Help with changing a tire!

[KTown]

O.K. I've changed tires before on my car and other peoples cars many times. However this is the first time I've ever gotten a flat on my 97 Rav4. Thankfully it was a slow leaking flat and didn't get flat till it sat in the drirveway. Anyways I loosened the lug nuts, jacked up the care till the tire is off the ground, took off all the lug nuts, and I can't get the stupid tire off. So like any stubborn guy I yank on it, I wiggle it I try everything. Well it turns out the stupid thing won't come off. So I check the manual and everything I've done is correct.

So know I ask the car geniuses, is it just seized on or is there something different on a Rav 4. that I'm not aware about.

[Iggyscoresgoals]

Kick it a few time and then try pulling it off.

[Locke]

Sounds like its seized.

You have a few options. First and foremost, the only solution is brute force and ignorance. You'll have to do things to that wheel that you wont be proud of.

I'd suggest literally drenching the thing in spray on lubricant like WD40 or some such product variant.

After you let it sit for a bit, take a hammer and pound away on the rim at opposite ends to try and loosen it up until it comes off.

When this happened to me I had to torch the damned thing.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Locke

take a hammer and pound away on the rim

Um, just don't do that if the rims are aluminum.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Um, just don't do that if the rims are aluminum.

Right, I should have said that a rubber mallet is preferable, but even on aluminum rims you can do this, dont go to town on it or anything but the idea is to hit a flat spot with hard, even pressure to try and dislodge the buildup that caused the thing to seize in the first place.

Dont just aim for the lip of the rim and swing away or you might as well just get a new rim.

[KTown]

I've given up for the night, I will try some of the things you guys posted tomorrow.

I think I almost threw out my back, and I'm sure people on the street don't appreciate my cussing, ha-ha

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by KTown

I've given up for the night, I will try some of the things you guys posted tomorrow.

I think we should make this a CP event, maybe a BBQ with loads of beer? Then we can all pull up the lawn chairs and all try and give advice at the same time.

[Barnes]

I had this happen with a brake rotor. I got so mad I just started smashing it with a hammer and I popped the lug nut out of the hub. I got it back in because they are just pressed in but I only had about an inch of room to swing a hammer. Took me a good 2 hours of tap, tap, tap, tap..........

So in short, it's stuck and needs to be smashed. Just be careful of what you smash.

or....

You could drive around with no lug nuts until the wheel falls off.









(Don't do that)

[DuffMan]

hit it a few times with a bfh.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Locke

. You'll have to do things to that wheel that you wont be proud of.

Don't mind the tiny red light blinking from the bushes...

[Vulcan]

Maybe put a 2x4 against the rim and pound the hammer on that so you don't damage the rim.

[Bill Bumface]

Face away from the car and kick at the tire with your heel over and over and over on different spots on the wheel.

If that doesn't work, jack it up nice and high, take a long board, and use it as a battering ram from the opposite side of the car so the rim is being pounded from the inside.

Make sure no body parts end up under the car though, as all of these can knock it off your jack stands if you're really strong.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Try lowering the car back to the ground. Then push the car from side to side. With the whole car moving side to side it may pop for you.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Dan02

I think we should make this a CP event, maybe a BBQ with loads of beer? Then we can all pull up the lawn chairs and all try and give advice at the same time.

Heck, I'll bring my '97 Rav4 too! (The one I need new tires for).

[jolinar of malkshor]

If this is going to be a CP event, do you have any extra extension cords?

[The Yen Man]

I had that happen to me too. What I did was lower the car back down, and dry steer it a couple of times to each side and it popped off after jacking it up again.

[Rhetts_the_Best]

http://autorepair.about.com/od/quick..._lug_break.htm

There's a trick to freeing a stuck-on wheel that almost never fails. You already have the lugs removed, but now reinstall them leaving about 5 turns before they start to get snug. Now lower the car to the ground, get in and start it up. Drive back and forth 4 or 5 feet a few times. Now jack the car up and test the wheel. It should be nice and loose now, ready for you to replace with your spare so you can move on down the road

[Kidder]

Don't try to change it! Accept the tire for who it is.

[Ford Prefect]

Sit down in a quiet place, clear your mind, breathe deeply, and become one with the wheel. Then get up and pound the $hit out of it.

[spydermal]

Jig-a-loo