Undoing car wheel nuts at the side of the road

shaun_from_Africa

Another job to consider doing.
A few months ago, I had a duff windscreen washer pump on my Focus, and this is reached by removing the front offside wheel and going in through the inside of the wheel arch.
Sounds easy, but after I has jacked up the car, I couldn't get the wheel off and it was stuck on the hub.
I ended up taking it to my local garage where they removed all 4 wheels and cleaned up the hubs and applied a tiny smear of anti-seize compound on there. (A total of £15 for the work).

If time and location permit, it's certainly making sure that all of the wheels can easily be removed as the last thing you want to find is that one is stuck when trying to change a flat at the side of the road.


I'm also going to stick in an order for one of the extending wrenches.

Strider590

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Another job to consider doing.
A few months ago, I had a duff windscreen washer pump on my Focus, and this is reached by removing the front offside wheel and going in through the inside of the wheel arch.
Sounds easy, but after I has jacked up the car, I couldn't get the wheel off and it was stuck on the hub.
I ended up taking it to my local garage where they removed all 4 wheels and cleaned up the hubs and applied a tiny smear of anti-seize compound on there. (A total of £15 for the work).

If time and location permit, it's certainly making sure that all of the wheels can easily be removed as the last thing you want to find is that one is stuck when trying to change a flat at the side of the road.


I'm also going to stick in an order for one of the extending wrenches.

Should never ever do this, wheel nuts should always be clean when torquing up, copper slip or any sort of grease will allow the wheel nut to be tightened more than it should be, leaving the same problem as before, but with the added benefit of damaging your alloy wheels.
The problem is purely over tightening, if they're tightened correctly there should never be a problem.

paddedjohn

Strider590 wrote: »

Should never ever do this, wheel nuts should always be clean when torquing up, copper slip or any sort of grease will allow the wheel nut to be tightened more than it should be, leaving the same problem as before, but with the added benefit of damaging your alloy wheels.
The problem is purely over tightening, if they're tightened correctly there should never be a problem.

They didn't mention greasing the wheel nuts, it's the hub they are talking about.

andygb

Years ago, I found an old, battered torque wrench by the side of the road, and that is what I use to undo stubborn wheel nuts.
If I am ever caught out, then I try to drive to a quiet, flat car park (pub, supermarket etc) and do the job there, I wouldn't consider doing it at the side of the road.

splishsplash

Years ago I used to commute 400+ miles at weekends for several years. I was able to change a wheel in about 15 minutes flat (no pun intended). If the nuts were too tight, I used to stand on the brace and jump on it till they loosened. Worked every time.

Nowadays it's next nigh to impossible. My spare wheel (and I know I'm lucky to even have one these days) is located under the car.
I must complete what feels like many levels of a complex quest to even get to the Boss Key to access the winch to lower it from its secret hiding place under the car... and that's before I find the secret key to unlock the super surprise locking wheelnut on each wheel.
Then I can use my wheelbrace to open the other nuts...

Having a puncture is no fun anymore.

Iceweasel

I doubt that there is a garage or a tyre depot in the country that doesn't have a perfectly good torque-wrench and a chart giving the correct settings for every vehicle known to man (and woman) and then some.

The problem is the spotty yoof who's job it is is too damn lazy to be !!!!!d changing the setting - so he leaves it on a high setting in the mistaken belief (if he even thinks about it) that one size suits all.

Every time that any 'technician' removes/refits a wheel to my car I slacken the nuts/bolts off and re-torque them myself.

I then check them again after 100 miles or so.

shaun_from_Africa

Strider590 wrote: »

Should never ever do this, wheel nuts should always be clean when torquing up, copper slip or any sort of grease will allow the wheel nut to be tightened more than it should be

Which is why I clearly stated that the anti-seize compound was put on the hub and didn't mention anything about greasing the wheelnuts, something that was understood by others.

londonTiger

roadside = never unless it's a small residential road.
pavement side = heck yeah

motorway/high speed carraigeway = never on all accounts. a car driving at 70mph hitting your car with 3 wheels will send your car flying onto you

boliston

I guess if the road is not too busy then manoeuvre it so the tyre to be changed is at the edge - also putting up the bonnet is a clear sign the car is "broken down" rather than just badly parked

sillygoose

I have always found standing on the brace has always been adequate to loosen or tighten no matter what, but perhaps I am erm.. a bit weighty

When tightening, the nut will usually give out a sort of squeal noise of protest as it reaches the right tightness. I have also changed the tyre myself even on a motorway as I can do it very quickly and then get myself and the car out of danger quicker.

Its all academic now as my current car doesn't have a spare or space for one which is very annoying, apparently its such a big problem now the AA/RAC patrols now carry universal spare wheels to get you to the services.