No, not for nefarious reasons

Yesterday evening I had a flat and after removing the bolts in the cold 25 degree weather without gloves (it was supposed to be just a quick trip to the grocery store), the wheel would not come off. So I called AllState road side assistance. Spent over 30 minutes on the phone with them but they could not find anyone to come out, neither under contract nor for me paying directly. The lady said she called 16 towing places around me but they wouldn't come out.

I tried tapping the wheel with my foot, the wheel wrench, and even tried bumping it with the spare wheel to no avail. Thankfully, there was a hardware store in pretty short walking distance where I purchased a hefty hammer. A couple of thumps on the back side of the wheel and it popped loose.

So does anyone have a good scientific explanation for why the wheel to gets stuck to the hub? This one had been on for less than six months - when I last rotated tires.

 

nah only a baseball bat (for nefarious reasons)

as for the wheel not coming off..i dunno maybe bad luck? i know u mentioned u called allstate roadside assistance, but did u try calling TLC?

 

yeh why wouldnt u just call TLC....

 

Had that problem happen with my friends Accord Coupe, took a 15lb sledge to the back and popped right off, something with the corrosion sealing the wheel to the hub..

 

It would have been alot easier for you to just let the jack down to bear a little weight on the wheel with the lugs off or loosened and that would have popped it loose for ya

 

no hammer, but i got a screw driver set, a baseball bat, and a tennis racket... i dont even play tennis

 

good idea..ill keep that in mind if i ever run into this type of problem

 

I forgot to mention that, but most times that will do the trick just lowering the car a bit, unless its been a long time and the wheel is literally welded to the hub, then pull out the sledge!!

 

lower the car a little bit and kick the tire at the bottom and then the top. Repeat until it comes loose, then raise the car up a little. Or you can lower the jack so the weight of the car is back on the wheel, but that may not do to much good as the hub will still be on the rims and will not get that loose.

 

I hope your kept the receipt and returned the hammer.

 

LOL...nice.

 

i guess you've never owned a BMW..... try removing one of THOSE wheels without a sledgehammer or baseball bat... the TL? i've never, ever had a problem, and i've removed my wheels over 15 times.

 

Seems the wheel was overtightened if you ask me. Keep a lead pipe in the trunk that will slide over the end of the wrench in the tool kit, gives extra leverage and is useful for nefarious reasons if necessary.

 

I was gonna say kick is but then I read how cold it is

ps. I called acura roadside couple weeks back for a dead battery, they showed up in 15mins

 

i keep a lead pipe, for other reasons, but it can also come helpful in your situation
also got a baseball bat and a machete, in case the Yankees want me to play for them or if i ever get stuck in a jungle

 

if there was any lube/oil around the hub, it might have frozen a little witch makes it expand and that would cause the wheel to not come off?? it would have made the fit in between the tire and the hub really small.

 

For the other reasons, carry a gun.. it works better.

 

nj is strict

 

Right to bare arms yuppp!!!....and a bat and a 3 foot snap-on crobar. =)

 

I think the reason why the wheel was hard to come off is because the rotor surface (where the wheel is mounted) was rusty.

When I took my car to have them rotated (Good Year) last month, the guy had a hard time taking on of my wheels off. The manager came over, and told me something about rust buildup. So he had his tech sand the excess rust off, so next time the wheels will be easier to coming off loose.

 

Shooting the tire? LOL (j/k)


If you guys think this is bad, imagine how much fun those 18 wheeler drivers go thru during the winter...lol...try to use a little hammer on that...

 

Supposedly its mainly corrosion. Probably a little bit of hardened road slime too.

 

the cause is corrosing due to two dissimilar metals, the aluminum on the rim and the steel from the rotor react and corrode causing it to stick like it did. I drove a tow truck for many years and usually when I encountered this problem giving the rim a good whack with the spare would knock it loose, if it was really stuck then I would resort to hitting it from the back like you did

 

You got that right. That has got to make them crazy.

 

I know, though perhaps not as well as you. Virginia is the most lenient state in the South when it comes to carrying a firearm. Guess they know better than to interfere with our rights.

 

Next time you have the wheels off use a wire wheel etc to clean the hub area then a thin layer of wheel bearing grease or the like will help a lot.. Notice I said thin .. don't gob it on. Anti Sieze also works but don't use it on the bolts.

 

yes, this is a bummer. kick the wheel while the car is on the jack and it falls over, not fun.

seen this with my preveous Supras. it's a problem between aluminum and steed (dis-similar metals).

i've been told to coat the face of the hub (that meets the rim) with anti-seize, supposed to fix that.

don't know if it works, but i did come close to kicking the car off the jacks a few times.


chris

 

i keep a sledgehammer in my trunk. it helps to release some anger sometimes. thats just me though

 

lol for some reason my trunk is the equivalent of a home depot, i have 2 hammers , 225 piece craftsman ratchet set, a whole bunch of skrew drivers, nails skrews, a power drill, attachments for the power drill, and a skill saw

 

No hammer...but one of these for the "other reasons"!

 

I keep a shotgun, a pic, and a shovel in my trunk along with a few plastic drop cloths. I never know when I have to make a late nite run to Satrielle's pork staw.