Rear wheels stuck to rotors?

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ganzhimself

Member
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2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv Hatch
Sorry if this has been posted before... And I'm sure it has... Anyway, I was trying to remove my rear wheels to paint the calipers... Didn't happen. They're fused to the brake rotors. I tried tapping the rotor with a hammer to loosen it up, but no dice. I didn't want to get too violent with it, especially because there's just not a lot of room to do much. Anyway, I sprayed one down with penetrating oil and it still didn't budge. Has anyone else had this problem, and how do I safely separate the wheel from the rotor?
 
While holding the top of the wheel, give a swift kick to the very bottom of the tire, it should come undone. I had to deal with this all the time when I worked at a tire shop.
 
I'll give that a shot... I figured it had to be something pretty simple. I just masked off the wheel and painted the caliper through the spokes... But I do need to rotate the tires here soon, so I'll have to see if I can break 'em loose.

Thanks.
 
keep 1 nut loosely threaded on so that when the wheel does pop off, it doesn't go flying and it goes wrecking some s*** around you or messing it up!
 
yeah rubber mallet works and some wd40 and make sure someone else is with u, just in case.
 
If the kicking doesn't work, try a heavy hammer from the back side of the tire. If it still doesn't work, loosen all the lug nuts and slowly lower the car. the weight of the car will free it up. DON"T let the jack all the way down, just enough to put weight on the wheel!
 
After you get the wheels off, put some antiseize on the threads and the rotor hub where the wheel meets it. It will prevent this from happening again.
 
Give it a good mule kick. Loosen the lugs but leave them on, turn around, and give it a good heel kick on the tire, works every time. Make sure you put some anti-seize on before reinstalling!!!
 
Gently rub the spokes of the wheel in a sliding motion. While doing this whisper sweet nothings into the tires air valves and give it a few gentle licks with your tongue. The wheel usually falls right off.
 
Balls said:
If the kicking doesn't work, try a heavy hammer from the back side of the tire. If it still doesn't work, loosen all the lug nuts and slowly lower the car. the weight of the car will free it up. DON"T let the jack all the way down, just enough to put weight on the wheel!
Click to expand...

I've done this if all the kicking or 2-by with sledge doesn't work. That usually always works. ....but on a Honda I had to do brake work on once, even lowering it down didn't crack it free. (This is notorious with steelies with the center hub bore almost dead on the hub diameter.)

...I ended up cracking free all lug nuts, then finger tightening them back on. lower the car all the way down, remove jack, start car, brakes, put it in gear and blip throttle and pop clutch. That is what finally did it. What a mess and scary crap that was. Luckily I didn't shear the lug studs or egg out the holes in the wheel. It's safe enough, and doesn't do any damage as long as you don't roll more than a foot or so.
 
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I had one when I was working for valvoline I had to stick a pipe between the wheel and the brake drum, and we put 3 guys on it to pop it off.... this is after I'd been wailing on a 2 by with a large dead blow hammer for about 5 minutes. If I remember this was a AE102 corolla.
 
Wasn't there a story on this board about the same problem, and a dude drove around with lug nuts loose hoping the rim would come undone, and it did.....and the lug nuts came off........ (boom03)
 
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