Scissor jack wheel change

[Alan]

I have been putting off changing a slow puncture for 6 months on the van. Main reasons being, fearing having problem with wheel holding fast on hub, and using the scissor jack which has had some negative posts on the forum.
After a quick look in the hand book on the supplied jack I got started on loosening the wheel nuts.
Drove the motor forward and backwards aplining brake pressure ( as previously recommend by a forum member, thank you )
Jacked the offending wheel up, the jack performed above my expectations
Removed wheel nuts, mallet standing by I proceeded to pull off wheel.
Couldn't believe my luck, the wheel came off so easy inspite of heavy rust marks on the hub where the wheel mates, indicating the dreaded wheel stick
Spare put on, as with the kettle

Alan

 

[calikev]

Why didn't you just take it to the garage?

 

[Alan]

Good question Kev
I thought it would be a good exercise in case I would be caught out in the middle of nowhere some day,anyway that would have been the easy way out

 

[Meoncoast]

We have had two punctures in the Cali, one slow one out of the blue over night fully flat. Both pumped up with the little compressor I carry in the van, and then driven to closest tyre centre and let them take off and repair. If I had to change a wheel in the middle of nowhere and in the unlikely event could not get it off would put the kettle on call VW assist. Our wheels are swopped over twice a year winter wheels on and off so loosened regularly, however sometimes they take some getting off.

 

[calikev]

Good question Kev
I thought it would be a good exercise in case I would be caught out in the middle of nowhere some day,anyway that would have been the easy way out

Yes good point it always happens when your away from home

 

[Hotel California]

Can i ask , what do you mean by " drove the motor forward and backwards....."?
I changed to winterwheels now a few times never had any problems , the scissor jack work good but i always put a pice of wood underneeth...and also carry that along in the Cali , handy if you stand on grass,sand,...

 

[Alan]

Can i ask , what do you mean by " drove the motor forward and backwards....."?
I changed to winterwheels now a few times never had any problems , the scissor jack work good but i always put a pice of wood underneeth...and also carry that along in the Cali , handy if you stand on grass,sand,...

With the wheel nuts slightly loosened,( before jacking up) I drive the van carefully forward and backwards and with the weight of the van the idea is if the wheel is stuck fast onto the hub this action ( a rocking motion ) is going to free off the wheel.
Also bearing in mind theres air in the tyre still so as to not cause any damage to the tyre !
Sounds a lot to be bothered with, but really isn't .

 

[Hotel California]

Ok understood , i had once the aluminium wheels of the wife's Renault did not com of, let the car slightly of the jack with losend bolts....about the same
Always remove rust before putting wheel back on , i also use a pice of cloth sprayed in with copper- spray to clean and prevent more rust , NOT thouthing the breakdisk
Use a spare wheel to put under the body of the car in case the jack fails or slips away , at home better to use a adjustable stud.

 

[Alan]

Ok understood , i had once the aluminium wheels of the wife's Renault did not com of, let the car slightly of the jack with losend bolts....about the same
Always remove rust before putting wheel back on , i also use a pice of cloth sprayed in with copper- spray to clean and prevent more rust , NOT thouthing the breakdisk
Use a spare wheel to put under the body of the car in case the jack fails or slips away , at home better to use a adjustable stud.

All your tips noted and will make sure I keep a strong piece of timber to spread weight under jack

Alan

 

[DM]

Picked up my 4th puncture this weekend :-( . Way more than I’ve ever had in any cars. Generally seems to be nails / screws pucks up on sites - grrrr.

The tyre lost 15 PSI overnight so I thought it safest to change it before a long drive home. No chance - not on my own at any rate. The bolts all came out no problem but the wheel wouldn’t shift. No matter how hard I wellied it with a rubber mallet. Job for VW Assist (AA). It took the very helpful Dan 20 mins to shift it - basically hammering it off from underneath th vehicle on his trolley jack. No way would I have dared try that with it on the scissor jack.

Haven’t taken it in yet but I fear the damage may be close to the edge so new tyre required. I’ll get them to take all the wheels off and regrease at th same time in case of any more incidents this summer.

 

[BRC]

Not sure what the underbody clearance is like with a flat(picking up our new ocean this week!) but I do a lot of towing with various trailers behind double cab pickups and I wouldn’t be without a bottle jack and a few bits of 2” wood. Shall be seeing if there is somewhere convenient to store one on the Cali. Scissor jack on soft ground might be a nightmare.

 

[DM]

Not sure what the underbody clearance is like with a flat(picking up our new ocean this week!) but I do a lot of towing with various trailers behind double cab pickups and I wouldn’t be without a bottle jack and a few bits of 2” wood. Shall be seeing if there is somewhere convenient to store one on the Cali. Scissor jack on soft ground might be a nightmare.

The scissor jack will go under with a total flat but only just - you wouldn’t get any wood under it as well. Fortunately I was on tarmac the time I had to change a full flat.

 

[Velma's Dad]

The tyre lost 15 PSI overnight so I thought it safest to change it before a long drive home. No chance - not on my own at any rate. The bolts all came out no problem but the wheel wouldn’t shift. No matter how hard I wellied it with a rubber mallet. Job for VW Assist (AA). It took the very helpful Dan 20 mins to shift it - basically hammering it off from underneath th vehicle on his trolley jack. No way would I have dared try that with it on the scissor jack.

Yes the alloy wheels really can get so stuck on that almost nothing will get them off, short of a sound thrashing with a sledge hammer (using a wooden block to avoid damage). All the usual tricks eg back and forward with the van with the studs loose, or rock van laterally, may not do it.

So really important to do what HC says and wipe on a smear of grease (copper grease is best) while the wheel is off - or ask the tyre shop to do that for you. Otherwise you may never get it off at the side of the road.

Or, buy a set of steel wheels!

 

[Teejay]

I had copper slip on mine but when I changed all tyres to Goodyear All Seasons at Costco they have to clean it all off and leave no trace!

So that reminds me that I need to remove each in turn and smear some back on.

 

[Velma's Dad]

I had copper slip on mine but when I changed all tyres to Goodyear All Seasons at Costco they have to clean it all off and leave no trace!

So that reminds me that I need to remove each in turn and smear some back on.

If not, your wheels would certainly fall off, but only the ones on the left side of the van .

(Anyone with wire wheels / knock-off hubs will understand this - and will certainly lavishly grease their hub splines or they'd never get the bloody wheels off).

[EDIT] I just did my head in thinking about this again... on trucks, and some older cars, it's the left-hand (ie nearside) wheelnuts that have left-hand threads. But on wire wheels the LHT knock-off hubs go on the right (offside)! Any engineers out there care to explain?