[Blizzard]

Haven't posted in awhile, my work blocked this site with websense, luckily, another engineer installed a work around for us!

I had a flat today going to work, got the lug nuts off without a problem, but the darn stock wheel was rusted tight to the hub. I have a 2 wheel drive, but the front wheels look just like 4 wheel drive wheels (just with an empty hub in the middle).

I tried lowering the jack and driving the truck forward and back a few feet, on the flat tire to loosen it. Still no go. I eventually gave up and called a friend who brought a 3 lb hammer. And we had beat it off the hub, from the inside of the wheel (with a phonebook to protect the wheel).

The wheels had been rotated about 3k miles ago, but it was rusted tight. Anybody else ever run into this problem? Is there an easier method to get it off rather than beat it off (that's the wheel guys, the wheel....)

Thanks. Blizzard

 

[P's Titan]

dont recall reading about this one, were r u located ? could possibly have something to with the climate and it rusting together quicly ??

 

[Blackbeauty]

Wow! I have never heard of this except for junkers that sit in the front yard for 15 years! That is just odd. Anything you do to wiggle it or beat it off while all jacked up...... there's just no way to end that sentence with any sort of dignity....... :lol:

Seems odd that this would happen. Aluminum to steel bond is typically done through a heat or chemical process. I didn't think it got that hot for extended lengths of time.

I would think, however, that grabbing opposite ends of the tire and alternately pulling on it would work it loose. You get the best leverage the further away from the hub you grab the tire. Again, doing so could cause it to slip off the jack, so extreme care should be taken and the spare should be placed under the truck just in case the worst should happen.

 

[bbomar]

When I had the wheels switched on my truck, they put some kind of jell on the rotor and studs. I guess an anti-seize type jell.

 

[54warrior]

Sometimes I'll use some Anti-Sneeze on it.

 

[Blizzard]

I'm located in the northern tip of Virginia. And the wheel hadn't been on there that long (assuming they actually did rotate my tires).

But it was locked up tight, of course the hub itself was rusted, but around it where the aluminum wheel made contact, you could see some white like it may have been aluminum oxide or something that was adding to it.

It was hard to find a leverage point that wouldn't scratch the wheel up. We both tried grabbing it and working it free, kicking it, prying (gently), even using the weight of the truck. We were about to go get a 2x4 and try that when my buddy said he wanted to try smacking it with the hammer from the inside.

That did worry me since it was up on the jack, but we were on a level piece of concrete in the Sheetz parking lot and the truck was actually very stable considering the position it was in.

I have some anti-sieze that I use on sparkplug threads, I may try putting that on the 1/2" of the hub that sticks out into the wheel.

 

[sudden urge]

I just had mine rotated at the dealer at 7700 miles, and I saw the guy using a big mallet on the front tires. The wheels were off before at 1800 miles when they did the brake judder TSB. A couple whacks and they broke free.

 

[Blackbeauty]

I just rotated mine about 2 weeks ago. Had 7500 miles since the last rotation. No problems at all. Weird.....