Wheel Stuck on Car; Won't come off

That is usually a corrosion (Oregon Loctite) problem.

Put the lug nuts back on, then loosen them several turns.

Then drive the car back and forth a few times (3 or 4 mph is enough) and jab the brakes hard to stop each time. That should brake the wheel loose so then you can jack the car up and take it off.

Don't drive the car on the road with the lug nuts loose

When you put the wheel back on, wire brush away any corrosion and put a little grease or anti-seize where the aluminum wheel contacts the steel hub.

 

I use xs650's technique, except I've not had to resort to rolling the car. Usually the wheel will break loose as you drop the car back down. One time I had to actually settle it completely on the floor, and then give a downward push or two on that corner, before it broke free.

 

They did that on my 07 after one year. Like the last poster said I just loosened the nuts up and dumped the jack and they popped off.

I greased the tire/wheel mating surface real good with synthetic grease and after bolting it up wiped off the excess and 3 years later when I went to rotate the tires they came right off.

When the tire is off the car push off the center cap from behind and leave it off. Mount the tire and fill that center cap well with grease and then pop the center cap back on. Keeps the hub nut from getting really rusted on. Did you see hoiw rusted that was?
No grease leaked out to get on the rotor either.
Big galvanic action there with disimilar metal.

 

When you do get the wheel off....and you will with a little sweat maybe,anyhoo,before you put it back on,use a wire brush to clean off around the hub and apply a little grease and give the inside of the centre of the wheel itself a rub,it'll help the next time especially if you're stranded on a motorway with a flat.

 

Alloy just means that they are mix of two or more metals and possibly other elements. You will never find wheels made from pure aluminum, they would be too weak.

The problem is that aluminum (the wheel) and iron or steel (the hub) have different values on the galvanic scale which is some 25 cent words for saying they form a battery when wet and that causes them to corrode and adhere to each other

 

Loose nuts and hard braking usually loosen my wheels. But the last time I couldn't take off 2 stuck rear (alloy) wheels, I went to a tire shop. They hit the wheels out (no nuts) from inside with a 3-foot sledge hammer, while rear end was on a jack. I'm thinking of buying a sledge hammer so next time I can remove the wheels myself. I change wheels twice a year on two cars (summer & winter tires on separate rims). I worry about damaging my wheels with sledge hammer, but that seemed to be the only way that time. Any thoughts?

 

Use of a sledge hammer is really a last resort. You should first try more subtle approaches, like loosening the lug nuts and applying the brakes as previously suggested. Or raise up the corner of the car with a hydraulic floor jack, then drop it down with the lug nuts loose. Or kick the tire with your shoe-clad foot when the corner of the car is securely raised up with a jackstand.

Once you have the wheels loose then it would be a good idea to lubricate the hub face and wheel interior with a small amount of high temp grease since you know that this will be an ongoing problem.

 

I also would NOT be using a sledge hammer to beat on your wheels (NOW - if you can hit ONLY the tire from the inside - maybe )!!! You WILL damage them.

 

I've used the big hammer on the inside to knock a stuck wheel loose, but I don't hit the wheel, that would really damage an alloy wheel, but it really works well if you hit the tire. I have had to rotate the tire and hit in several locations around the tire, but it always works.

 

Rubber mallet did the trick for me.

 

Also first block the vehicle from rolling.
Release the emergency brake.
And no one inside stepping on the brakes, either.
Just wanted to be complete.

 

Haiku. Nice.

 

Thanks for this.
The wife did what you suggested and it worked.... except the part about putting the lug nuts back on.
*KA-CHUNK!*
D'oh.

Hopefully the cost of repairing the wheel will be less than the tow and taxi would have been. (i think the odds are good here in the DC suburbs.)

 

I often, at least if it's not super-ultra-eterna-stuck, get a pretty good result by grabbing something out of my toolbox that has a long skinny plastic-covered handle (so as not to mar the wheel), and sticking said handle between the wheel 'spokes' and against the caliper bracket (the part that doesn't slide) and prying. Gives a surprising amount of mechanical advantage, and often almost uneventfully pops off a wheel that was quite refractory to other types of persuasion.

-Chap

 

If you do use a sledge hammer, just have a friend hold a 2x4 in front to hit the tire with from behind. I've had good luck with this method. Of course, you want a stable jack (agree I wouldn't do this with the emergency jack that comes with the 2nd gen!). The loosening the lugs a few turns and doing a hard brake I never thought of. Good advice!

Something I've noticed on my tires this year when switching over to winter tires is that when taking them off, usually the wheel will only move in one direction initially. I have to push on all different sides until I find a way in which it is loose. Then similar to baby teeth, I wiggle it back and forth and it slowly comes loose.

 

Just happened the same thing to me. I called the insurance's travel assistance to take care of it. Took some time take it off with a couple on hard kicks but it finally popped. The strange thing, there was NO RUST. The operator showed me that at the previews service they put Locktite. Wth seriously what for?

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