Dumbest Question Ever - How do I remove the rear wheels?
 

Maybe I'm retarded or close to it but I can't seem to remove the rear wheels on my FD. I've removed all the lug nuts but the wheels won't budge. They won't even rock on the lugs. I've changed a lot of wheels in my day but never had anything like this.

Has anyone ever run into this problem? If so, how do you get them off? Is there some kind of locking mechanism I need to know about?

Thanks,
Jeremy

they are corroded and stuck to the rusted hubs. kick them alot and/or hit the edges of the rim with a big rubber mallet. they'll come loose. maybe get under the car and kick them from the back side

take a rubber mallet and hit it on the tire. that should do the trick or lay down and kick it.

Ok, so I kicked them before, as hard as I could but nothing. Upon hearing the advice of #2 on the thread, I went outside and kicked them about 10 - 12 times and they finally came loose.

On the downside, I think I broke my foot!!! LOL!!

Thanks again guys for the help.

Jeremy

lol! :lol: poor guy.... now you wont be able to drive yer FD with a broken leg :pat: ... haha jus messin, i had the same problem... couple karate kicks and the monkey came loose....

Also, PB Blast or WD-40 helps... I thought I was gonna break my car trying to get the wheels off.

Clean off the rust, primer the area and spread a little never sieze on the area of contact before remounting the wheels. This will save you a Hospital bill for the broken legs in the future and help reroute those monies toward rx7 maintenance.

LOL is the E-brake on?

My head is about to explode trying to figure out why this would matter..

^ :rofl: .

DId you kick them from under the car? I'm a pussy so i wouldn't have the balls to do so. Scared of the car somehow falling on me.

:(
Definitely - I knew a guy that got killed because one of his cars fell on him while he was working on it - and he had worked on cars for decades before that happened. He got careless and didn't have it properly supported on stands.

Dave

If the wheel is REALLY rusted to the hub, you can use this technique but at your own risk. Put the lug nuts back on, but leave them somewhat loose (just so the wheel won't fall off). Lower the car back to the ground, start it up and drive in reverse slowly a few feet then get on the brakes hard coming to a complete stop. That should break it loose. If not, roll forward and repeat. Again do this at your own risk, but on really old beatery rusty cars this has worked for me in the past.

I usually just leave one lug threaded just a little bit. Then i kick the crap out of it. Big trucks are the worst.

The bitch about this is that 99% of all tire stores are such bitches about production that they won't take three minutes and $.25 to brush and then spray some anti-seize.

These are the same places that have their guys killed when cars fall on them because they can't get the tire off.

Anyway do yourself a favor and do it right. You can even spray on some product that converts rust to primer and then paint it while you're under there.

lol, how long has it been since the rear rims have been off the car? lol

Two words: Brass. Hammer.

:rofl:

The brass hammer works well since it's not going to mar the wheels too badly, but the sharp rap it makes will crack loose the corrosion.

My personal preference is to loosen the lugnuts a little bit, maybe just to 30ft-lb instead of the usual 75. Then when I lift the car and take them off they are usually unseized. If they're still stuck, I leave one lugnut threaded on loosely and take a deadblow hammer to the inside rim. I usually use a piece of wood so I can direct it on the solid part of the rim instead of the edge.

Kicking it is dangerous and unnecessary.

Dave

Yup....brass or kirksite hammer, and/or block of wood will do the trick EVERY time.
I remember the first time I took my wheels off.....both front AND back were like seemingly WELDED on. But my trusty 3 lb. brass hammer did its trick. After examining the galvanic corrosion that had taken place, I coated the mating surfaces with anti-seize and haven't had a problem since.

This is a question I can't answer. I bought the car about 4 or 5 months ago and it was in a non running state. The tires were bald and the guy said that the car had been sitting for about 3 months. Since it is a low mileage car for it's age and the tires were bald, I can only imagine how long they had been on there.

BTW guys, I got the tire off two days ago. However, I'm laughing my ass off over some of your comments.

I really like the one about the guys head exploding as to why it would matter about the e-brake. :rofl:

On our eclipse, the wheels seize fast after just a few months of driving, and that's with anti-seize in there. I think the anti-seize gets scraped clean of the pilot when you tighten the nuts. It's a really annoying thing.

Dave

I can't imagine the anti-seize holding up in that area very well. I would probably use a thin layer of some lithium grease instead. That should hold up a lot better.

Beg to differ Mahjik...

Marine grade 2400, Nickle ease or c5a can withstand temperatures up to 2600 degrees fahrenheit and is moisture resistant. This is what we use in the Refinery on Cat Crackers and Fired furnaces that exist out in the environment 24/7. Things come right apart if dressed properly on the mounting surfaces. Lithium grease would of flashed off long ago. I cannot imagine any brake system or axle hub running at a fraction of the temperature that antisieze protects. That is why they put a small tube in the box with your O2 sensor.

http://www.mrosolutions.com/piantsz.htm#sol2600

Tom

I used to have a '93 Legacy Turbo as a beater. It had been sitting for months and months before I bought it. I had to replace all four rotors because it had been sitting so long. I had the same problem. A dead blow had no effect on the wheel. I ended up getting a huge sledge hammer and an 8' 2x4. I had someone hold the 2x4 as I struck it from the far side of the car.

Armitages technique seems to be the best and safest, but could cause some damage.