Removing wheel spacers.........they don't want to come off

Rock777 · May 17, 2007

I am putting on different wheels and need to go from a 1.375 inch spacer down to a 1 inch spacer. Well, when I put the ones I have on now, they were pretty tight. I had to tighten the lugs pretty snug just to pull them all the way tight against the hub. Now, they seem as if they are spot welded and I am having one hell of time getting them off. Anyone else run into this problem? I'm looking for ideas on how to remove these things? thanks in advance

gcomfx.com · May 17, 2007

I've never tried to remove mine. Yikes. I would consider putting a notch on your new ones so you have a place to slide a screwdriver down in there to pry it off.

Lots of PB Blaster? Post back when you get them off. When I finished off a set of V-6 tires for a burnout contest, they "welded" themselves on the car. It took a sledge hammer to get them off. Ruined the wheels, but I didn't care. They were free and junker steelies.

Therian · May 17, 2007

I just went through this actually. Took me a while to figure out the technique.

Get a flat-head screwdriver (large) and place it on the inner edge. Take a hammer to the screwdriver - Be gentle, but convincing. They should come off pretty easily.

I spent too long trying to pry them off from the outside, and overall just beating the crap out of them with a rubber mallet.

Therian · May 17, 2007

I'm also assuming you have the lugs off. if not, PB blaster, heat, and a big breaker bar are your best friends

Rock777 · May 17, 2007

I used lots of penetrating oil and let it soak for a while. I then tried tapping a screwdriver between the spacer and the rotor, but it wasn't budging. Actually, I was hitting the screwdriver pretty hard and it was bending into the edge of the aluminum spacer but not prying it away from the rotor at all.

If there was anywhere to put a pry bar onto, I would. Without getting a little gap between the spacer and rotor, there is no place to put one.
Ugghhhh....how frustrating. I knew this would happen too when I was putting the spacers on because they took so much effort to get completely tight.

I was trying to remove the spacers in good condition to resell, but at this point I just want the things off, mangled or not.

Therian · May 17, 2007

They will come off. Do you have a rubber mallet? are they hub centric or not?

gcomfx.com · May 17, 2007

Try putting the little donut on it and smacking it around?

donkey_punch · May 17, 2007

since you could carless about the spacers now i would take a cut off wheel or grinder and make four slots. make them right in between the spacer and rotor and try and becareful of your rotors, of course. one on top, bottom, left and right sides.

that way you can try and pry it from different sides, the slots will help get a pry bar inbetween. also try bringing a torch to it before you try prying it.
keep us updated

True 5.0 · May 17, 2007

I see you live in IL. Since you guys tend to dump tons of salt on the roads in winter like we do in WI, the steel, aluminum and salt react resulting in the aluminum corroding to the steel. essentially the aluminum has grown making the hole over the hub smaller. your best bet is to remove the lug nuts and cut the spacer from the center out. then take a bid screwdriver and pound it into the slot you just cut, wedging the slot wider. This will open the hole up a bit and you should be able to pull the spacer off.

I think aluminum spacers are junk for this reason. A machine shop can make a set of steel - or better yet stainless steel - spacers that will be much betterfor not too much cash.

Rock777 · May 17, 2007

Therian - I do not have a rubber mallet, but have a feeling that they will not break loose. They will need to be pryed off in some way. They are Hub-Centric, which is part of the reason they are stuck, they are stuck around the "Hub".

gcomfx.com - Same as above, I don't think they will loosen up as they were essentially "pressed" on to begin with.

donkey_punch - Cutting is a last resort, but I will do it if all else fails

Do you guys think a slide hammer with a lug attachment would work? I can get one that would fit but wasn't sure if this could damage something in the axle housing or rearend? I would hope the spacer/hub connection would give before anything else....

Therian · May 17, 2007

Just to clarify, you were using the screwdriver on the inside of the spacer, and not the outside, correct?

Do you have a MAPP or Propane torch? Heat the inside of the spacer and then punch the screwdriver in a star pattern.

