I have tried liquid wrench (spraying all spots that I think might help) and have whacked the snot out of it with a hard rubber mallet, to no avail.
I just tried using a metal mallet and have done nothing more than put a few dings in the wheel (now I am glad i have steelies).

anybody have any suggestions as to how to get the blasted things off?

I was thinking that an airhammer might do the trick, but seeing as I don't have one, that is out of the scope.

I might just have to bring to a garage and let them beat the things off....

any help is appreciated.

thanks

peter

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tora · 04-25-2003, 07:50 PM

undo the lug nuts before trying to pull.

thechickencow · 04-25-2003, 08:30 PM

You could try loosening the lug nuts then setting the car down on the wheel, that might break them loose (and hopefully won't break your studs).

BluSuby · 04-25-2003, 09:04 PM

Try sitting on the ground and kicking the tire as hard as you can with your heel. A rubber mallet will just bounce off if you hit the tire with it and won't do much. Even if you hit the wheel with it, it won't exert as much force on it as your heel would while kicking it near the outside of the tire,

Bryan

bowenx · 04-25-2003, 09:05 PM

lugnuts?
what are these lugnuts you speak of??

yes, removed them first, and yes, even tried to lower the car without them, at this point I am convinced that I don't even need lugnuts, the wheels will just stay on!

will have to figure something out.

jaycee · 04-25-2003, 09:09 PM

Get one of those "X" (or cross) lug wrenches. On one side, you pull. On the other side, you push or lean by using your body weight. It worked for me. Try that. Or get a long breaker bar.

MikeWRX-NJ · 04-25-2003, 10:01 PM

I had the same problem with my 9 year old talon... I took the lugs off , sat on my butt and pushed both feet to one side of the wheel, that broke it off.

You may want to leave a lug on so the wheel doesnt jump off and scratch your car.

ForceFed4 · 04-26-2003, 02:24 PM

I had this problem not 2 weeks ago, there's a thread I started if you want to search for it.

Brief synopsis: Penetrating oil sprayed onto hub & into each lug nut hole, then left to sit O/N. Came back the next morning and used the "sit on ground and kick the tire w/ your heels" method to break them loose. It took a surprisingly forceful kick to get them to pop off; I was afraid the car was going to fall off the jack, but it didn't.

Good luck.

Edit: If you're gonig to do that, make sure you have some brake cleaner handy to take the oil off the hub/brakes/studs. You might also get some anti-seize grease and use that in the future to stop it from happening again.

bowenx · 04-27-2003, 09:42 AM

well, sounds like the sit and kick method is the way to go....

I will try spraying it again for extra measure, and good idea about the brake cleaner, would suck to finally get my summers on but not be able to stop!

thanks all.

bowenx · 05-01-2003, 01:56 PM

Ok, here's the update....

the blasted steelies are still on the car.

I have been spraying the liquid wrench all over the dang place (well, ok, only in the lugnut holes, the hub, and also was able to get some in via the air/vent holes in the wheels themselves but only where the wheel touches the main hub -as to not spray the brakes!).

I have used so far:
Hard Rubber Mallet- no effect.
Metal Hammer - no effect
Sit and Kick method - no effect
Loosen lugnuts and drive car 50' - no effect
Whacking the snot out of the wheels with a 3 foot log while swearing - no effect.

I have kept up with the spraying of the LW, will probably try again tomorrow.

This is seriously hamper my attempts to autox this weekend.
Well, I can always go for a bike ride!

thanks folks.

Peter

(I was tempted to just go to a garage and ask them to swap out my wheels for me, but have a feeling that they would get pissed and just cut the dang things off - I have thought of doing that myselft too!)

mch · 05-01-2003, 02:15 PM

Have you tried hitting/pushing/swearing from the inside>out. that is, get under the car (with it WELL BRACED ON JACKSTANDS!!) and pushing directly outward. If you are working only from the outside>in, you are relying on the rim leveraging against the hub. Force applied from the inside>out works directly on the rim only.

Just a thought. Good luck.

bowenx · 05-01-2003, 04:06 PM

Yeah, was thinking of that as well.

next time I try to take them off, (soon) I will make sure to try that, and hopefully the extra sparying of that liquid wrench will help as well....

thanks folks!

P.

(I guess I need to put some goop on there next year to prevent this again, however at the rate I am going, they will still be on there for next winter, a little bald probably, but there!)

ForceFed4 · 05-01-2003, 04:40 PM

Wow... and I thought I had a bad time with my steelies.

If you're going to get under the car, even on jackstands, and start kicking things, PLEASE be careful.

Good luck though, and definately pick up a wire brush and some anti-seize lube (should be real thick and usually silver). Make sure you remove as much of the rust as possible before putting any wheels back on.

