Getting the front wheel off??? What the heck?

kip · 09-20-2008, 04:02 PM

HI

I was hoping someone could give me some idea how to get a seized wheel off??? There are 4 bolts on the front wheel all removed and it will not budge. There is some rust and corrosion in between the wheel and shaft. I've tried using liquid wrench and left that for a while but no go... Any ideas?

Thanks,

MrVette · 09-20-2008, 07:01 PM

Mine has 5 lug nuts...Double check that you got them all then get mad and kick the tire... that usually frees up the rust. Put some vasoline or silicon Grease (not setting silicon or gasket type) on the face when reinstalling.

scottnkelley · 09-22-2008, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrVette

Mine has 5 lug nuts...Double check that you got them all then get mad and kick the tire... that usually frees up the rust. Put some vasoline or silicon Grease (not setting silicon or gasket type) on the face when reinstalling.

We had to get underneath and gently, mind you gently tap on the back side of the rim to break it free. My 00 also had 5 lugs. Hope this helped

alldonein · 10-10-2008, 02:57 PM

I don't know if this is too late but here goes.

Take lug nuts off while wheel is on the ground, then put them back on again until there is about 3 turns left .

drive back and forth about 5 feet a few times and according to the website , that should do it.

Aaiiee · 10-11-2008, 10:37 PM

My father in law had a similar problem with his Mazda Protoge. The dissimilar metals of mag alloy and the mounting surface on the hub will react "electrolytic-ally" effectively welding the wheel on -- albeit a relatively weak weld in welding terms.

He called the tire shop and asked what they do. Their response was that they kick the tire like a mule (rubber not rim, back kick hitting with the heel) as hard as they can and until it breaks free. That's what he ended up doing. The worst of them took him over ten minutes. He said he was tired, sweaty and out of breath by the end.

As a parallel, and possibly relevant story, I was speaking with my neighbor today on the topic of spark plugs and such. He told me of how some of the recent GM (I think he said it was GM) models come with spark plugs guaranteed not to need changing for over 100,000 miles. Nobody reads the manual however where it tells the owner to take them out every 50,000 miles otherwise the dissimilar metals weld themselves together and you can not remove them at 100,000. (Makes you wonder what's the point of not changing them if you have to take them out any way).

So... in order to prevent wheels from bonding to hubs and drums, remove them regularly. If you find them still bonding, increase the frequency. If memory from Chem 12 serves correctly, this bonding is more likely to occur in wet, salty conditions which favour the electrolysis. It's good opportunity to check the breaks, rotate the tires, whatever needs doing down there at the moment. (I'm not preaching --my last rotation is way overdue).

jory · 10-16-2008, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alldonein

I don't know if this is too late but here goes.

Take lug nuts off while wheel is on the ground, then put them back on again until there is about 3 turns left .

drive back and forth about 5 feet a few times and according to the website , that should do it.

that works like a charm every time. drive back and forth turning your steering wheel hard and they'll come loose.

kiaracer · 10-16-2008, 09:59 PM

when i have to take a seized wheel off...i take all the lug nuts off except 1 but keep that one loose then kick the wheel and it pops off easy. when you put the wheel back on be sure to spray some rust/corrosion penatrant on the mating surfaces to prevent future seizing.

ESKORT27 · 10-16-2008, 09:59 PM

pry between where the tie rod bolts onto the spindle (pry on the spindle part) and the rim with a good long solid bar. This is better thsn brute force because nothing gets damaged and the possibility of hurting your foot is eliminated. Trust me i deal with seized on kia rims every day.

kiaracer · 10-16-2008, 10:17 PM

yeah i tried everything else and besides that method was only used on a chrysler. lol but i do recommend spraying rust penatrant on the mating surfaces before you put the wheel back on. it's proven to work.

Bur Jr · 10-22-2008, 06:59 AM

I had this same problem with my '01 2-door. I tried all of the above-mentioned techniques, kicking the wheel, loosening the lugs and driving it for a short distance and nothing worked. I finally used a harmonic balancer puller by positioning the metal bracket behind two on the spokes on my alloys and bracing the end of the bolt against the brake rotor and forced the wheels off.