Found that my alloy wheels have seized on to the axle

[V]

OK, time for a confession. I forgot to do something that I am usually pretty good at remembering which caused me a problem today. Both of my rear wheels had seized onto the axle.

I usually smear copperslip over the wheel mounting surface when refitting my wheels and also use a little on the wheel nut cones too. Obviously, I didn't do that last time the wheels were off last year.

 

I had a think about the problem resolution and came up with a fairly cheap solution using everyday parts from a local farm supplies shop.

 

I will post the full story in an hour or so.

 

[Volant165]

I had an annual wheel balance and align check at a good 4wd shop on my Rubicon. 

 

Even after a year and with copper slip one of the rear wheels had seized. Glad it was there and not out on the trail. Muscle and mallets persuaded it off. They cleaned  it good with a copper wire brush then copper seal. 
 

 

[V]

I have a Ford 8.8 rear axle and I didn't want to risk damaging the 'C' clips that retain the axle shafts by pounding on the back of the wheel to try and get it off. I came up with the idea for a simple puller that would safely pull the wheel off while pressing on the wheel mounting surface. Unfortunately, my wheel centre caps were in the way. They had to come off in a manner that has been an eye opener for passers by today.

 

I started by centre punching and drilling around the perimeter of the top of the cap.

[V]

The holes were then expanded with a step drill snips were used to break through stubborn links.

 

[V]

A hacksaw was used to start some slits in the side of the cap, but that quickly turned into a rapid peeling back using a cold chisel.

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by V

[V]

I bought a 4" fence post and cut off an 8" chunk to be used as a pushing block. One end of which was shaped roughly to fit inside the now open ended centre cap.

 

 

[V]

Here it is installed in the cap pushed up to the end of the axle.

 

 

[V]

I also bought a length of M12 studding, some nuts and large diameter washers. While in the store I spotted a gate bracket with a 1/4" steel plate just the right width to pass through the holes in my wheels and with a pair of 12mm holes at each end. It was cheap enough for me to just cut the bits off that I needed than try and find some flat bar stock from the steel stockholder. A couple of pipe sleeves over the bat gave some protection for the wheels from the studding.

 

 

[V]

Once the flat ends had carefully been manoeuvred into the wheel the sleeve was taped up to stop it sliding off for the next stage.

 

[V]

Another chunk of the fence post was cut off to make a beam across the studding for a scissor jack to apply the necessary force to push and pull the wheels off the axle.

 

 

[V]

I had already loosened the wheel nuts and the jack pulled the wheel off with no more effort needed than to lift the car. There was a bit of a bang when the corroded faces separated but the wheel could only move an 1/8" with the wheel nuts on so the entire contraption stayed safely in place. I was amazed how little of a corroded contact patch there was in order to prevent me from pulling the wheel off normally. I have alloy PCD adapters as my Jeep has 5 on 5-1/2" hubs on the front axle. I think the wheel was stuck on about 1/8" of the bottom of each stud. I have cleaned everything up with a wire brush and emery paper and used plenty of copperslip on the base of the studs.

 

 

 

 

[V]

The centre cap was also corroded to the wheel. This was a lot harder to remove and I had to resort to using the cold chisel again to split it and peel it away enough so that I could start collapsing it.

 

 

[V]

With all of the mounting surfaces cleaned up with emery paper and smeared with copperslip, the wheel was put back on with a shiny new centre cap.

 

 

[Fourpot]

Great work! Good thinking!

[V]

The challenge for next week will be getting the adaptors off the old discs. I will be doing a complete rear brake rebuild. I am hoping a conventional hub puller will work for that.

[digger]

A pain of  a problem most of us have had. 

I like your puller but thank fully have not had to resort to it.

A way I was shown is to simply warm up the wheel .  I have used a hose connected to a hot water tap! (or a hot air gun perhaps?)

Just had a thought . Copper grease  is what I've always used too but it doesn't last. I wonder if ordinary silicone sealant would work. It would keep the mud out, would last and I doubt if it would stop you removing the wheel.

[frosty]

i had a similar problem with the WJ, but it was that the wheels were an interference fit on the hub, so i took a very small amount of material off the wheels, then painted to matting surface again, and put copperslip on.  

[The Smiths]

12 hours ago, digger said:

. I wonder if ordinary silicone sealant would work. It would keep the mud out, would last and I doubt if it would stop you removing the wheel.

