F250 flat tire

[MIKE IN lINO III]

Just noticed a nail in my rear tire... how do I get the plastic lug nut cap off?? I pried on it last night but it doesn't want to come off. It has a slow leak so I want to bring it to the shop up the street.

Thanks,

Mike

[Dave]

I use a large screwdriver tip to reach to the back and pry the cap off.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

I tried that and it didn't want to budge.

I'll give'er another shot tonight.

[Dave]

There is a little "slot" in some sections on the back edge of the cap to stick the screwdriver into.

[mtreno]

ya they can be a bit tight - your not going to hurt anything just put your back into it and it will come off. i run different tires for hunting season and got tired of removing them so they now those caps sit on the shelf - hey who buys a work truck to be cute anyway. matches the dents from all those "it will fit" mistakes. three wise men in one of the best movies of all time said "coach, were makin her look mean!".....

[Jeremy airjer W]

I usually wrap a rag around a 12 inch prybar to try to protect the aluminum wheel but sometimes a guy has to pry so hard you end up scratchin them anyways.

[MIKE IN lINO III]

Well I was able to get the cover off with much prying, I just didn't want to break the plastic.

Got all the lugs off only to find I couldn't get the rim off the axle. I kicked the h$ll out of the tire and it wouldn't budge. I even hit the center of the hub with a sledge to break it loose. I hope I never get a flat in the winter, what a pain in the @ss.

[Valv]

Hitting the center of the hub won't help much, in fact can get you something broken, and that's big $$.

Use a lot of WD40, let it soak for a while, then pull/push left /right side then up/down, it will eventually come loose, it's a heavy tire/rim combo, that's why it's on a 3/4 ton

While it's off check brake calipers and others for binding etc. if you have so much dump on rim you'll have a lot too on components inside it.

[Surface Tension]

Put the lug nuts back on but leave them loose. Lower the tire back onto the ground and then push on the quarter panel or fender to get the truck swaying. Once you get the rhythm down you get the truck to rock back and forth a lot. This should get the rim to pop loose.

[DrKen]

I had the same problem a few years ago in getting a wheel off the hub. Corrosion between the steel hub and alloy wheel stuck them together. heated and beat it off eventually. Prevented it from happening again by coating the hub surface with anti-seize. Never had another problem getting the wheels off.

[Dave]

My steel wheels have had no problem coming loose. Must be only with aluminum huh....

[IFallsRon]

I wouldn't bother taking the tire off. Get a fix-it kit, the kind that uses rubber strands and glue and you'll be able to make it good as new.

BTW, years ago I couldn't break the nuts loose on my truck. Ended up at a place that had a semi-truck-sized air wrench.

If you do get take the wheel off, make sure to put some anti-sieze spray on the studs before nutting it back up.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I have a big plastic deadblow hammer just for that, works awsome. To prevent it in the future clean up the center of the wheel where the flange from the axle sits in it then apply a thin layer of grease any will do. This is a real common problem with a real easy fix.

Ifalls I would bet that whoever put your tires just hammered the lugs on with an impact instead of torqueing them down to the proper spec.

If you decide to use a plug to fix your tire you may be voiding any warranty the tires have. A patch or patch plug is aways the best repair, but in a pinch you gat to do whatever you have to to get by.

Quick tip if you have ever had a brake pulsation from warped rotors shortly after a tire rotation theres a good chance they didn't torque down your lugs. This happens alot especially on front wheel drive vehicles.

[Bobby Bass]

Slow leak right? fill with air, bring to tire shop and let them get er off. They do it for a livin..