Rusted Wheel Question

[wwwildman]

87 Cherokee Pioneer, 2WD, 4.0L, Auto--I tried to change the brake shoes on the rear this weekend, but I could not get the Driver's side Rear wheel off of the drum/hub after I removed the lug nuts. It appears that it is rusted/stuck to the hub that goes through the brake drum. It also appears that the drum is also stuck as it would not budge either. Lots of penetrating oil, a crow bar, and banging with a hammer did not help it.

Any suggestions on removing the wheel and drum? The wheel is the 15 x 7 Steel five spoke with jeep written on one of the spokes.

Mike

[sector95]

PB Blaster for the penetrating oil instead of WD40; give it a good soak, tap it a bit with small hammer blows; let it soak overnight; patience. Heat the wheel near the hub area; bang away at it to try and break the bond. Let it cool a bit and apply more PB Blaster; tap with hammer; patience. Repeat until the wheel comes free.
For the stuck drum.... check out JC Whitney for a brake drum puller which will apply a pulling force as you work your magic with PB Blaster and a hammer.... probably anticipate getting a new set of drums.

mike
00XJ

[Ray H]

I agree with all above except heating it. You can mess up your axle seal or even your wheel cyl seals by too much heat in the wrong place, Also the wheel you describe, with JEEP written down one spoke, is not steel, its aluminum so be carefully beating on it. Probably not a real good idea heating that either.

[sector95]

Originally Posted by Ray H

I agree with all above except heating it. You can mess up your axle seal or even your wheel cyl seals by too much heat in the wrong place, Also the wheel you describe, with JEEP written down one spoke, is not steel, its aluminum so be carefully beating on it. Probably not a real good idea heating that either.

Right about the wheel.... I missed the "Jeep" part in the description there. Actually this may be in your favor because if it is an aluminum wheel, chances are it will be a bit easier to break the corrosion bond (versus rust) using just a good overnight soaking of the PB Blaster. Also, when tapping the wheel with a hammer, either use a plastic hammer or wrap the one you've got in duct tape or something so you don't ruin the wheel finish.

mike
00XJ

[wwwildman]

Originally Posted by sector95

Right about the wheel.... I missed the "Jeep" part in the description there. Actually this may be in your favor because if it is an aluminum wheel, chances are it will be a bit easier to break the corrosion bond (versus rust) using just a good overnight soaking of the PB Blaster. Also, when tapping the wheel with a hammer, either use a plastic hammer or wrap the one you've got in duct tape or something so you don't ruin the wheel finish.

mike
00XJ

Ray and sector,
Thanks for your information. I was concerned about warping or bending the wheel by hitting it with a hammer, which is what the local tire shop told me to do. I will try it this weekend and post the results.

Mike

[brainyass]

I used a large rubber mallet and beat on the outside of the rim near the tire. Beat away and it will usually come loose after a few hard hits.

[AlohaBra]

I break em loose with a large dead blow hammer (a large rubber hammer filled with lead shot) while I rotate the wheel and drum. You can also use a large pry bar. Use WD-40 at the center.

For the drum, you might have to de-adjust the shoes to clear any lip that might be inside the drum. You will need to use two screwdrivers to get the adjustment screw to back up.

[nascarmechanic]

DO NOT use WD-40. That stuff only lubricates, not penetrates to loosen rust. As the others said, use the PB Blaster, available at most auto parts stores. Using that hammer may be tricky on an aluminium rim. At my shop, we always use a dead blow and beat the wheels from the back side. Less chance of visible damage and you are hitting the wheel in the direction it needs to fall off.

[wwwildman]

Originally Posted by AlohaBra

I break em loose with a large dead blow hammer (a large rubber hammer filled with lead shot) while I rotate the wheel and drum. You can also use a large pry bar. Use WD-40 at the center.

For the drum, you might have to de-adjust the shoes to clear any lip that might be inside the drum. You will need to use two screwdrivers to get the adjustment screw to back up.

I finally got the problem fixed:
I used a dead blow hammer to hammer the bead of the rim after soaking it over night with PB blaster. Came off pretty easy. Used the same thing on the drum. It came off fairly easy.

The reason they were rusted...leaky wheel cylinder leaked just emough to bond with the drum and wheel. Replaced the brakes, wheel cylinder and both barke drums. Bled the lines, IT ALL WORKS much BETTER!

Mike

[AlmostStock]

What if you don't want to spend hours with penetrating oil and a BFH? Just put your lug nuts on finger tight, lower the vehicle back down and slowly drive forward and back a few times and hit the brakes. This will break it loose.

I've never had to try this personally but know others who have. If your vehicle receives one or two wheel rotations a year (like it should if it's driven average miles) the wheels usually won't have a chance to rust/freeze on like that.