Rusted on wheels, removal trick!

[RoadWarrior222]

Hi guys

I remember a handful of threads about folks getting their wheels or rims rusted onto the hubs or drums. As I recall it, they went on for pages of suggestions with nothing working... but I found a trick that does work last night..

My Sister in Law's Neon had a drivers rear flat, so I got to change it (Whoop whoop) when all the lug nuts are off, it's pretty obvious it's corroded on, stuck solid, first attempt of beating crap out of it with the BFH got nowhere... then I got smart... fetched the stock scissor jack from my Escort, wedged it between a rear frame rail and the rim and started winding... creak... creak... BANG! and it's off :thumb: :dancingbana:

For a non-beater with nice rims I figure you'd want a piece of 2x4 or something each side of the jack, preferably a piece that bridges two parts or a long arc of the rim if they're alloys and you're worried about bending them. If it's not a flat tire, you might want to let air out of it, a fully pumped tire might build in a lot of spring that will either fire the jack at your head, or project the tire with some force. Or it could just force the jack to pop out before you get anywhere.

Anyway, thought I'd share that, save anyone else messing around for hours with that problem...

I'll mention plan B in case anyone needs that, they were steelie rims with some small holes in the center, I was thinking of tapping them and screwing bolts in against the drum.

regards,

RW222

[89ShelbyGuy]

when i worked at firestoned, we would put the car on the lift, have the lugs nuts barly on and grab on too what we could under the car and basicly swing jump kick it....worked every time..what i do now is coat it with antiseize...i have never had a problem ever...but thats a good idea with the sissor jack.

[raccoon]

oh no you just started that tread again.... I use the good old goat style kick.

[contraption22]

I loosen the lug nuts then take some laps around the parking lot, taking some hard corners in both directions. That usually does it.


Yes I'm kidding.

[mcsvt]

oh no you just started that tread again.... I use the good old goat style kick.

That's what I used to do when doing rotations at the Express Lube. Worked 98% of the time. I was more afraid of the mickey mouse lift collapsing...

[ATaylorRacing]

When I had a flat in the mail truck and the guy couldn't get it off (no spares or jacks are in them to save wt and room) he simply removed all the nuts and then released the jack as quick as he could...after three times it FINALLY gave way....of course the threads were bugered up but he did not care...not his truck!

[Darkapollo]

I loosen the lug nuts then take some laps around the parking lot, taking some hard corners in both directions. That usually does it.


Yes I'm kidding.

:o
Ive actually done that before.. Just loosened them a 1/4 turn and took it for a spin around the parking lot. about a minute later i heard the thumpthumpthump of a loose wheel.

Now I use Anti seize every time I take a wheel off.

[rampant150]

:o
Ive actually done that before.. Just loosened them a 1/4 turn and took it for a spin around the parking lot. about a minute later i heard the thumpthumpthump of a loose wheel.

Now I use Anti seize every time I take a wheel off.

I've done it too. Works like a charm.

[RoadWarrior222]

I got in a couple of kicks at it, but bearing in mind it was balanced on the stock neon jack and rusty sheetmetal jacking point, I could probably have kicked harder. I thought about driving it with the lug nuts on loose, or dropping it off the jack, but didn't wanna screw up the thread on the lugs.

[black86glhs]

That "Gonnaseize" stuff they use in the rust belt area is hell on steel wheels. I pull out in front of someone and when they hit that side of the car, it pops right off.:thumb:

[puppet]

Try getting 'em off a F-150 with manual hubs. What a joke. 16lb sledge to the rescue.

[black86glhs]

Try getting 'em off a F-150 with manual hubs. What a joke. 16lb sledge to the rescue.The 97 thru early 00's were the worst!!!!:mad:

[cordes]

After I mastered the technique, I rarely met a wheel I couldn't kick off in my tire experience.

On the few rare occasions when I couldn't kick it off, I would use "The Wheel Whacker" to remove it. This was a 5lb. rubber faced hammer which worked well.

About .1 percent of the time the wheel whacker wouldn't work in the conventional swing for the fences manner, and then one would need to get under the car and hit it from the back side.

In 7 years, there was only one vehicle which we could not get the wheels off of. I don't believe that the wheels had ever been off of the car before, because when it came back there was corrosion caked on so thick it was unreal.