Originally Posted By: Roarmeister
I always keep a little WD-40 in the kit as well. And a little trick I learned as a kid opening Mom's pickle jars -- by using sharp blows to vibrate the lug nut free. Why use excessive force when a little know-how and technique work better?

But that's not where I often have a problem, its the seal at the hub itself. In the past I have resorted to mule kicking the rim to release the seal. smile These little tricks come from experience, you won't find any of these tips in the Owners Manual.


I learned the same trick for breaking loose frozen machine screws. Place the driver in the screw and give the back of the driver a couple of medium hard whacks with a hammer.

As for the little centering ring on the back of the hub freezing to the axle (I'm assuming it's metal). Have you looked at anti-seize compounds?

My problem has always been breaking loose the lug nuts after the shop tightened them with a impact wrench! I usually end up bouncing up and down on the end of the lug wrench. My next automotive purchase will be a 2 ft breaker bar or telescoping lug wrench. The spare tire is 28" diameter, so I should be able to store the wrench in with it.

FWIW, I have a cheap click type torque wrench from Harbor Freight with deep sockets that I purchased years ago. For torqueing the occasional critical nut and bolt (trailer hitches, lug nuts, serpentine belt tensioner), it's been worth more than what I paid for it.


Edited by Mark_R (11/01/16 06:20 PM)
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