HISSIN50 · May 17, 2007

The guys have had excellent suggestions. And True 5.0 explained it well regarding the galvanic corrosion. A light coating of neverseize between the surfaces would have helped (and will for next time if the spacers are reused).

Splitting the spacer and hub (back of spacer and front of hub interface) like Duncan noted is how I would do it. Beforehand, Dribble some PB down the slit if you can (get your minds out of the gutter ).

Good luck.

Rock777 · May 17, 2007

Therian said:
Just to clarify, you were using the screwdriver on the inside of the spacer, and not the outside, correct?

Do you have a MAPP or Propane torch? Heat the inside of the spacer and then punch the screwdriver in a star pattern.

Not really sure what you are saying. If I use the screwdriver on the inside of the spacer, the only angle I could get would push in on further, not pull it off. Plus, there is a lip on the inside of the spacer, which is part of the hub-centric ideal. They can't be loosened, to where they just come off, because they were pretty difficult to "press" on when I installed them.

Now, I was thinking, if I could somehow get something to hook on this lip and tap it out, I might get somewhere.

I think I am still leaning towards the slide-hammer w/ the axle pulling attachment.

Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming as I am not doing this til tomorrow now!

HISSIN50 · May 17, 2007

Have you ever watched OCC where they decide to 'pull a bumper' by using a tow rope and another truck? Ok, maybe that's not such a hot idea.

Since the splitting idea doesnt seem copacetic for you: Your slide hammer idea might work. I'd just make a bar (from flatstock) that goes between two lugs (crosswise). Put a hole or whatever receptacle you need in the middle of the flatstock and attach the slidehammer there.

Good luck.

JJ95GTID · May 17, 2007

Maybe try removing the brake caliiper and slide off the rotor/spacer assembly.
Then bolt it onto the spare tire and try to pry off the rotor from the spacer.

Therian · May 17, 2007

Pictoral explanation

urban96 · May 17, 2007

is it siezed to the rotor or the axle? if its to the rotor you can pull the caliper/bracket off and then remove both the rotor and spacer and work on it off the car. then if all else fails get a new set of rotors

Therian · May 17, 2007

I spent a good hour getting both of mine off, if it is any consolation. They were stuck on there quite adamantly

True 5.0 · May 17, 2007

Therian's picture helps out a bunch. I can see my last suggestion is impractical. I would NOT use a slide hammer w/ lug attachment either. You will essentially be pounding the C-clip in the differential and may damage or even shear it. The best way to do this at home will be with a torch. The aluminum will expand more and much faster than the axle hub. Use MAPP gas and run it around and around the spacer near the hub. It may take several minutes, but it will expand enough to just pull off (wear gloves!).

Rock777 · May 18, 2007

First off, thank you guys very much for responding, it is great to get help when needed on here. Thanks!

I thought of taking the caliper off and trying to slide the rotor off, or even tapping the rotor off. The problem is, I am pretty sure the spacer is stuck on the hub, not to the rotor.

Therian - Thanks for the pic. explanation, I will try tapping inside there. I tried prying on the inside with a pry bar, with no luck, but didn't try tapping a screwdriver.

True 5.0 - you have stated my concern about the slide-hammer, which is my main hesistation with that method. It's not worth bending a c-clip to get this off.

Hissin - As far as the flatstock piece, the hardware store has a fitting that is essentially the same thing. It would attach to two studs opposite of each other and the force would pull on the middle of these two. Do you think this could damage the c-clips though?

I can heat up with a torch, but then I am at the point of figuring a method to get good leverage once it's good and heated up. I am going to try tapping on the inside of the hub.

On a side note....does anyone know if penetrating oil will eat through clearcoat/paint? I just bought brand new wheels and after screwing with the spacers for a while, decided to dry fit them. Well either the penetrating oil got on them, or my dog wizzed on them, but somehow something ate through the clearcoat and actually caused the paint to run a little.

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