Removing wheel - am I missing something obvious?

[Jnr_vRS]

Ok so earlier the tyre pressure light lit up on my dash so I popped to the garage to check the pressure only to notice a screw sticking out from the middle of the rear tyre. So I sets up by hauling the spare out the boot, loosened the nuts off and jacked it up, however there was just no shifting the wheel from the car. Am I being a total douchè and missing something obvious? Not like I've never changed a tyre before but this stumped me. Had to return home on the 'screwed' tyre to go get it fixed in the morning. Any ideas?

[devonutopia]

Get a piece of wood against the back of the wheel and hit it with a hammer - sledgehammer would be good, at various points around the wheel. Eventually the surface corrosion which is making it stick on will give way. Refit wheel with copper grease.

[JerryT]

Good advice from Devon there or a rubber use headed mallet.

[Jazzleman1]

Sledgehammer is a bit extreme, you dont want to knock the car off the jack. Yes, tap it and use the wood to protect ur wheel (it also spreads the impact) what's 'probably' happened is that all the mud/water/brake dust/etc has just 'glued' the wheel on. It's quite normal if the wheel has not been off for some time.

[xman]

The easy way to remove that "stuck" wheel as taught me by another on this forum:-

Slacken off the wheel bolts by a couple of turns. Then lower the car and remove the jack. Rock the car sideways until the wheel releases from the hub.

Jack the car back up and remove the bolts and wheel!

Before you drive off make sure you tighten the bolts up (first with wheel in the air and then properly when on the ground)

edit: revised my previous advice to remove jack completely when lowered. I was in a rush this morning when posting.....

Edited 10 April, 2012 by xman

[awfabia]

Yep, good advice from these guys. Also, how about removing ALL 4 wheels whilst at home in the dry and applying a little copper grease so you can be sure that they will come off at the roadside as most wheel changes are not at a convenient place.

I had one reply to a post of mine saying that copper grease was questionable but my long-term tyre bloke recommended it! Further comment appreciated.

[JerryT]

Sensible awfabia and something i did last summer when i had the wheels off for a good clean.

You never know when you will have to change a wheel. It has often been my (unlucky) experience that it will be dark, raining and cold. Definately not the time to find the wheel is stuck on the hub through localised corrosion.

[nockmeister]

I had one reply to a post of mine saying that copper grease was questionable but my long-term tyre bloke recommended it! Further comment appreciated.

Galvanic corrosion...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

Saying that you only need the slightest of smears...you could use Aluslip (sic) like Copaslip but aluminium based or a high melting point grease

I use copper grease

[Norry]

Saying that you only need the slightest of smears...you could use Aluslip (sic) like Copaslip but aluminium based or a high melting point grease

I use copper grease

It is annoying that these parts are not protected when first built as the corrosion between alloy and steel starts right away and will be present within the first month. On my new cars one of the first jobs was to remove all wheels, clean off the rust and smear with hmp grease on the mating surfaces.

[Jnr_vRS]

Cheers for all the responses guys, will bear that in mind. Being sat at a petrol air station i didnt have access to mallets etc so not much I could have done, even rocking the wheel I was wories about on the tiny jack supplied. Would have been different at home. To top it off it was dark, cold and pi$$ing with rain so didn't want to hang about. Ended up having the tyre repaired this morning and the fitter basically have the tyre a boot whilst near enough lying under the car while his apprentice 'caught' the wheel. Little copper grease as it went back on too so shouldn't have that issue again.

Jnr

[JerryT]

Little copper grease as it went back on too so shouldn't have that issue again.

1 down, 3 to go then....... because due to the age old law of sod, if you don't do them you will get stuck again in a similar situation, if you do them all, then you will probably never have to take a wheel off again.

[unclerichy]

I've had this and it's a PITA. Another option is to put one or two bolts back in and tighten just enough to keep the wheel on when it becomes loose. Then gently lower the car to put weight back onto the wheel and hopefully crack the seal. The hub and the loose bolts will stop the wheel falling off.

If that fails then try driving the car a few feet with the wheel held by a couple of loose bolts.

[mrgf]

i was gonna mention giving the tyre a bit of a kick but not on a scissor jack, whilst under it!

loosen all bolts to all but a thread or two, lower til only just off the deck, kick gently til loose.

[JerryT]

for safety sake, i always pop the spare under the car after i have statred to jack the car up and swap it with the wheel i'm taking off before puting the spare on.

[devonutopia]

Sledgehammer is a bit extreme, you dont want to knock the car off the jack. Yes, tap it and use the wood to protect ur wheel (it also spreads the impact) what's 'probably' happened is that all the mud/water/brake dust/etc has just 'glued' the wheel on. It's quite normal if the wheel has not been off for some time.

I didn't suggest a full swing. Just its something heavy you can knock onto the timber which is against the back of the wheel which both protects the wheel, and spreads the force over a wider area. Definitely worth doing all 4 though if one is bad and no wheels have ever been removed in its life.