Transit Torture (1 Viewer)

Sep 10, 2013
1,186
18,688
Chelmsford Essex
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28,027
MH
C Class
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Getting better
Last week I decided to take off the rear wheels on the van to give the brakes a visual inspection as the van had been sitting for longer than is good over winter and my torchlit crawl under look showed the disk to be a bit rusty.
That's where the problems began, the nuts came off easy but the wheel was stuck fast, a few hammer blows had no effect,so rather than risk damage to me or the van I made arrangements for a long trusted garage to free off the wheels clean and refit. That was this afternoon, a job which was to take a few minutes lasted all afternoon. They managed to free the near side wheels but the offside is still locked in place.
We have now agreed that I will drive the MH around a bit this week and at every opportunity I will spray even more penetrating oil into the wheel hubs and the guys will try again next week. Plan B is to cut the wheel off and replace with a new unit.
Lessons for all to learn: If you have twin rear wheel axles make sure that the wheels are free to be removed and are well coated with copper grease to prevent them seizing on to the half shaft and to each other. I guess it also applies to single wheel axles as if I had a roadside issue there is no way it could be resolved by the usual roadside assist services.
Let's hope we have some success next week:Sad:
 
OP
OP
Zains Pops
Sep 10, 2013
1,186
18,688
Chelmsford Essex
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28,027
MH
C Class
Exp
Getting better
loosen the nuts and drive around for a while

Did that with loads of penetrating oil applied. Plan to drive around this week including a decent run to get the final drive oil nice and hot to help the penetrating oil soak in.

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pappajohn

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 26, 2007
43,207
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Dark side of the moon
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Since 2005
Did that with loads of penetrating oil applied. Plan to drive around this week including a decent run to get the final drive oil nice and hot to help the penetrating oil soak in.

brave man.....thats your wheel nuts/studs buggered.

Heat, and lots of it in the form of a gas torch on the wheel centre.
Heat will expand the wheel enough to knock it off the hub.

Once saw a wheel bearing taper roller inner race removed from a stub axle with a mig welder....nothing else would move it, including bearing/hub pullers.
Ran a thick bead of weld around the race circumferance and it dropped off with the help of a screwdriver to push it....
 

cmcardle75

LIFE MEMBER
Jun 8, 2012
2,666
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Reading
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spot on will work every time ::bigsmile:

You've got be worried now. I need new tyres (and wheels, as the old ones are rocking horse poo sized 16.5"). Do you think they'll come off? I don't care about the wheels, obviously, but don't want to buy new hubs or drums.
 

easygirl

Free Member
Nov 7, 2010
181
157
Bolton
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14,371
MH
Kontiki
Exp
3 years
I had same problem with my tranny
Loosen wheel nuts off, so you can see about 2mm gap between nut and rim
Drive it around a few corners at slow speed
Wheel will come loose

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Aug 17, 2011
422
211
North East
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since 2011
When we got our tyres changed 18 months ago the normally a lorry tyre fitter had trouble getting them off. He had to hammer them off, he even ground out the middle a little to make it easier in the future.

The van was in for a service last week and I know the mechanic had trouble getting them off again- i know he did something but might have just added extra grease!!
 

jonandshell

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Dec 12, 2010
5,476
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NOT a good idea to grind out the centre of a wheel dish!

The security of the wheel relies on a tight fit on the hub spigot. If the fit here is not tight, the wheel can float about leading to elongated stud holes, loosening nuts or even broken studs!:Eeek:
 

dave newell

Free Member
Oct 31, 2008
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Telford, Shropshire
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Home converted PVC
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26yrs
Just one of the many reasons I reccomend a full service annually regardless of the manufacturers service schedule. Wheels stuck on the hubs, oil filters stuck on the block, brake pads crumbling, brake discs rusted out, etc, etc ,etc: we see it all yet time and time again I read on forums people saying that because Fiat/Ford/Peugeot/Citroen et al quote 20,000 miles between services you don't need to have your motorhome serviced for five years at a time!

D.

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Allanm

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Jun 30, 2013
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Since 1987
I can confirm that driving around with loose wheel nuts will loosen the wheels. So much so that when I took a car into the garage to have new front tyres fitted a few years ago, they did the nuts up finger tight and forgot the final tightening with the torque wrench and a couple of miles down the road both wheels fell off. I did get a bit of warning though, the steering felt strange just after the first wheel came off a split second before the second one. It did rattle a bit a few seconds before that though.......

