Removing and installing wheels basics

[ymc226]

I'm going to start doing more maintenance and need to take off and put wheels back on.

My car has lug bolts so I'm getting wheel hangers to lessen the chances of nicking the wheels/calipers or rotors when changing them.

A few questions:
1. I bought a breaker bar but can I use an impact wrench with a deep impact socket to do the initial "break"? I'd like to save my back.

2. I'll hand tighten in the air in a star pattern. I don't want to use a torque wrench to cinch down the bolts for fear of over tightening the bolts but can I use a cordless drill set on the lightest setting using a drill bit adapter and socket once I confirm by hand the threads are installed true?

3. with torquing to spec on the ground, is there any benefit of using a beam type wrench over a click type. I bought a cheap Harbor Freight 1/2" torque wrench and am having second thoughts about using it.

 

[zrxkawboy]

1. yes
2. yes
3. You never have to worry about a beam-type being out of cal. As long as the needle points to zero at rest, you're good to go.

 

[meep]

welcome!

1. Impact wrench is great for loosening.

2. a cordless drill is fine for spinning them on. Even at the highest setting it will not come close to torquing them down. Don't worry about the clutch -- the 65+ ft/lbs needed is well more than the drill could provide, and more than you could hold on to.

3. beam type means you have to stare at it while applying pressure. Having used both, click is more intuitive. No problem with the HF wrench.

 

[Kira]

#1 yes
#2 yes
#3 use what you got. It'll be fine.

Anybody here care to comment/advise regarding applying Anti-Seize to the OP's lug bolts?
I do.
I recommend using a thin coating of Anti-Seize on wheel lugs whether they be nuts or bolts. Use less torque as the Anti-Seize acts like a lube. I never had a problem.
I have seen rusted lug hardware which resulted in broken studs and broken sockets; granted, the sockets were not the highest quality but we were using them without issue.

 

[DuckRyder]

There was a test floating around the net that indicated Harbor Freight torque wrenches were actually pretty good.

You car might have a wheel alignment tool in the tool kit, older BMW's do for sure, it just looks like a rod with a plastic end.

 

[supton]

I have an Earthquake impact from HF, and it has three forward settings. 1st isn't enough to get to finger tight, and second is... something more. 3rd is of course the "too much level". I feel fine with using 1st to put on, and haven't used 2nd enough to get any sort of feel.

One thing I sometimes do is this: finger tighten the lugs. Then put on the breaker bar. Give the wheel a light spin in the counterclockwise direction, then jerk the breaker bar clockwise. This will cinch the lug down, and it's very easy to get to a reasonable tightness level with very little work. It's not 90 ftlb but it's probably better than 30. More than sufficient to put down the vehicle.

Impact is great for popping lugs off after lifting the vehicle. That said, if this is the first time, I would zip off each lug, then tighten back on, then loosen to 1-2 turns loose. Then with all lugs loose, shake the wheel--make sure the wheel is loose on the hub. I don't like beating on the wheel while the car is jacked up so as to break it loose, I'd rather use other methods with it on the ground. Afterwards, I'll use antisieze to make sure it never gets stuck again. [No antisize on the lugs, of course, just metal surfaces.]

Finally, I had a cheapo clicker, but it died recently. I picked up the HF "calibrator", and I like it much more. It's like a beam in operation. Without setting anything on it, I can use it on a breaker bar, and quickly hit 30ftlb, then 60, then 90. Just keep the display facing up, and stop when the display reads 30, 60 or 90. Brilliant.

 

[racer12306]

I always use an impact to loosen, smarter not harder.

I finger start them, then buzz them down carefully with an impact and give them a quick pop after seated. Then final torque on the ground, they are normally pretty close to the 95ft-lbs I torque them to.

No problem with a HF torque wrench, just be sure to store it with the spring relaxed, in other words, back it off to zero rather than leaving it at 100ft-lbs or whatever you will use.


Never knew wheel hangers existed, I never had a problem messing with the wheels on a now deceased New Bug. Remember, lube jockey's can do this, it's not rocket science to R/R a wheel from the hub.

 

[supton]

Also: use chock blocks to keep the car from rolling. There are cheapo ones, but I found a set of RV ones that feel more substantial. Usually one chocks the opposite corner that is being lifted, but I wonder about just chocking one full axle, as for tire rotations I usually leave one axle on stands and then lift a front corner at a time.

I have a floor jack, and roll it on dirt, and... don't care much for it. A bottle jack takes up less area, and I find on my Camry it allows me to lift using one spot that is very close to the factory jack point--the floor jack won't let me lift and get a jackstand where I want it. Just saying, floorjacks look cool and are fast, but don't rule out a bottle--it'll get the job done too.

Some blocks of wood, like 8"x8"x1.5" might be good to have on hand, either to set a bottle jack onto, or to keep jackstands from digging into asphalt.

Do keep at least one set of jackstands around. Unless if it's a quick wheel off and back on, better safe than sorry--toss a jackstand under the corner.

 

[eljefino]

My mercedes uses lug bolts and there's a hub flange I can rest the rim on while I line up the first bolts.

I suspect hauling a wheel/tire on/off is worse for the back than properly using the breaker bar. With that, you can use your knees and keep your back straight.

