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HELP!!! rusted on rear rims!

R

rowley65flip

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Fort Wayne, IN
Well i have an 87 xj and i went to take the rear tires off and they are rusted on. There is nothing i can do to get them off. I left 3 lugs on very loose per tire and drove around my street. i was sliding off ice onto dry pavment and they didnt even budge. i have tried everything. Heat, sledgehammer, tried to pry them off, one tire chained to a tree the other to a comealong and still nothing. they will not move. So how do i get these bastards off? I need help bad! lift and tires are on hold till these guys come off. Suggestions?
 
I assume they are steel wheels? We have some problems like that up here in Wisconsin. When I have a issue like this on a customers car, I take a big plastic mallet, beat on the tire and it works 90% of the time. When it doesn't, I use my favorite tool, the acetylene torch. I give a LITTLE heat to the wheel studs then use the BFH, it works every single time.
 
Try squirting some PB Blaster on them, let it soak, repeat. Its gonna be that one whack with the BFH that you don't think is gonna work that'll pop them off.
I had rear drum that would not come off, no matter what I did to it. I got pi$$ed, threw the hammer I had bee using, it hit the ground , bounced, hit the drum and it fell off....go figure.
 
BEAT IT! I had to do the same thing on my 91 thats been sitting in the yard. One drum was so hard on itself that the axle shaft came out w/ the drum. I just needed the wheels lol.
 
If you can keep spraying PB Blaster let it sit soak in and a BFH should work. I had same proplem with my old 79 ford ranger it had a 44 ground hawg on it so that made it harder........... damn FL mudholes
 
put it on jack stands and get a long (5-6foot) pry bar stick it between the inside of the rim and the lip on the drum and pry it will pop off. If ther real stuck tike it sounds a BFH may not do much.
 
I have been soaking them in PB and it has not done a thing. My buddy has an acetylene torch so i think im going to take it over there and try to get these off. By the way these rims broke my BFH i was hitting them so hard. If all else fails ill get out the grinder and cut and grind them off. The rims dont matter and im getting new drums and shoes and everything so if you have anymore suggestions im all ears. thanks
 
what i do when I encounter this problem is pretty simple

soak it in pb blaster and use a small wire brush to help work it in

repeat it a couple times letting it soak in while you work on the other side

take a small drill bit as small as you can find and go and drill some small holes in the rim where it is rusted on to the drum (helps break up the rust and gunk)

soak a little more pb blaster on it and then get a good 2x4 about 6 feet long and use it to pond on the rim from the other side

it has always worked in one round for me but what ever you do DO NOT use a torch on a rim and tire that has any air in it my Dad has a friend he use to work with till he blew up the tire and rim and lost his arm from using a propane torch on some lug nuts
 
X a million on the torch. Make sure the tire is deflated, valve stem removed if poss., you don't know if someone had used Fix-A -Flat in the tire or not.
 
i tried to take them off back in the winter and couldnt get them so i just put that part of the jeep on hold and now i gotta get them off and this is one big run on sentence. I should just take out the whole axle and get a dana 60 :laugh3:this would be a good excuse
 
i used a jack bottle between frame and tire (on a yj), and worked out great, be ready for a POP. soak on pb blaster as mentioned (spray from behind teh wheel), let it soak. You can get creative and use a hi-lift jack between the two tires until one pops. Good luck!
 
Here's what has worked for me on rusty rims, guaranteeing no damage.

First try, jack up wheel, put on hard soled boots, stand with your back to the tire, and kick the side of the tire as hard as you can with the flat of your boot behind you. That often works better than a hammer, and won't dent anything.

If that doesn't work, and if the tires have air, and the brakes are working, just go somewhere with pavement and loosen the lug nuts on the offending wheel, just enough to unseat the tapers, but not enough for the wheel to fall off. Now accelerate a little, and then hit the brake hard. The wheel will rotate on the hub just enough to snap the rust loose.
 
I had an 86 with aluminum rims that corroded to the brake drums BADLY. I was down to 3 very VERY loose lugs and driving around the block. After 5 minutes of driving, I found a nice parking lot and started doing HARD figure-8s. Still wouldn't budge! Put the front end over a curb/island in the lot and goosed it. Slammed the back tires into the curb pretty hard. Then did another figure 8 and they both busted loose. I tightened the lugs and drove home to start my brake job.

Find a pothole in the road and hit it at about 5 MPH or so with the lugs loosened.
 
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