How to unscrew the bolts on the wheels

Video: How to open very Tight wheel nut or bolt. 7 Hints !

Content

Method 2 of 2: Loosening stuck bolts
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

1 Park the vehicle on a level surface and apply the handbrake.

2 Remove the cap, if you have one, and locate the bolt heads. Depending on the configuration, your rims may be protected by caps, in which case you will have to remove the cap to gain access to the bolts. The caps can be fastened with metal clips, directly with bolts or other plastic fasteners.

If the caps are secured with metal clips, use a flat screwdriver or other flat metal object as a lever to pry them off the disc.
If the caps are bolted, then they can only be removed after you unscrew the bolts. If you try to remove them before then, you will break the caps.
If the caps are secured with plastic nuts, you will need a plastic puller. A regular wrench can be used, but excessive force should be avoided to avoid damaging the nuts.

3 Examine the wheel bolts. Car wheels are attached to the hub with four or six bolts, which are needed to center the wheel and secure it in place. Nuts and studs are more often used on American cars, but the process of removing a wheel does not change from this.

Some vehicles use secret bolts to protect owners from wheel theft. Usually one or more nuts are made secret, and they differ in appearance. In order to unscrew such a nut, you need a special wrench. If you do not have such a key, later in the article you will find how to unscrew such a nut without a key.

4 Using a wheel wrench, remove the bolts. The wheel release wrench should be included with your vehicle, as should the jack and spare wheel. The wrench should fit perfectly with the bolts on the wheels and usually you won't need another tool.

The wheel wrench can be straight or cruciform, such wrenches are called "spider." The Phillips wrench will allow you to develop more force as you can twist it with both hands.
If the bolts will not loosen due to rust, excessive tightening torque or some other reason, read the next section. It provides some tips on how to proceed if you cannot loosen the bolts.

5 Loosen the bolts while the vehicle is on the ground with all wheels. Do not jack up the vehicle until you loosen the bolts. The rubbing force of the rubber on the asphalt will help you loosen the bolts, securing the wheel securely against spinning.

6 Place the wheel bolt wrench over the bolt and turn it counterclockwise. Make sure the wrench fits well on the head of the bolt and apply maximum force until the nut gives way. At this stage, you do not need to completely unscrew the nut, just loosen it.

7 Loosen all bolts. Choose any bolt and loosen the remaining ones along the "sprocket". The sprocket helps to keep the wheel centered and is of course more important when installing the wheel. But a good habit will be to tighten and release everything with an "asterisk".

When all bolts are loosened, jack up the machine and carry out all planned operations.

Method 2 of 2: Loosening stuck bolts

1 Make sure the car is on the handbrake. If the bolts are stuck, you will need to apply a lot of force and make sure that the car will not move. To do this, the car must be on a flat surface and the handbrake must be applied.
2 Take the LEVER. Wheel wrenches usually have a fairly short handle and do not allow for sufficient force. The easiest and safest way is to lengthen the handle of your key. This will create a very significant effort.
- Use a long handle key instead of a standard key.
- If you don't have a long-handled key, place a metal tube over the handle of your key. The closer the pipe diameter is to the handle diameter, the better.
3 Try to push the key with your foot. If you are stuck in a deserted place and your arms are not strong enough to unscrew the bolts, use the strongest muscles in your body - your legs. Be extremely careful when pushing down on the key handle with your foot.
- Slide the wrench over the nut so that the handle is parallel to the ground. With one foot, carefully stand on the key so that it rotates counterclockwise. If the strength of one leg is not enough, you can lean your elbows on the car with your hands and stand on the key with both legs and jump a little. When the nut moves from its place, unscrew as usual.
- Be very careful. The key is not a trampoline. Do not kick or jump on the key so that your feet come off the handle. Any abrupt load on the key should be avoided.
4 Use a hammer or mallet. If you don't have a long-handled wrench or a pipe, the easiest way is to go. Take a mallet or hammer and hit the handle of the wrench, sometimes this is a great help to unscrew the stuck nuts. If you are stuck on a deserted track, this may be the only solution. If you don't even have a hammer on hand, use a stone.
- Try to avoid casual hits as you can damage the key and bolt. Apply short, well-aimed blows and after you notice that the bolt has given way, move on to another method.
5 If the bolts are corroded, apply grease to them.(Use this only as a last resort)If the problem is that the bolts are overtightened, apply a product such as PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench directly to the bolt. Use a thin-nosed watering can to apply the product clearly to the bolt, it will be very bad if it gets on the brake pad or disc. Wait for the product to work for 10 minutes, then try to unscrew.
- If the nut bolt still does not give way, try spraying directly on the threads and wait another 10 minutes, then try loosening the bolt with a hammer.
- Before putting the wheel back, make sure that there is no oil on the brake disc. Lubricants on braking surfaces can cause long braking distances and accidents. If fluid spills on the brake disc, clean the disc with a clean cloth and a solvent such as acetone. If oil spills on the brake pads, have the pads replaced by a licensed mechanic.
- If you are not sure if oil has spilled on the brake disc, try the brakes at low speed in a deserted area. Then test the brakes at a higher speed and make sure they work. Let other drivers know that lubricants are on the disc to keep their distance while driving.
6 Use the secret key to unscrew the secret nuts. If you have lost your key, look for a special socket bit for unscrewing the security nuts. These attachments are very convenient, as they can be stuffed onto any secret bolt and unscrewed with a regular wrench. It is very convenient to unscrew the "lapped" bolts with this attachment. They can be ordered online or purchased from automotive stores.
- Put the secret socket on the socket wrench, then, throw it over the secret nut and unscrew it counterclockwise as usual. The nut will give in with a little effort.
7 When tightening the bolts, use a torque wrench. If the bolts on your car, after the last shot of the wheels, are too tight, use a wrench with a dynamometer to fix the wheels with the force recommended in the instructions. Look in the instructions for the recommended effort, then set it on your key and tighten.

Tips

If the wheel is stuck to the hub, try not tightening the bolts completely and drive the car for a short distance. This reinforcement should pull the wheel away from the hub.