Cannot remove Ford Focus Wheel

eirman

At the moment my Ford Focus Ghia (2006) is in the the garage and is up on the jack. One of the front wheels has a puncture.

I have taken the five wheel nuts off (including the alloy security nut) and the wheel won't budge. Pushing and pulling the wheel is just rocking the car.

There is a smaller center nut recessed about two inches in from where the 5 main nuts were (they appear to be attached to the brake assembly)

Does this center nut have to come off ? ..... the cheap socket set I tried broke apart)

colm_mcm

Wheel is just stuck on the hub. Traditionally you'd hit it a belt of a sledge. Not a runner with alloy wheels though.

Making sure the car is properly supported, give the tyre a bit of a karate kick.

Tiny bit of copper grease between the hub and alloy will prevent it happening again.

Mech1

No need to remove the center nut.
first put the spare wheel under the car beside the jack to catch the car if it slips off the jack

gbee

My guess is the inner nut is the wheel bearing access, don't use that ~ you 'could' but should not be necessary at all.

Assuming your vehicle is secured with stands or something as good, and not just the jack, one can use a lump hammer on the flat edge and hit the inside of the wheel on the rim, not violently as one will damage it, but forcefully nonetheless, rotate the wheel a bit, bang again, rotate again, bang again.

It should be off now, one might try a little more force and maybe use a bit of wood to protect the wheel, it's hard to judge the force necessary to dislodge the wheel against the force that will damage the wheel.

So essentially you are trying to knock the wheel out from the inside ~ which may mean lying on your back and somewhat under the car ** so extreme caution needs to be exercised.

Mech1

you could try putting the wheel nuts back on but not quite tightening them, maybe nip them up and then loosen about half a turn each. Then slowly drive the car around the street / yard cornering on full lock should break the corrosion holding the wheel on.

DO NOT SPEED OR DRIVE ANY DISTANCE LIKE THIS

Sorry just remembered the tyre is punctured this wont work with a flat tyre

eirman

Excellent advise .... I used a heavy plastic mallet and wallopped it a few times ... the wheel is off ... thanks!

colm_mcm

Bring the mallet in the boot in case you ever need to take the other wheels off

slimjimmc

colm_mcm wrote: »

Bring the mallet in the boot in case you ever need to take the other wheels off

Alas, Murphy's law would dictate that the next time he gets a flat would be on the side of a dark busy road some cold wet evening. Not ideal conditions for changing a tyre never mind spending ages trying to "bate" a seized wheel off a hub.

OP, take the other wheels off now when you have the opportunity, apply a light smear of copper grease/anti-seize grease to the mating surface and relax in the knowledge that you won't have to try hammer the wheel off the next time you get a flat.

eirman

Thanks for the preventative copper grease treatment suggestion ....
It's already a new year resolution !!

enumbers

no point putting grease on without 1st taking all the white corrosion of the hub and wheel

mustang01

youd be best to remove the other 3 wheels aswell while your at it and clean all corrosion on hub and alloy centre and apply copper grease, save you whole lota hassle when you get next puncture down a dark alley and want to get out der fast ha ha

Odyssey 2005

Make sure the car is well supported(not just the jack) then give the wheel a belt with the spare wheel. If you hit the spare tyre off the car tyre a couple times hopefully that should worl.