The bolt threads disappear "somewhere good" and I haven't had corrosion problems or felt the need for anti-sieze. I'd err on the side of not using it without a compelling reason.

 

[joegreen]

Originally Posted By: supton
I have an Earthquake impact from HF, and it has three forward settings. 1st isn't enough to get to finger tight, and second is... something more. 3rd is of course the "too much level". I feel fine with using 1st to put on, and haven't used 2nd enough to get any sort of feel.

One thing I sometimes do is this: finger tighten the lugs. Then put on the breaker bar. Give the wheel a light spin in the counterclockwise direction, then jerk the breaker bar clockwise. This will cinch the lug down, and it's very easy to get to a reasonable tightness level with very little work. It's not 90 ftlb but it's probably better than 30. More than sufficient to put down the vehicle.

Impact is great for popping lugs off after lifting the vehicle. That said, if this is the first time, I would zip off each lug, then tighten back on, then loosen to 1-2 turns loose. Then with all lugs loose, shake the wheel--make sure the wheel is loose on the hub. I don't like beating on the wheel while the car is jacked up so as to break it loose, I'd rather use other methods with it on the ground. Afterwards, I'll use antisieze to make sure it never gets stuck again. [No antisize on the lugs, of course, just metal surfaces.]

Finally, I had a cheapo clicker, but it died recently. I picked up the HF "calibrator", and I like it much more. It's like a beam in operation. Without setting anything on it, I can use it on a breaker bar, and quickly hit 30ftlb, then 60, then 90. Just keep the display facing up, and stop when the display reads 30, 60 or 90. Brilliant.
I have the 1/2 earthquake impact and the 1st setting brings the torque up to 70 something ftlb. I then bring the torque up to 80 with my harbor freight torque wrench and I'm good to go.

 

[supton]

Watched an old timer do wheels on my truck (I offered, but I think offended the poor guy). Lowered the lift down, rolled the wheel onto a long pry bar, and used that to do all the lifting. Work smarter, not harder.

Me, I'm young and dumb, I usually kneel down, put my elbows onto my knees/thighs, and kinda lever the wheel up, when the car lifted just barely enough to do the job. I'd rather get wet knees / torn pants than mess with my back.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: joegreen
I have the 1/2 earthquake impact and the 1st setting brings the torque up to 70 something ftlb. I then bring the torque up to 80 with my harbor freight torque wrench and I'm good to go.


Interesting, mine barely does anything on 1st. I should put a gauge on next to the wrench, maybe I'm nowhere near 90psi at the end of the line.

 

[Donald]

An impact wrench is less likely to snap a lug bolt or stud than a breaker bar.

 

[SIXSPEED]

I use my cordless impact wrench to slowly drive down the lug nuts to the first few impacts; I find there's plenty of margin where the fastener requires further tightening. Then I follow up with a ratcheting breaker bar and finally a torque wrench. I always re-torque the lugs after driving around a bit.

 

[ymc226]

Wow,

Thanks for all the replies.

I'll use the HF torque wrench as it appears to be reliable enough. Don't want to spend more on a beam type wrench. I'm one to overthink everything so I tend to ask a lot.

To confirm, when I use the impact wrench to "break" then lug bolt, I assume that the car should still be on the ground. Afterwards, I'll lift the car up and then use either the impact or the cordless electric to spin off the bolt.

 

[ymc226]

Originally Posted By: SIXSPEED
I use my cordless impact wrench to slowly drive down the lug nuts to the first few impacts; I find there's plenty of margin where the fastener requires further tightening. Then I follow up with a ratcheting breaker bar and finally a torque wrench. I always re-torque the lugs after driving around a bit.


Good idea. I was planning on re-torquing after 50-100 miles.

 

[spavel6]

Last weekend I tried out my newest investment, the 3M Hub Cleaning Kit, and I must say, it worked like a charm! All that corrosion and crud on both the hub and the wheel scrubbed right off, and made for a nice clean surface to put a bit of anti-seize onto and bolt the wheel to.

I agree with everything from the others. HF torque wrench is more than enough precision for lug nuts. I torque my VW wheels to 90ft/lbs.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Anybody here care to comment/advise regarding applying Anti-Seize to the OP's lug bolts?


I use anti-seize on almost everything. I paint it on the bolts with an acid brush so that I can carefully work it into the threads around the entire bolt without using excessive amounts. When I get done, the bolt looks like it's been silver anodized. It's an art form.

 

[racer12306]

Originally Posted By: ymc226
Wow,
To confirm, when I use the impact wrench to "break" then lug bolt, I assume that the car should still be on the ground. Afterwards, I'll lift the car up and then use either the impact or the cordless electric to spin off the bolt.


No, you want the weight off of the tires before you loosen the bolts. Using a breaker bar to loosen, you need to leave some weight on the tires so they don't spin, but with an impact, that doesn't matter.

 

[HerrStig]

Grease on the lugs and derate the torque requirement by 10%. I have been doing this since the 70s. Torque wrenches don't measure "bolt stretch" directly they measure rotational force AKA "torque". I've never broken a stud even on a 340,0000 mile Toyota, nor have I found loose lugnuts later.