Also, make sure there's no oil left on your wheel studs or lug nuts when you put the wheels back on, they're not supposd to be lubricated, and the torque specs will be all off if you do them on a lubricated nut. Not to mention the possibility of them backing off...

dead-eye · 05-01-2003, 07:38 PM

I used a combination of the methods to get the rims off my wife's Camry. They were never removed in over 4 years so they were stuck on real tight. After loosening the lug nuts 1/4 of the way and spraying Liquid Wrench, we raised the car and then slowly lowered it. When the weight of the car didn't loosen them, we just rocked the car back and forth and the wheels came loose. If you do try this method, remember to loosen the lugnuts 1/4 of the way or LESS and do one wheel at a time only. Don't remove the lugnuts completely!

Jack · 05-01-2003, 10:04 PM

Loosen the lugnuts....tighten them just finger tight. Lower the car. Drive about 4 feet and nail the brakes. Back up, jack it up and take off the wheels with no problem.

jack

PassportOwner · 06-15-2011, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack ffr1846

Loosen the lugnuts....tighten them just finger tight. Lower the car. Drive about 4 feet and nail the brakes. Back up, jack it up and take off the wheels with no problem.

jack

I had this same problem once. And did this exact same thing. Loosened the lugnuts. Drove a short distance slowly. Hit the brakes hard. Backed up slowly. Hit the brakes hard. Repeated a few times.

Jacked the car up. Removed lugnuts. Kicked tire. Boom. Tire off.

The hard braking torqued the hub just enough to break the lock on whatever was binding the rim to the hub.

Worked for me anyway.

nhat · 06-15-2011, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PassportOwner

I had this same problem once. And did this exact same thing. Loosened the lugnuts. Drove a short distance slowly. Hit the brakes hard. Backed up slowly. Hit the brakes hard. Repeated a few times.

Jacked the car up. Removed lugnuts. Kicked tire. Boom. Tire off.

The hard braking torqued the hub just enough to break the lock on whatever was binding the rim to the hub.

Worked for me anyway.

impressive first post in a zombie thread

04-25-2003, 06:23 PM	#1
bowenx Scooby Specialist Member#: 6439 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: CT, USA Vehicle: 2015 Legacy 3.6 Blue	wheels frozen/stuck, can't budge them Hey folks, for a few times now I have tried to get my steelies off and put on my summer wheels/tires, but the buggers are frozen on. I have tried liquid wrench (spraying all spots that I think might help) and have whacked the snot out of it with a hard rubber mallet, to no avail. I just tried using a metal mallet and have done nothing more than put a few dings in the wheel (now I am glad i have steelies). anybody have any suggestions as to how to get the blasted things off? I was thinking that an airhammer might do the trick, but seeing as I don't have one, that is out of the scope. I might just have to bring to a garage and let them beat the things off.... any help is appreciated. thanks peter * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

04-26-2003, 02:24 PM	#8
ForceFed4 Scooby Specialist Member#: 7370 Join Date: Jun 2001 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: An arsenal of profanity... Vehicle: 2013 5.0 SGM	I had this problem not 2 weeks ago, there's a thread I started if you want to search for it. Brief synopsis: Penetrating oil sprayed onto hub & into each lug nut hole, then left to sit O/N. Came back the next morning and used the "sit on ground and kick the tire w/ your heels" method to break them loose. It took a surprisingly forceful kick to get them to pop off; I was afraid the car was going to fall off the jack, but it didn't. Good luck. Edit: If you're gonig to do that, make sure you have some brake cleaner handy to take the oil off the hub/brakes/studs. You might also get some anti-seize grease and use that in the future to stop it from happening again. Last edited by ForceFed4; 04-26-2003 at 02:33 PM.

05-01-2003, 10:04 PM	#15
Jack Add Lightness Moderator Member#: 13699 Join Date: Dec 2001 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Hopkinton, MA Vehicle: 2021 Building It Better	Easy solution.... Loosen the lugnuts....tighten them just finger tight. Lower the car. Drive about 4 feet and nail the brakes. Back up, jack it up and take off the wheels with no problem. jack

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04-25-2003, 07:50 PM	#2
tora Scooby Guru Member#: 5851 Join Date: Apr 2001 Chapter/Region: VIC Location: Vancouver Vehicle: 17 Ford Escape SE Blk	undo the lug nuts before trying to pull.

04-25-2003, 08:30 PM	#3
thechickencow Scooby Guru Member#: 16840 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: CO Vehicle: 17 4Runner	You could try loosening the lug nuts then setting the car down on the wheel, that might break them loose (and hopefully won't break your studs).

04-25-2003, 09:04 PM	#4
BluSuby Scooby Specialist Member#: 12154 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Endless Mtns of PA Vehicle: 04 Sti 99 Outback	Try sitting on the ground and kicking the tire as hard as you can with your heel. A rubber mallet will just bounce off if you hit the tire with it and won't do much. Even if you hit the wheel with it, it won't exert as much force on it as your heel would while kicking it near the outside of the tire, Bryan

04-25-2003, 09:05 PM	#5
bowenx Scooby Specialist Member#: 6439 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: CT, USA Vehicle: 2015 Legacy 3.6 Blue	lugnuts? what are these lugnuts you speak of?? yes, removed them first, and yes, even tried to lower the car without them, at this point I am convinced that I don't even need lugnuts, the wheels will just stay on! will have to figure something out.

