can't get tire off car

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i have a 1991 mercury colony park. had tires rotated last year. i want to do front brakes and took lug nuts off front right wheel, but can't get wheel off car. what do I do?
 
put lug nuts back on but slightly loose, move car about 10 feet turning the wheel both ways. See if that does it.
 
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its rusted/corroded on.

try kicking it some.. if that dont work

put the lug nuts on not quite tight lower car and see if it breaks it loose. if not turn wheel side to side

warning: if you do this wrong you can cause damage.
 
Use a piece of pipe or a large flex handle inserted through one of the holes in the wheel, and find something to pry against, like the hub.
Jerk the tool hard against the rim, using your pry point as a solid point.
This can be a real PITA.
Kicking or stomping around the edges of the tire sidewall will usually work.
I had to remove a wheel from the older Subaru in February, which had last been removed in October.
Even after only four months, it was absurdly hard to break loose.
 
When you finally get if off, use anti seize where the wheel contacts the hub. And then any others when they are off.
 
Sprsy Deep Creep, PB Blaster, WD-40 or equivalent around the hub joint between the wheel and disc (or axle end), put the lug nuts on finger tight, put it on the ground and pull back and forth a couple times, stopping fairly quickly. Bet they come off then!
 
Originally Posted By: user52165
When you finally get if off, use anti seize where the wheel contacts the hub. And then any others when they are off.


If you do this, be careful to use very little anti seize. Try to keep your lube to only the center hole and avoid lubing up the flat hub flange area of the brake rotor that the wheel mates up to. If any anti-seize gets to the brake friction surface it will reduce brake friction. Oil or grease (preferrably without moly) might be a better lube choice because if a little gets to the brake friction it will probably burn off pretty quickly.
 
Sometimes you just have to use the BFH. I tried the loose lug trick, and the creeping "liquid wrench" on my Protege5 rear wheels last time I rotated them.

I had to get a block of wood and the sledge to bang on the wheel from the inside to get them to pop free.

I did use the anti-seize and when I took my fronts off recently, they came off much easier.

I'm rotating tires tomorrow, so I'll let you know if it worked.

But if the others don't work, a block of wood and the big fat hammer (what did you think BFH meant?) will likely prevail.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Sometimes you just have to use the BFH. I tried the loose lug trick, and the creeping "liquid wrench" on my Protege5 rear wheels last time I rotated them.

I had to get a block of wood and the sledge to bang on the wheel from the inside to get them to pop free.

I did use the anti-seize and when I took my fronts off recently, they came off much easier.

I'm rotating tires tomorrow, so I'll let you know if it worked.

But if the others don't work, a block of wood and the big fat hammer (what did you think BFH meant?) will likely prevail.


It wasn't a Big Fat Hammer!!
 
Not necessarily.
The old Impreza is on steelies, and the right rear was locked solid to the hub after only four months.
The usual combination of force and desperation got it off after protracted effort.
 
Do not hit aluminum wheels directly with the sledge hammer unless it's got a rubber face. Those are pretty rare. Hit the tire, not the wheel. The tire won't crack from hitting it with the sledge. Chunks of the wheel just might break off if you hit them with it. If hitting the tire absorbs too much of the impact you can overinflate the tire to make that cushion harder. If you must strike the wheel, at least protect it with a wooden board or block.

Also, while hitting from the underside delivers the force in the right direction, you can probably get a better swing in from the outside and that may more than make up for it.
 
For whatever reason a 2x4 or 4x4 works best for me. About 4-5 feet long. Pressure treated is a bonus. Anything bigger is too much to handle.
 
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