Hey gang, I'm trying to remove a wheel off my 03 MCS to find why it is leaking air. Problem is, I have it up on jacks, all 4 lugs removed and the wheel does not want to come off. Is there something I am missing? Anyone have aproblem like this? Any help help would be appreciated.Thnaks

Brian

 

the wheel is stuck to the hub....not a problem unique to MINIs! Good news is the hub and wheel fit together with no slop. Bad news is they can get stuck with just a little corrosion.

Try some swift kicks at 12 & 6... 3 & 9....and you'll probably be able to break it loose. I sometimes also give some good whacks with a rubber mallet. If it keeps fighting you, try some PB Blaster in the lug holes but keep it away from the brake pads....

Be careful if "up on jacks" .... firmly up on jackstands is better.

Helped a neighbor with this problem on a Toyota p/u. I ended up on my back on the floor whacking with both feet b4 it came loose.

B4 you remount, clean the hub mating area with some 600 sand paper, or a wire brush and I like to apply anti-seize around the hub lip.... I never have the problem twice on a car....

 

Yep, a few healthy whacks with a BFH will fix it up.

 

thanks capt bj, i'll persuade it to come off. just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing anything before resorting to brute force. odd thing is that i put the wheel on only a couple of months ago when i swapped out the winter wheels. thansk for the help.

brian

 

You might consider some high temperature grease or anti-seize on the interface between the rim and rotor before you button everything up.

 

The only things you're missing are a sledgehammer and a wire brush to clean up the hub and wheel mating surface when you get them separated. It's also a hint you're not rotating your tires often enough!

 

thanks for the replies all. with a heavy hammer and block of wood i was able to get the wheel off. i did scrub off all of the rust from the hub before remounting to avoid the problem in the future.

 

Dating my self...

SLEDGE-O-MATIC! It is just that EASY!

DON'T forget the anti-seize stuff or the rust will RETURN and you will have the problem!

 

I always butter up the mating surfaces with high temperature bearing grease to prevent the problem. I also put a smidgeon of grease on the threads of the wheel bolts so they can be tightened more accurately (not very much, just a tiny smear).

 

Great point.

 

DO NOT USE any kind of grease, anti-seize, or other material between the wheel and the hub. This is where the majority of the strength needed to keep the wheel on comes from. Not from the bolts/studs.

Just keep the surface clean and you shouldn't have any problems.