04-25-2003, 09:09 PM	#6
jaycee Scooby Newbie Member#: 11104 Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Toronto, Ontario Vehicle: 2000 Impreza 2.5RS Sedona Red Pearl	Get one of those "X" (or cross) lug wrenches. On one side, you pull. On the other side, you push or lean by using your body weight. It worked for me. Try that. Or get a long breaker bar.

04-25-2003, 10:01 PM	#7
MikeWRX-NJ Scooby Specialist Member#: 33410 Join Date: Feb 2003 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: wishing i was somewhere else Vehicle: 08 wrx dgm	I had the same problem with my 9 year old talon... I took the lugs off , sat on my butt and pushed both feet to one side of the wheel, that broke it off. You may want to leave a lug on so the wheel doesnt jump off and scratch your car.

04-27-2003, 09:42 AM	#9
bowenx Scooby Specialist Member#: 6439 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: CT, USA Vehicle: 2015 Legacy 3.6 Blue	well, sounds like the sit and kick method is the way to go.... I will try spraying it again for extra measure, and good idea about the brake cleaner, would suck to finally get my summers on but not be able to stop! thanks all.

05-01-2003, 01:56 PM	#10
bowenx Scooby Specialist Member#: 6439 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: CT, USA Vehicle: 2015 Legacy 3.6 Blue	Ok, here's the update.... the blasted steelies are still on the car. I have been spraying the liquid wrench all over the dang place (well, ok, only in the lugnut holes, the hub, and also was able to get some in via the air/vent holes in the wheels themselves but only where the wheel touches the main hub -as to not spray the brakes!). I have used so far: Hard Rubber Mallet- no effect. Metal Hammer - no effect Sit and Kick method - no effect Loosen lugnuts and drive car 50' - no effect Whacking the snot out of the wheels with a 3 foot log while swearing - no effect. I have kept up with the spraying of the LW, will probably try again tomorrow. This is seriously hamper my attempts to autox this weekend. Well, I can always go for a bike ride! thanks folks. Peter (I was tempted to just go to a garage and ask them to swap out my wheels for me, but have a feeling that they would get pissed and just cut the dang things off - I have thought of doing that myselft too!)

05-01-2003, 02:15 PM	#11
mch Scooby Specialist Member#: 30039 Join Date: Nov 2002 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: still, colder than you, vt Vehicle: 2002 wrx wagon dirt slvr	Have you tried hitting/pushing/swearing from the inside>out. that is, get under the car (with it WELL BRACED ON JACKSTANDS!!) and pushing directly outward. If you are working only from the outside>in, you are relying on the rim leveraging against the hub. Force applied from the inside>out works directly on the rim only. Just a thought. Good luck.

05-01-2003, 04:06 PM	#12
bowenx Scooby Specialist Member#: 6439 Join Date: May 2001 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: CT, USA Vehicle: 2015 Legacy 3.6 Blue	Yeah, was thinking of that as well. next time I try to take them off, (soon) I will make sure to try that, and hopefully the extra sparying of that liquid wrench will help as well.... thanks folks! P. (I guess I need to put some goop on there next year to prevent this again, however at the rate I am going, they will still be on there for next winter, a little bald probably, but there!)

05-01-2003, 04:40 PM	#13
ForceFed4 Scooby Specialist Member#: 7370 Join Date: Jun 2001 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: An arsenal of profanity... Vehicle: 2013 5.0 SGM	Wow... and I thought I had a bad time with my steelies. If you're going to get under the car, even on jackstands, and start kicking things, PLEASE be careful. Good luck though, and definately pick up a wire brush and some anti-seize lube (should be real thick and usually silver). Make sure you remove as much of the rust as possible before putting any wheels back on. Also, make sure there's no oil left on your wheel studs or lug nuts when you put the wheels back on, they're not supposd to be lubricated, and the torque specs will be all off if you do them on a lubricated nut. Not to mention the possibility of them backing off...

05-01-2003, 07:38 PM	#14
dead-eye Scooby Specialist Member#: 43 Join Date: Jun 1999 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Naperville IL Vehicle: 1999 2.5RS no T RBP	I used a combination of the methods to get the rims off my wife's Camry. They were never removed in over 4 years so they were stuck on real tight. After loosening the lug nuts 1/4 of the way and spraying Liquid Wrench, we raised the car and then slowly lowered it. When the weight of the car didn't loosen them, we just rocked the car back and forth and the wheels came loose. If you do try this method, remember to loosen the lugnuts 1/4 of the way or LESS and do one wheel at a time only. Don't remove the lugnuts completely!