UKC

Anyone had any experience with an alloy that refuses to come off?

Had a blow out tonight on the M25, and no matter what I did I couldn't get the wheel off, so called recovery out, who also couldn't budge it, so he's dropped me and the car at home, but I still have the problem of getting the bugger off in the morning. I've soaked it in gt85, hoping it'll work some magic overnight.... Any other ideas? (and yes I did take the bolts out!)

In reply to balmybaldwin: Make a little tent around it with an old duvet and get a fan heater rigged up to get as much heat into it as possible then give it a bloody good kick right on the edge of the tyre

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Hit it with a rubber mallet....

In reply to balmybaldwin: Consistent application of rhythmic percussion.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Bit of wood up against it to soften the blow and smack it with a lump hammer/sledge hammer.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

A workmate had this problem on a Mondeo alloy wheel.

Normally a few hits on the outside of the tyre at varying points sorts it out.

But after trying a 6 lb sledge hammer for five minutes..

We propped the car up well and hit it from underneath the car on the inside of the wheel with a (Big ) hammer. DO NOT do this only using the jack for obvious reasons.

Foul temper and a company car he did not worry about the effect on the alloy!

A vote for steel wheels.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

It's happened a couple of times. One time to an ugly alloy I had a sledge hammer to hand. The other time a steel. I threw the spare at alternate edges of the tyre repeatedly until it worked loose. Woolsack's idea is a *much* better bet but I was in a hurry

jk

In reply to balmybaldwin: I had massive trouble getting my winter wheels off a couple of months ago. After you've let the oil soak first option is to hit the tyre with a mallet, leave a wheel nut on so it doesn't go flying if it comes off.

I've never had that work, next step loosen all your nuts but not totally off, jack the other side of the car up (so the weight is on the wheel that's stuck) and shake the car a bit. This usually works, but it didn't for me last time.

Last option loosen the wheel nuts as much as you dare and drive it into a few corners in the car park. You'll hear the wheel pop.

If it's a steel wheel you've got the option of heating it or deforming the metal with a hammer, but if you've got alloys that's no use.

In reply to Sharp:


When I've needed to resort to something more than a hammer I loosen the nuts off a bit, roll the car forward at 2-3 mph and jump on the brakes.

Impact wrench.

In reply to balmybaldwin: Lube

In reply to woolsack:

Hmm, it was already pretty hot when I stopped and first tried, so think i'll try physical means before more heat, plus its forecast to rain in the morning so cant run a heater.


Thinking further, should I copper grease the back of the wheel when I replace it? Assuming I can get it off!

In reply to Ashley:

The flat tyre is still on it though, think this will be last resort if a rubber mallet doesnt work

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Yes, definitely. Not so much the back of the wheel but the spigot tat locates and centres it, that is where it is stuck

In reply to balmybaldwin: This used to happen all the time on my Peugot putting winters on/off . Jack it up with a decent jack, and, via a wooden block, 'tap' it with a sledgehammer on the edge of the rim.

I can also believe that loosening the wheel bolts and then turning the wheels repeatedly on the spot will help.

Good luck. Hitting it is not a comfortable experience

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Copperslip, But not on the wheel nuts/studs.

In reply to butteredfrog: nothing wrong with a smear of copper slip on the threads. It actually allows them to achieve proper tightening torque

In reply to woolsack:

Mercedes workshop practice says big no no!

In reply to butteredfrog: So what does their workshop practice say is an appropriate thread lubricant? Do they offer an alternative? Almost all texts I've ever seen relating to high end fasteners say it is essential to get the correct torque, either copper slip or molybdenum grease.

Middle of the page:
http://arp-bolts.com/pages/technical_installation.shtml

ARP ultra looks like a moly grease

In reply to balmybaldwin:

A variation on the jacking up the other side of the car scheme is this -Get an old short sling and thread it through one of the holes at the top of the wheel. Jack up the other side. Take a strong bar (scaffold pole, jumping bar or similar, but at least 5 feet long) and feed it through the sling and rest it against the ground and the rim. If it's a pretty wheel, a bit of ply and cloth to protect the rim is prudent. For heaven's sake make sure the wheel nuts are still on but loose enough to allow the wheel to move. Then heave, or if the bar is stiff enough and you have an assistant hit the bar (said assistant can also hit the wheel too). Bear in mind that when it goes, the bar will go with it.

If it's really not happening, go to Staples or somewhere and get a can of compressed air (used for blowing dust out of keyboards).

Wear gloves and discharge the whole thing onto the wheel in one go, which will freeze it - and pull as above. It helps if you can get some heat into the disc and hub first - but obviously you can't do that - the easiest way then is to drive, heat the wheel up, loosen the bolts, freeze and drive in a circle

In reply to nniff:

Cooling the wheel will just shrink it onto the central spigot, not that a can of blower spray will significantly cool a wheel.
jk

In reply to woolsack:

Dry threads, 100-110NM

In reply to jkarran:

It won't be anything near as tight a fit as that - if it were you'd never get one on or off - all you're trying to do is get some movement between the hub and the wheel to try a free off the corrosion that's sticking them together. Bear in mind that we're down to last resorts here before we go and get special tools and start making up oversize sprocket pullers.

Those cans generate enough cold to make a Kryptonite bike lock so cold that it will shatter if hit hard with a hammer.

In reply to nniff:


That's a long thin piece of steel, not a large near solid piece of alloy used in part for it's heat-sinking performance. Knocking it about a bit, either with the gearbox/brakes or a mallet will get it free.

I know it's not a tight interference fit to begin with but add some corrosion and it gets pretty tight. Cooling slightly it only makes it tighter.

jk

In reply to balmybaldwin:
blimey lots of ideas on here, some with dubious foundation though. The time honoured way of freeing stuck wheels is to drive out to an empty car park, loosen off the 4 nuts/bolts but leave at lease half the thread screwed in. Drive forward at a fair old speed <rapid 10/20mph in first> and jump on the brakes, emergency stop stylee. The momentum shock will prob free it off first time, if not just repeat forwards and back a few times. Don't forget to retighen the nuts before driving home. The OP has a disabled car though and car drive it <blow out> so secure on axle stands, use a scaffold tube as a long drift <from the other side of the car> on the edge of the rim and get a mate to whack the end of the tube with a sledge hammer. You may trash the wheel but that is the least of your worries ATM. A slide hammer may also work and even more drastically you can remove the whole hub and replace from the scrap yard providing you can get to the wheel bearing nut.

In reply to jkarran:

Seeing as hitting it hasn't worked, and with a blown out tyre he's not going to be doing much braking or moving off smartly - have you got any better ideas?

Answers in the post below please.

In reply to nniff:


Hit it more and hit it harder. It's brutal but effective.
jk

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Just drive it to Lenton in Nottingham. All four wheels will be off before you know it.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Yes

Get a Book about 1 inch thick and a large boulder about 10kg place the book up against the top side of the wheel and hit the book with the boulder (Hard) if you aim to strike the Alloy wheel through the book, i had to do it a few times and off it popped

Jason

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Thanks guys for the suggestions... in the end I managed to get it off with a bit more gt85, and about an hours worth of kicking it really hard

Yes. Those definitely work.