Rear Wheel won't come off

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martinakl

martinakl

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Threads
66
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238
Location
Boise, ID 83704
I was trying to take the passanger side rear wheel off a 1997 LX450 a couple weeks ago and it wouldn't budge at all. No movement, no wiggle, nothing at all. I was actually pretty soar for a couple days after jerking on the wheel for about 15 minutes. Am I missing something??? I've had to change flat tires in the past and I've switched out wheels, so it's not that I don't know. It's usually an easy process but maybe I don't understand something about cruisers? Is it rust? A secret retainer ring or something? I just bought it a couple months ago so I am a newbie. :flipoff2: I sprayed some WD40 on the hub/bolts and put it all back together. It's been a couple weeks but I'm kind of wondering if I can't get it off in the garage, what will I do if I need to do it for real because of a problem in the field?
 
Nothing special. The stock has one keyed nut. I assume that is not what you having problem with. Someone must have torqued it way too much (76 ft-lb is the spec for alloy wheel). Be careful not to break the studs. If you don't have access to a good impact wrench, I'd stop by a mechanic shop and have them loosen them for you. I can't imagine they'd charge you more than $10.
 
I'm guessing you got all the lug nuts off right?

Sounds like its just stuck on...so here's what I do if I cannot get it off with the Persuader (The Persuader is a really effing big mallet, really big, or a pry bar).

BE CAREFUL DOING THIS...I loosen all the lug nuts up, just a little, maybe three or four turns from tight, and drive the vehicle just a little, turn if you need to, or just dropping it off the jack might do.

Then lift it back up and it should have come off. Once loose I will typically apply grease or anti-seize to the rotor's hat and back-side of a wheel to assist in future wheel removals. Yes, they will corrode on if infrequently removed.

And no there is no trick to removal...
 
quit being a wuss and smack the crap out of it to knock it loose.
 
They're a pretty tight fit. Had mine off a lot lately. They're still a bear sometimes. Truck up , nuts off, turn around and kick the hell outta the TIRE, alternating sides of the tire to knock it loose. Won't hurt anything and takes less time than looking for Mallet, Penetrating Spray, etc.:bounce2:
 
Thanks guys. Yes, the lug nuts are off. They were way too tight to start with. I thought may have been part of the issue.

I swear, everytime I use force I break something. I get results. It's just the "clean up" is usually more than it needs to be. I'm trying to buy a lift and tires so I have to be carefull not to spend money fixing my mistakes. I kicked the tires, dropped it, raised it and kicked them again and nothing happend. That led me to think maybe I was missing something.

I will try driving it with them just a little loose and then the large mallet/hammer/prybar options. I'll clean and grease up the axel/hub/bolts area.
 
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Indeed, they are a really tight fit too...so it may just be a pry bar, rotate 180, pry bar again and they will come off.

As they are aluminum, they don't corrode as badly as steel wheels will. But in a pinch, driving it with loose lugs will do the trick...a little scary but effective.

I'd try a pry bar first...
 
Never seen that in Arizona, so I'm going to blame rust. Take a wire brush to the hub when you get the wheel off.
 
hubcentric...:)

never an issue here that a swift kick in the... tire.... wouldn't solve

don't go overboard with lube near the brakes, of course...
 
Dropping the jack should break the tire free, I had this problem when I first got my truck and I hit the tire a few times with a maul.
 
Better practice with the foot. What you gonna do with a flat and none of those tools around?
 
e9999 said:
don't go overboard with lube near the brakes, of course...
Click to expand...

YES...important point. Anti-seize and not much of it works best IMO. Good resistance to heat (i.e., no melting, yikes!), and a little bit will go a long way.

BADM said:
Better practice with the foot. What you gonna do with a flat and none of those tools around?
Click to expand...

That's why you take your tires off ahead of time, at some point, and lube up the wheel back-sides.

And also boys, be sure to lube your spare tire winch if you still use yours and live in a rust-belt area. If not, it will surely NEVER work when you need it to! Slight hyjack, but I drop my spare and lube the winch every year or every other at the very least.
 
I also found a spare that is not moved around or rotated into the rotation pattern will eventually wear grooves in the sidewall after ten or so years. Best to check it every decade or so.

I gotta get a new spare sometime.

1993 Land Cruiser
 
I've had this happen several times on other vehicles. Aluminum will form a weak bond with steel when under pressure for a long time. If you put the lugnuts back on finger tight, back them off 1/4 turn, and then drive up and down your driveway a few times, the wheel will break loose.
 
Just get a BFH!!!! Big Freaking Hammer!!! Hit it from inside out. It will work... :D
 
SBFJ60FIG said:
And also boys, be sure to lube your spare tire winch if you still use yours and live in a rust-belt area. If not, it will surely NEVER work when you need it to! Slight hyjack, but I drop my spare and lube the winch every year or every other at the very least.
Click to expand...

Also, never let someone else reinstall the spare under the truck. For a good laugh, check out "Have you seen my spare"
 
jlg32281 said:
quit being a wuss and smack the crap out of it to knock it loose.
Click to expand...

jvazquez53 said:
Just get a BFH!!!! Big Freaking Hammer!!! Hit it from inside out. It will work... :D
Click to expand...

It could be the "wuss" factor, but if the BFH doesn't work it's most likely corrosion. I had a steel wheel stuck on the hub of my car recently. Beat it relentlessly with a 8lb long handled sledge and then pried it with a 5 ft pry bar. Wheel hole spacing was not diametrical so getting a puller in there was not an option.

In the end a I tickled the wheel hub with the flame from an oxy/acetylene torch using a rosebud and the wheel fell off after a couple of seconds. Didn't take much at all - keep in mind this was a STEEL wheel, not a fancy aluminum alloy. Reinstalled with a little high temp Jet Lube (Neverseize) so it wouldn't happen again. Just don't get it on your rotors!
 
undo the nuts half way and drive around the block turning the steering wheel so as to load the rear wheel right and left to move it have to do that to crapy mercs to gett here wheels off
 
Enginerd's got it. Used to do this on my full size Montero regularly.
 
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