Help - back wheel won't come off.

[swc69]

Hey All,

I was finally getting around to painting my calipers this weekend.

I got my 300A up on jack stands, and wouldn't you know it, the driver's side back wheel is frozen. I tried some WD40, and kicked it a few times, but it seems really stuck.

Any tips on how to get this off (without damaging anything?)

Thanks!

Steve C.
2003 300A
Supertuner
red Bob Whites

[swc69]

Argh! And the passenger side drive wheel won't come off either?

Is there some trick to this?

Steve C.

[swc69]

Got It!

Penetrating oil and several good kicks got the passenger side off.

For the driver's side I laid a small peice of 4x4 wood next to the bottom of the tire (on the inside under the car) and whacked it with a sledge hammer.

FYI for anyone else that runs into the problem.

Steve C.

[woaface]

Sometimes it helps to set the car down and try to loosen the bolts with the weight of the car on the wheel too. Glad we could all help ya:shot:

[rayjay]

swc69, use some lithium grease where the wheel makes contact with the hub. This will prevent this from happening in the future. Also grease the studs lightly and lastly don't forget to use a torque wrench to tighten up the lugs in the proper sequence. Prevents rotor wharping.

[CRUZTAKER]

Put some grease on the back of the wheel where it meets the hub....cause it WILL happen again.

[Marauder8]

It happens because the of where the alloy meets the steel. Chemical re action. Lube like the others said. A rubber mallet on inside of tire, not rim, should do the trick. Good Luck!!!

[gdmjoe]

Put some grease on the back of the wheel where it meets the hub....cause it WILL happen again.
Rather than grease, I would recommend Anti-Seize.

Also hit the rim backing where it contacts the rotor surface.

[Glenn]

Loosen all your wheel nuts about 1/4 to 3/8" on the stuck rim. Drive the car around the block. Works every time.

[Marauder]

Same thing happened to me on only the rear rims.

10 lb hammer and a 2 by 4 worked fine on the rear side of the rim/tire.

I used lithium grease after it came off to prevent it from happening again...

[Fourth Horseman]

Happened to me, too. I took the wire brush to the contact points that were all rusty looking and cleaned it up a bit, then used some lube before I put them back on. Today when I took them off to intall my Metco control arms, the wheels came off with ease.

[Skiordie53]

Happened to me tongiht trying to put the snow tires on. Thanks to this board, it gave me an idea as to h ow to get them off. thanks everyone!

[David Morton]

Please do NOT grease the lug studs or nuts. Two reasons: One, left side wheel lugs tend to loosen themselves by the rolling action (it's why Plymouth left side wheel lugs used to have left handed threads back in the 60s'); and two, it will cause the studs to stretch too much when you do torque them, starts them on the road to breaking. The torque value is calculated to be used with dry studs and nuts. The friction between the threads of each is what is keeping them tight. To save the threads they should be put on by hand with a spinner handle, never use a power tool to spin them on or off. That's what's wearing out the studs and nuts, not the lack of lubrication.

Whacking the tire with a hammer of sufficient weight will always get them off so why waste the grease and risk getting some on the lugs? If you're smart you'll have to clean the lugs if you do. Just rely on the hammer and you'll be fine.

[jgc61sr2002]

Rather than grease, I would recommend Anti-Seize.

Also hit the rim backing where it contacts the rotor surface.


I concur.^^^^^^^

[RUSTY]

Standard torques that are lubed should be reduced by 20% to avoid over torqueing.
When my dealer used a hammer to remove my discs on the bach of my MM they dammaged the threads on the studs. when they installed the lug nuts it removed the threads on the inside of them. I think the lug nuts are a softer metal than the studs so you might want to look in them for rolled or missing threads.

[CRUZTAKER]

Well...not just to be different or anything...and certainly not disagreeing with David as an insult....

I have ALWAYS put a thick substance we in the telecom business call NO-OX (the equivelent of thick brown vaseline) on the entire mating surface of the aluminum wheel on EVERY car's wheels in my, my families ownership, and my marauder local co-owners wheels for years.

I have NEVER had a problem with wheel lugs coming loose.

NEVER.

The wheels pop off every year with minimal effort.

And using just a hammer to hit the tire on a siezed MM wheel...gimme a frigin break...I have encountered wheels that required DRIVING the car with loose lug nuts to break the sieze!!!

It would take ANDRE the giant and a 40lb mallet to hit the tire hard enough...and Andre...whom I have met...IS DEAD!

[B.C. Bake]

Put some grease on the back of the wheel where it meets the hub....cause it WILL happen again.

I agree.:D

[Fastronald]

1. Glenn is right.does work very well.......did that trick in the Army.

2. Agree......anti-seize.