Some people say to loosen the lugs and drive it a few hundred yard and it should come right off. I am not a fan of that for some reason.

I do this:

These babies were stuck. And stuck good. Sledge - wood - rubber then rotate tire and repete. I also used a long 4x4 from the other side of the car to push the tire off the center bore. Just don't knock the car off the jack stands... Once the rim is off wire brush the hub.

Also, if you pop the center cap off with the tire still on the car you can spray some penetrating oil in there and that helps too.

 

Rubber mallet beat the wheel off!

 

Loosen lugnuts 2-3 turns. Drive up to 10 MPH, and SLAM on the brakes. You will hear a clunk. That should be the wheels freeing from corrosion on the hub. Drive slowly back, jack the car up, and take the wheels off. I have done this 6-7 times, and if you are CAREFUL it works great.



And yes, you can change the coolant. Read up on what to use though.

 

And yes, you can change the coolant. Read up on what to use though.

thanks for the info, by what i'm reading so far is the factory fills it up with dex-cool for anything later then a 2001, though will have to read more into it, was hopeing to use the kind that works for any kind of coolant, but dont want to mess anything up by using it

 

hmm would have thought those ways would bend or brake something, good to know though, thanks for the suggestions

 

Before you put the wheels back on, put a little coating of grease or never seize where the wheel contacts the hub. I used to have a heck of a time getting the snows off after the winter till I tried that.

 

will definitely have to try that

 

I will second the notion of it's TOTALLY FINE to loosen the lugs A FEW TURNS then drive 10mph and slam the brake. Will save you tons of time and headache.

PoisonBeef is just paranoid.

 

Hoping up and down on a breaker bar (I am not an unsubstantial woman) and PB Blaster?

I think that's how Code and I did it to just get the damn wheels off during the great rotor adventure on my '01 9-3 last fall. We had to run out for an EBFH and a torch later for the rotors, but that's another story.

 

If it's the front wheels, the trick I used on our 9-3 was loosen up the lug nuts (all 5) but don't take 'em off, then turn the wheels side to side quickly...

Also, I don't think that there's dexcool in '01+ Cars. Our '04 and '07 have red coolant I believe...

Edit:
from Eeuroparts:
Lifetime antifreeze (Purple, 1.5 liter) for BMW,Saab,Volvo vehicles
Description: 1.5L (now Purple in color) lifetime anti-freeze. Also known as “Mercedes coolant.” Nitrate, Amin & Phosphate free. When mixed at a proportion of 1:1, this will protect to a temperature of -37 celcius(2:3 to -25, 1:2 to -20). Protects cooling systems against freeze and rust, while neutral to metals, rubber parts and sealing materials. Made in Germany.

 

[quote:Slow Joe]If it's the front wheels, the trick I used on our 9-3 was loosen up the lug nuts (all 5) but don't take 'em off, then turn the wheels side to side quickly...
[/quote]
i tried doing that and unfortunetly nothing happened, though may not have been doing it quick enough :?

[quote:Slow Joe]Also, I don't think that there's dexcool in '01+ Cars. Our '04 and '07 have red coolant I believe...

Edit:
from Eeuroparts:
Lifetime antifreeze (Purple, 1.5 liter) for BMW,Saab,Volvo vehicles
Description: 1.5L (now Purple in color) lifetime anti-freeze. Also known as "Mercedes coolant." Nitrate, Amin & Phosphate free. When mixed at a proportion of 1:1, this will protect to a temperature of -37 celcius(2:3 to -25, 1:2 to -20). Protects cooling systems against freeze and rust, while neutral to metals, rubber parts and sealing materials. Made in Germany.
[/quote]

the stuff i have is red as well so went down to the dealership and asked them about it, they told me that it was just gm dexcool, though the manual says that the coolant in there is life time coolant and dexcool isn't lifetime

 

It is indeed dex-cool i work for saab.


edit: yes all cars from '02-new have it.

 

just kick the top of the wheel. good lord!

 

The wheels on my sitting for almost a year 9-3 took two of us 20 minutes with the 10lb sledge. No amout of kicking would get it off thr hub.

 

My steel wheels love staying on. I hammer them off, and now there is multi-purpose grease on the hub to prevent it from happening.

 

My arms still hurt from when I held that block of wood for your dad, Mike.

 

my arms still hurt from when i held that block of wood for your dad, mike.

you need more protein!!

 

I loosen the lugs one turn, and drive about 15-ft. I do a 3-pt turn(lock-to-lock turning), and pull back into my driveway. they're always loose by then.

then wire-wheel the hub, and back of the wheel, and paint the surfaces to keep them from re-rusting.

 

Are you all crazy? Just grab the tire on either side and keep working it back and forth until it wiggles loose!

 

Obviousl;y someone from more temperate cliamte like PA, come to New england and try that...

 

At the rate you're going, you're just going to bend the rims out of whack, at which they'll throw off alignment. My 900 had that problem, i took it to my mechanic to get it aligned after i bought it, and he told me that the rims where so bent that as soon as you just rotate the wheel, the alignment machine would get thrown off. I would imagine that hammering could cause the same problem.

 

Hammering the tire, not the wheel... Big difference.

 

Wheel is really stuck!

I have an alloy wheel stuck to the hub of a 2000 9-5. In the past driving a bit and/or pushing the car with the lug nuts loose has done the trick. But presently nothing has worked including loosening the lug nuts, penetrating oil, driving 20 miles at speeds up to 60 mph, over bumps, swerving the car from side to side, hitting the tire repeatedly with a sledge hammer, kicking it. I'm a bit surprised that alloy & steel bonded so well.

Thanks for the suggestions of slamming on the brakes and using wood to hit it from the other side. I'll try those.

 

Is it a front or a rear wheel? If it's a front you could get it right up against a curb with a wood spacer and use the power steering to 'wiggle' it back and forth.

It's a little scary that it's on there that well!

 

Wood and a sledgehammer, keep rotating the wheel and hitting it. It will come off. You really gotta whack it

Lay the wood flat against the wheel, not the short end of the 2x4 or you may bend the wheel.

Helps to get mad first.

 

Wood and a sledgehammer, keep rotating the wheel and hitting it. It will come off. You really gotta whack it

Lay the wood flat against the wheel, not the short end of the 2x4 or you may bend the wheel.

Helps to get mad first.

Yep. Do that and it'll go, eventually.

Then wire brush clean and put a thin layer of grease on it and it'll never happen again.

 

Done the sledge hammer bit, but never driving with the luggs purposefully loosened. Hope I never need to.

 

I thought every comment was excellent, so I wasn't going to contribute until someone asked how (why) this happens.

Most of the problem is the difference in metal alloys causing a battery effect. Ion exchange can lightly weld the metals together. The rest is due to iron rust expanding in between the bearing hub and wheel. You need some WD-40 right there. Maybe some heat as well. Aluminum expands faster than iron so heating up the wheel should help.

I also had this problem (not as bad) and used Anti-Seize on the bearing hubs before putting the wheels back on. I suppose grease would have worked just as well.

I also put Anti-Seize on all the lug threads. Loosening one lug required over 230 ft-lbs of torque. My entire body weight on an 18" breaker bar. Bouncing.