Can't get spacers off!

[lukasbmw]

Today I jacked up my car to take off my 20mm spacers and throw my new 15mm spacers (thanks Rob) on to stop the rear tires from rubbing. I tried for four fucking hours and could not get the spacers off. Methods tried:

WD40
Bug and tar remover
Simple Green
Razor blade
screwdriver pry
hammers
rubber mallet
het gun
Vise grips
Back end of hammer

4 hours of work and neither side would budge. I had to put my rims back on and drive home. I've never had this problem before. Any suggestions?

Taking the car out of gear and lowering the e-brake did nothing. Jacking up the rotor did nothing.

[matt325is]

Try this, though it might work...

Jack up the car, unthread the wheel bolts , make sure they are dethreaded from the hub, but still within the spacer. Tthen try twisting the wheel to break the spacer free. You should be able to get enough leverage on the wheel. This wouldnt work however, if you had wheel studs no bolts.

Good Luck,

matt

[Bill 84 318i]

Matt, your method won't work because the bolts don't thread into the spacers - they merely pass through the holes.

Mine are on pretty good too - patience with PB Blaster and a paint scraper/spackle tool and it finally came off. I haven't decided what to use to keep them from sticking again though.

[Ryan Stewart]

take some pressure off the bolts but dont back them out. Then drive a little and try again. That helped get a stubborn wheel off.

[lukasbmw]

I really regret not reapplying anti sieze last time I took them off. I also regret ignoring everyonces advice to paint the rotors. Wtih a painte surface they probably wouldn't stick.

[revo86]

your screwed, same thing happen to me


get a angle grinder, and start cuting it up, once you cut through it, it should be enough to get some thrust in there and pound it out, stop trying anything else, you just got to cut it...

[OreoGaborio]

wouldn't a little uneven heating would work? find a torch & have at em.

[nando]

I don't think paint would help, I painted my rotors and the paint on the hub mating surface basically came off as soon as I stuck a wheel on the car.

what you need is a torch.. get it hot and try to pry at it with a screwdriver and a BFH.

[rwh11385]

Do you think you could get the brake rotors off? (The spacers are between the wheel and disc right?)

If you could take off the brakes (being the big pain that it is.....) you could have much a better advantage working to get them off. At least it's better than cutting off the spacers.....

Or just keep up with a paint scraper and rubber mallet, hammering around the spacer...seperating it little by little all the way around.

[jflower]

i had the same problem with centering rings about 3 weeks ago. if they're aluminum spacers, they've formed a chemical bond with the steel. in my case it was the part of the hub that stuck into the centerbore of the ring. extremely hard to get at using a scraper or any sort of prying tool. you need chemicals and a WBFHG (boston for wikked big fuckin hammah, guy). take your calipers and carriers off, and make sure your car is on sturdy jack stands. take the hammer (i used a 15 pound sledge with a 4.5 foot handle) and start sledging. hit the rotor at 3 and 9 o clock with occasional taps at 6 and 12... watch out for the fender... mine took about 20-30 hits with the hammer. make sure your ebrake is off.

you'll probably destroy your rotors. way faster than grinding and cutting.

destructo.

[EVOIIIM3]

HA! Yea, a LITTLE bit of anti-seize would have helped.

Oh, well, get a rubber mallet, and a propane torch, torch the spacer and get it nice and hot, then bang it with the mallet,

If that doesn't work, remove the rotor with the spacer on it, hopefully you can get the set screw off.

Good luck!

[Werksmini]

You arent hitting it hard enough.

[revo86]

i wouldnt start hitting them insanely hard like other people are reccomending, you run the risk of damaging the hub...



Also he cant take the rotor off because the spacer will cover the little allen screw that holds the rotor on.

[M3 Ryan]

with a hammer like that, you could ruin your alignment too, as that is enough stress to start bending suspension components...
just find the set screw, drill it out and take the whole setup off...
shitty man... mine stuck to my wheels becuase of my powdercoating, but I was able to get them off, then I used some anti-seize and they are a peice of cake now...

[lukasbmw]

Fuck it, it's not worth it. I'm just gonna do the M roady suspension sooner then expected. This way I can just take the entire E30 trailing arms off and throw them in the trash were they belong. :)

I'll just deal with the rubbing for 6 more weeks or so.