Have you ever tried to remove say a sink that has been fitted with silicon sealant - you have to smash it off or use a saw to cut it lol

I had this the other week, wheels stuck onto new hubcentric spacers (a tight fit and corroded)

I used a piece of wood and a sledge hammer and knocked the wheel inwards, working around the wheel

[V]

I ran out of light yesterday to pull the wheel off the other side. I had cut the centre cap out already and just thought it would be a small job to do this morning - it took all day! My little 1-ton scissor jack worked fine separating the first wheel, but I destroyed the jack today. Never seen a cheap Chinese scissor jack bend out of shape like that before. Fortunately, I had enough length in the studding to use my 12-ton hydraulic bottle jack with 60mm cut off of the pushing block. However, using the bottle jack the large washers that I used were not wide enough. They got pulled deep into the wooden beam, absorbing a lot of the effort and making the rod lengths uneven. I was just about to give up and make another beam when I had the idea to try it to destruction. So making sure I had enough PPE on, I went for it. It took 12-tons to free the wheel without snapping the beam. The M12 studding got stretched where the nuts were positioned. In hindsight, I should have used two nuts at each end.

 

If it had not worked today, I was going to have another go with a 20-ton bottle jack. That would need doubling up on beam thickness and bolting them together using M14 studding with a stack of very large washers or some stout steel plate.

 

On this wheel the aluminium corrosion on the adaptors had spread about 1/4" up the wheel studs. I am amazed at how little extra corrosion required so much more separation force.

 

Something else I found out today: PlusGas-A penetrating oil dissolves the adhesive on stick on balance weights. Mine were at the bottom of the inside rim and that's were all the penetrating oil that I sprayed on collected.

[jerryg]

When it happened to me once I just slackened off the wheel nuts a couple of threads and then drove forwards & backwards a revolution or two of the wheels, and hey ho, off they came. Well, not right off!  

 

When putting them back, a light wire brushing of mating surfaces and a smear of ordinary grease or vaseline.  Alloy wheels on to steel hubs will always 'weld' themselves on due to the galvanic action of dissimilar metals.

Loose nuts trick might not work on all vehicles?

[spookie the aardvark]

Some times what should be a simple job turns into a real nightmare Good to see you got them off in the end V .................. even if you did have to use some serious enginering

 

What you really need is a BIGGER hammer

 

7 hours ago, The Smiths said:

Have you ever tried to remove say a sink that has been fitted with silicon sealant - you have to smash it off or use a saw to cut it lol

I had this the other week, wheels stuck onto new hubcentric spacers (a tight fit and corroded)

I used a piece of wood and a sledge hammer and knocked the wheel inwards, working around the wheel

As a plumber I use normal silicon sealant all the time so I can vouch for its sticking power .................... there is even one brend called "Sticks Like Sh*t" does what it says on the tin

[digger]

Yep, I appreciate your comments as to how silicone can stick things on having tried many times to remove sinks ,toilets etc myself.    However , this is because builders etc often use loads and loads of silicone very  thickly. I am not suggesting that but a thin smear in the relevant places. I have used this 'thin skin' technique on various things including cylinder heads .  I had no problem removing them and it sealed, in some cases better than proprietary gasket goos.  Having said that, I would not try RTV (mentioned in another recent topic) or  'No Nails' etc, only standard silicone sealant and only a thin covering.  Lastly good point Frosty. I think the  principle is similar to my idea and will help to prevent the reaction between the different metals.

I would add, don't listen to me anything can happen, none the less I plan to try it.

I think Jerrys method is excellent, I've not heard that before!  Like my suggestion above though, ''as long as you don't overdo it''  or they might come right off, as he says.

No one has mentioned 'Silicone Grease' which as far as I'm aware is much more water resistant than other greases. I mix it  80/20 with Black Moly grease for use on spring shackles/bushes etc where it works well, perhaps that could work?

 

[AlexK]

Just an idea... ACF50. Created for the aviation industry to prevent corrosion in impossible-to-reach places, I used to use it on my motorbike. It’s surprising how long it stays on a surface if applied carefully.

[V]

I've used the loose wheel nuts trick on a Corsa before. It worked well. With 12-tons of separation force needed, I doubt that it would have worked on the Jeep, but it was on my list to try. The last resort was to demount the tyre and cut the wheel off. Replacing any damaged wheel studs in the adaptor.

 

I'm going to look for centre caps with a removable top or make some.

[digger]

I like Alex's idea. Everything I've ever had from aviation has been good providing you can get it.

My guess would be that its the turning force that does the job with the loose wheel nut trick .

Could you use plastic Jeep caps?  I know they don't last that long but I've refurbed them with good success and they don't corrode in. I spin them up and lightly sand off  the background a bit, respray then paint in the lettering recesses by hand. The cap is then finished with lacquer. I know they don't fit everything but I turned some 'holders' with one set of wheels where the holes were too big for the jeep caps. The holders were an interference fit and I glued them as well. The 'Jeep' ones fitted into the holders in the normal way. Just a few more thoughts.