What? I have axle WASHERS holding the wheel on?

[harpon]

I went to put a factory alloy with a new 155 80r tire on yesterday-

got it jacked up and the lugs off-

and the stupid wheel still wont come off-

it looks as if the axle washer in the center, under the friggin nut is larger than the wheel center.

???!!!

I can't believe this!

So last fall I got a big 25 mm socket - it seems the lip of the axle is bent down to keep it on-

can someone refresh me as to the threads?

are these all right hand thread or are they different on each side? This particular one s the front left- can't see the right as it's parked n the shed, and the back wheel has a cover over the center- hope they aren't all like this.

Who could be so stupid as to put an axle nut over a wheel that might have a flat n the road? And where can I get new washers if it does the same with the alloy wheel? :fofd:

[bravekozak]

Do a search for "left hand thread" and don't forget the double quotes.

[FestYboy]

Show a pic, I suspect that you are seeing things

[harpon]

You'll have to take my word for it fester

[harpon]

I mean Festus

[jfd64]

front axles are right hand threads as is drivers side rear.Passenger rear axle is the backward ,left hand thread.I would try taking a big sledge hammer and hit the rubber of the tire to loosen the wheel.

[TominMO]

The only reverse or left-hand thread on a Festy is the one holding the right rear brake drum on. If you don't get it off, post a pic so we can see exactly the problem you are referencing.

[harpon]

OK- looks like it's been PAINTED on- I was focusing too much in the center of the hub- when I looked at an extra steelie I have I realized the center bore is much bigger- So I've been out there with some solvent and trying to chase the groove in but still no go- very hot in the shed in Florida right now and I'm in a total sweat in a couple of miniutes-

but at least now I know I won't have to buy any washer parts or take the center nut off. My Aspire tranny is back to about normal now- see thread in custom drive trains- and It'll get done. Thanks for the input!


my '67 Peugeot PX- 10- Summer of Love edition

[Eaglefreek]

If it's just painted on, once the lug bolts are out and the car is securely on a jack stand and jack, give the tire a good few kicks or a hit with a sledge hammer.

[wirebrain]

Aluminum wheels are known for corroding and sticking, spray the centers with PB Blaster hit the rubber tires with a sledge working your way around the tire...outside and inside. let sit and repeat as necessary. Also sometimes you can get a pry bar between the wheel and the brake drum and do some prying. Just be careful not to bend the lip of the rim. Last ...when you go to re-install, apply some anti-seeze around the center and to where the rim comes in contact with the drum or hub.

[harpon]

It's a steelie wheel- I chased t quite a bit and can't imagine that paint is holding it on now- it's either rusted on the hub or the bore has just been pushed onto the axle. Very frustrating, with the cost of solvent these days- still no luck, and every time I've tried, I'm soaking n sweat in a few minutes.

I don't have a sledge hammer, but have hot it from the inside with a regular hanmer on the steel wheel, and pried it several ways. Getting ridiculous- thank god this isn't happening on the side of the road! badh2

[Basement_Modder]

I knew a guy that had to drive around his yard lug-free for 15 minutes each to free the front steelies from the hubs.

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[tooldude]

Try loosening the wheel bolts slightly, just enough to have an increment of space from the seat so the wheel can move. Then drive for a short distance at low speed (as on a long driveway, parking lot etc) while steering back and forth sharply and the weight and force of the car will separate the wheel and hub.

[Greywolf]

When I put some of the extra wheels I had from Festivas on the Suzuki Swift project, the centers of the rims were just a tiny bit smaller than the boss on the hubs. But that won't be the case here.

What I did find on EVERY wheel on both cars I collected is that rust between the rims and the hubs made them stick fast (which sounds like a contradiction, how in hell can something that is stuck be fast?) but anyway. HAMMER that summitch off if you have to, but once you get it off clean any rust off the mating surfaces and coat them with anti-sieze compound. There's no way a wheel could have been on my cars since the day they rolled out of the factory, so this is a thing we need to prevent on a regular basis. Anti-sieze compound is available dirt cheap and will stop that from happening again.

To break them loose there is an old formula that may help, make a fifty fifty mix of transmission fluid and acetone. The trans fluid will lubricate and break down any corrosion, the acetone helps it to percolate into the gaps.

I can think of at least one semi-dangerous way to break it loose using the weight of the car. Put your lug bolts back in, and then turn them about one and a half turns out from tight. Set the car on the ground and rock it from side to side. Like I said - it's a somewhat drastic and dangerous thing to do, but it might crack the rim loose from the hub a little. - I see that a similar suggest has already been made. Rocking the car would actually be safer!

If you have an old fashioned BUMPER JACK you can also slide a length of pipe onto the jack and crank the rim off using the opposite side tire and wheel as the fixed point. As a matter of fact - you can do that with a scissors jack and a length of two by four!

TRY THIS:
With the wheel up, and the lugs out, lay a scissors jack on its side with the foot of the jack against the sidewall of the opposite tire. (!)
Crank the jack out to just over half of its extension (this is because they have more leverage at the top of the jacks stroke).
Lay a flat board or a sheet of metal down under the side of the jack so it can slide instead of digging into the ground.
Find or cut a two by four long enough to prop between the jack head and the wheel you are trying to bust loose.
(Landscape timbers or thick branches of deadfall also work. I note that because on a road trip fallen branches may be your only resource)
~ Crank the jack...

I never give away or sell scissors jacks because they are just too damned useful when doing bodywork and stuff! And this is prezactly that kind of "STUFF" :tm:

I bet it busts loose on the first try
(?) PS: Don't hurt yourself...

"INDUSTRIAL MIGHT AND LOGIC!!!"
~LUCASFILMS Motto

[harpon]

The thing of it is- this is a Florida car- and there's no rust underneath at all-

I'll probably try the driving slightly with loose lugs if the WD=40 and oil haven't freed it before that.
the car hasn't moved since out of the shed last summer. Should I be able to turn a drive wheel in neutral? This wheel won't budge.

This is wearing me out. 62 and not getting any stronger.