Allan.
 

TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
17,509
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many many years! since I was a kid
heat the wheel as hot as you can get it without catching fire and the rust will pop off. sadly this means sacrificing the wheel and potentially the tyre too, not to mention cooking the hub

when its off you will need to strip and rebuild and i recommend new bearings too just to be on the safe side. whilst its apart clean and paint the outside of the hub to help prevent it happening again
 

jhorsf

Free Member
May 15, 2009
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ih oregon
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I remember well the feeling and thinking whose is that wheel overtaking me?:Doh: just before the lurch to one side and the scraping noises

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Aug 17, 2011
422
211
North East
Funster No
17,792
MH
Dethleffs T7057
Exp
since 2011
NOT a good idea to grind out the centre of a wheel dish!

The security of the wheel relies on a tight fit on the hub spigot. If the fit here is not tight, the wheel can float about leading to elongated stud holes, loosening nuts or even broken studs!:Eeek:

Fortunately ours are still super tight and still causing problems to remove!
 
OP
OP
Zains Pops
Sep 10, 2013
1,186
18,688
Chelmsford Essex
Funster No
28,027
MH
C Class
Exp
Getting better
Last week I decided to take off the rear wheels on the van to give the brakes a visual inspection as the van had been sitting for longer than is good over winter and my torchlit crawl under look showed the disk to be a bit rusty.
That's where the problems began, the nuts came off easy but the wheel was stuck fast, a few hammer blows had no effect,so rather than risk damage to me or the van I made arrangements for a long trusted garage to free off the wheels clean and refit. That was this afternoon, a job which was to take a few minutes lasted all afternoon. They managed to free the near side wheels but the offside is still locked in place.
We have now agreed that I will drive the MH around a bit this week and at every opportunity I will spray even more penetrating oil into the wheel hubs and the guys will try again next week. Plan B is to cut the wheel off and replace with a new unit.
Lessons for all to learn: If you have twin rear wheel axles make sure that the wheels are free to be removed and are well coated with copper grease to prevent them seizing on to the half shaft and to each other. I guess it also applies to single wheel axles as if I had a roadside issue there is no way it could be resolved by the usual roadside assist services.
Let's hope we have some success next week:Sad:

Continued today!,
After using copious quantities of penetrating oil on numerous occasions over the past week or so,today we returned to the garage for the second act of the wheel removal drama. Following Funster advice I took along a sledge hammer. After careful jacking and axle stand positioning we took the wheel nuts off and protecting the wheel with a length of 4x2 gave it the full welly with the sledge and hey presto after a few blows the wheel moved and was free, similarly the inner wheel was shifted with a serious blows.
So the wheels we cleaned up and protected with copper grease refitted and torqued up

Moral of story: your hammer can never be too big!,:ROFLMAO:and follow Funster advice!!
 

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,821
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Thetford Norfolk
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C class, Chieftain
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
Glad you got it sorted ok :thumb:

This might sound very odd, but what penetrating oil did you use ?

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OP
OP
Zains Pops
Sep 10, 2013
1,186
18,688
Chelmsford Essex
Funster No
28,027
MH
C Class
Exp
Getting better
Glad you got it sorted ok :thumb:

This might sound very odd, but what penetrating oil did you use ?

3 in1 professional aerosol spray from Halfords, used generously and on many occasions must buy another can when next in town..:Smile:
 

Jaws

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 26, 2008
23,821
71,977
Thetford Norfolk
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Exp
since 2006 ( I think ! )
3 in1 professional aerosol spray from Halfords, used generously and on many occasions must buy another can when next in town..:Smile:


Both very proper choices :thumb: Pretty obvious you both know your stuff !..
I am sorry I had to ask but time and again we see folk using WD40 thinking that is penetrating oil !

As an aside, and not really any use at all for wheels, but the new kid on the block is a freezer penetrating spray

Lord knows how it works ( as it contracts both the nut and the bolt ! ) but I was sent a tin a while ago to try.. Managed to get all the exhaust downpipes off a motorcycle first hit ( and as many folk will testify, they are often solid bloody rust and just snap off ! )

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