Getting the wheels off

[Rayspace]

This seems prety straight forward but....

I have a 2000 540i with alloy wheels. I have had several unsucessful attempts at removing the wheels. After removing the lug nuts, pulling or (gingerly) tapping with a rubber mallet fails to move the wheels.

Is more brute force required, or is something else holding them on? The owners manual has a cryptic picture of removing the wheel and talking about some kind of adaptor.

If it's just brute force, any suggestions for applying more clout are appreciated...(I dont really want to lay under the car while I do this.)

[alee]

Once or twice, I have gently lowered the car on the jack, and the weight of the car is enough to loosen the wheel. I wouldn't recommend making a habit of this but it does work.

[kowached]

I don't know how BMW feels about this, but I use a touch of anti-seize on the mating surfaces between the wheel and the hub to prevent this very thing, as it would suck on the side of the road with a flat.

[Rayspace]

Thanks alee

Tried this once before I posted (unsucessful). Will go back and try a few more times.

[Rayspace]

alee

Just tried your suggestion again.. a little more velocity this time... worked like a charm! (A little more exciting than I thought though..)

Thanks for the suggestion, glad I had a hydraulic jack, don't think this would have worked with a screw jack.

[alee]

Just tried your suggestion again.. a little more velocity this time... worked like a charm! (A little more exciting than I thought though..)

Thanks for the suggestion, glad I had a hydraulic jack, don't think this would have worked with a screw jack.
Great! :thumbup:

Yeah I would NOT want to make a habit of doing that, but it does work if you are stuck. Definitely pick up some anti-seize compound, and apply it sparingly to the contact surfaces as suggested above. Be careful and put it only on the touching surfaces, and don't get it on the lug bolt areas. A little bit will save you from this aggravation later on. :D

[DSPTurtle]

Not sure that I would subscribe to the lower it on the jack theory... you might bend a wheel if you let too much pressure off. Brute force is what really gets you there though... you sometimes have to grab the tire around the back at 3 & 9 oclock position and push and pull side to side with all of your might!!! A little rubber mallet is not going to do jack... you have to yank and pull until the wheel pops off and lands on your foot or something more important.
The antiseize idea is spendid, however if you are using centering hubs, the friction should be there regardless.
Good Luck
JB

[Ågent99]

I've had this problem...I just use my foot/heel and give the tire a good kick or two or three until freed. This has worked for me every time. Just be prepared to grab the tire once you've freed it. It helps to just have the jack adjusted so the wheel is barely off of the floor however, you should have the car on jack stands at this point but we all don't always follow this advice! :D

Once you have the tire off, use a wire-cup brush on a drill and clean the hub really, really well. Your arms will probably be really tired after doing all 4 wheels but this should prevent sticking next time.

I haven't tried adding anti-sieze but the above method as worked for me thus far.

Chris

[sb540]

The way to get leverage on a truly stuck wheel is to sit on your butt facing the wheel, lean back on your elbows and then kick one side of the wheel then the other using a right leg, left leg, right leg routine as long as it takes for you to get that thing loose. Watch out when the wheel comes off that it does not fall on its face and mar the rim. Be ready to catch it before it falls, as opposed to jumping away in fear while your rim lands face down on the concrete. Yes, it happened to me.

Then use the anti-seize goo so you don't have to do this the next time. Or, if you are like me, realize that you don't have any such goo and the wheels are off your car, so just put the wheels back on and promise yourself that "next time" you will get the goo.

Then, next time, the wheels are stuck again, so you repeat the process.

[ElectroMan]

I second the anti-sieze comment above. I've been using it for years on the hub center and the lugs as well as anything else you want to be able to take back off (except brakes). Although I have used it on the sliding rails for the brake shoes.

I find you get a much more consistant torque reading with the anti-sieze, I usually bump the torque up a bit as a 'just in case' measure anyway.

NAPA has a can that includes a brush, mine has lasted 3-4 years so far.

[DSPTurtle]

Anti-Seize should increase the effective torque you apply already shouldn't it? I think it acts like monkey grease causing the torque to actually be higher than what your wrench will read. The data sheet for the anti-seaze should call out exactly how much to decrease your torque in order to maintain the same effective torque.

[marinakorp]

Anti-Seize should increase the effective torque you apply already shouldn't it? I think it acts like monkey grease causing the torque to actually be higher than what your wrench will read. The data sheet for the anti-seaze should call out exactly how much to decrease your torque in order to maintain the same effective torque.

I don't think that the anti seize is in the lug bolts... but on the face of the metal where it makes contact with the wheel... once the lugs come off... the wheel should too...

[Mathew]

I hate it when your wheels get stuck, expecially when you want to do a quick change with the spare :mad:

[Elwood]

I don't think that the anti seize is in the lug bolts... but on the face of the metal where it makes contact with the wheel... once the lugs come off... the wheel should too...

Yar, DO NOT put anti-seize on the bolt threads or seats. If you do you can throw your current Torque Spec out the window. :eek:

As an added bonus antiseize will help the bolts loosen over time...like while your hammering down the highway :yikes:

[gmlav8r]

Anyone try these KLEEN WHEELS® WHEELMATES™ BRAKE/WHEEL ISOLATOR DISCS???

I was thinking about ordering a set with my P21S order. Trying to save a little on shipping.

From here:
http://bavauto.com/shop.asp

More Info:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2009537/showCustom-0/p-2009537/N-111+10201+600001070+4294951471/c-10101

[Ågent99]

Most shun KLEEN wheels as they can impare proper cooling to your brakes and some other things I can't think of right now. If you hate the dust, I suggest switching your brake pads to Axxis Deluxe+...get from Dave Z.: www.zeckhausen.com (http://www.zeckhausen.com)