Am unable to free wheels after removing bolts to change over to my summer wheels. Is there a secret to wheel removal?

 

very common issue. iirc it relates to the different metals of hub and wheel reacting, thus bonding.

You can either undo the bolts and use a rubber mallet against the tyre (not wheel) at alternating points. e.g. 9 o'clock then at 3, then at 12, then at 6. You can also sit on the floor and use your heels, kicking it.

Second option was given to me by a BMW dealer. Your bolts normally turn in 6,5 turns I think.
They said to undo them from fully tight by about a couple of turns and then roll the car forward and back.
The car can't collapse or damage the bolts, as it's still sitting on the hub. (that's what the dealer said)

Once you have them off, don't forget to give the mating faces a very thin coat of copper paste to avoid them from bonding again. Use the copper paste very sparingly, as otherwise you might get a few copper spots on wheel and car from the rotation.

Good luck

 

It can be very tricky, just ask the woman in the video posted by Tommy right here:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?s=&showtop...ndpost&p=279362

 

Kick the tire a couple of times with the bottom of your foot, rotate some, and kick again until it comes free.

Not hard enough, of course, to knock the car off the jack.

 

One of my least favorite things to do. Did this on my Audi this week in rotating my tires.

I take the spare wheel (Audi has a full size spare) and bang it on the sidewall of the stuck wheel. As you bang, you'll see a gap in the inner hub getting bigger and your making progress. Takes about 5 to 10 swings. The spare tire has decent mass and tire rubber doesn't scratch anything. Just don't hit the fender. My rubber battering ram method is surely primative but it works.

I'll have to try the copper grease.

CVT Benhogan

 

Hey i really need to rotate the tires, but cannot get round to having a garage do it! Can you explain exactly how you do it, as i dont see how you can jack up the car and swap two wheels at once?!?! I have a spare btw, thanks!

 

After you clean the hub from any corrosion put on a thin coat of wheel bearing grease.I've been doing it for years without a problem and you don't have to worry about the copper grease getting on your wheel and making marks.Good luck
cheers
vern

 

Get a decent jack and have two jack stands (less than $100). With the parking brake on, loosen but do not remove bolts on the first wheel with the car on the ground. Jack by this end and lower it onto a jack stand. A jack stand is stable. With the wheel up, take off the bolts and get your spare tire. Swing the spare tire underhanded (legs spread abit with a two hand bowling motion) and aim for the inner part of the sidewall at the 3'o clock position. If you miss the mark, the inside of the rim usually takes the blow instead of the fender.

After every couple swings, stop and see if the gap between wheel and hub is widening (its opposite to the side being struck). You'll be losing alittle breath here. Sometimes I reverse and bang on the otherside and it frees faster. The wheel will eventually pop off. If one side starts to widen, stay there and keep swingin.

After the first wheel is off, peform the same procedure on the other tire on the same side. I generally leave the car on two jackstands and clean the rims thoroughly. I clean the grime on inner part of the rim that can be really scrubbed with the wheel off. Caution, the weight basis of the tire is on the face of the rim, so it can tip and possibly get scratched by a concrete floor. :'( So, roll the tire to safe section of the garage and put it immediately down face up.

There must be a better way than this but my method works. The jack stands are key no matter what. No sliding at all.


CVT Benhogan

 

All you have to do is kick it a few times

 

Wanna bet?


CVT Benhogan