Home setup/equipment for swapping wheels and undercarriage rinsing, etc.

[manoftaste]

Planning to get Jack/torque wrench etc so I could swap wheels sets myself at home and flush the undercarriage with water to remove that salt/slush combo etc.

Any recommendations?

I remember making the mistake of not immediately rinsing the undercarriage of my former brand new LR3 right after driving in snow/salty roads back east, and within three months stuff underneath was showing rust that never went away for the next six years of ownership.

Fearing the same, I did go thru a car wash with undercarriage wash option this week the day after I got back from the snowy mountains here in socal. But I wonder if doing it on my own is better, or if its even possible with a hose etc.

Also anyone here knows how heavy a 19 inch wheel/tire combo is ? I mean the tire itself must be 35 LBs, right?

 

[PaulLR3]

I just had to replace my old Craftsman floor jack. I went with a 3 ton floor jack from Harbor Freight. With an online coupon it was around $79. I considered more expensive jacks, but so far so good.

 

[roverman]

I have a fork truck with a 3000 lb capacity. It's just enough to lift up one side at a time (at the B pillar) and do the front and rear. You should get one of those
At home I have the same jack as Paul.
I didn't know you guys used salt in the CA mountains, interesting.

 

[PaulLR3]

I wouldn't be overly concerned about the undercarriage rust, it's just surface rust on the steel frame. Between beach driving and winter driving, both of ours have it. I doubt the rust will ever compromise the strength of the unibody-on-frame construction. The drivetrain will wear out long before the frame rusts through.

As for the weight of a 19" wheel with a tire, my guess would be around 70 pounds.

 

[eljefe]

if you have the space and money look for a lift.

they are a couple brands.

https://www.quickjack.com/car-lift-systems/bl-7000slx-portable-car-lift.html

I wish I had the space and money for it.

 

[mpinco]

if you have the space and money look for a lift.

they are a couple brands.

https://www.quickjack.com/car-lift-systems/bl-7000slx-portable-car-lift.html

I wish I had the space and money for it.

A little light weight there. I wouldn't crawl under a LR3/4 unless the lift was rated at 9000+

 

[TCM75]

I'm in the Northeast and when they switched over to the liquid/urea mixture, it seems there is just no point in keeping a car more than a few years anymore. It's so bad the exhaust system on my '15 (which I thought was at least galvanized) has about 85% rust coverage.

As for the setup, make sure you use jack stands when under any vehicle raised by any type of jack. I use an SK "click-type" torque wrench and set to 85 lb ft. I also apply a light coat of anti-seize paste to the threads of the lugs. I have done this for years and it always allows me to easily remove the lugs months (or years) later.

If you really want to get fanatical, they make impact wrench sockets that have a plastic sleeve around them to prevent scratching your wheels. They are not cheap but do the job. I have had mine for many years now...might have bought them from Griots garage but there may be other sellers by now.

 

[manoftaste]

Thanks guys. And wow, about seventy pounds for the wheel tire combo . I was hoping that tire being around 35 LBs, the rim would be lighter and the combo weight would less, etc. For DIYers here, are there any tricks or ways to lift and mount them up on the hub, I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not in my twenties or thirties anymore .

 

[TCM75]

Only "trick" I would say is to not lift it! First, make sure parking brake is set. When taking off a wheel, loosen all nuts but leave the bottom-most one mostly on (this is to prevent wheel from rotating upwards and away from vehicle until you are ready to remove it). If using an impact wrench to loosen, the tire does not have to be in contact with the ground. If using manual wrench, then take most of the weight off the tire but still leave some pressure so the wheel does not spin as you loosen; this will only be an issue on front wheels where parking brake does not engage. With bottom nut still most of the way in, but loose, raise vehicle so that tire is just free from the ground. I am assuming you are working on a garage floor which will be relatively smooth concrete. Insert a piece of cardboard, or slippery piece of plastic (I use a semi-rigid shelf liner from the Container Store) under the tire and very slowly lower vehicle until it looks like there is "some" weight on the tire. Basically, you want a low-friction surface between the floor and the tire so that you can slide The lug nut should be loose and easy to turn by your fingers at this point. Remove lug nut and then attempt to slide tire outward away from vehicle. You will need to slowly shimmy the front and then the back perpendicularly away from the vehicle in very small increments, being careful with the wheel and stud contact. Adjust vehicle height in very small increments as needed for clearance.

When installing the trick is to line up the studs with the holes in the wheels; otherwise, the above should work in reverse. I always start the lug nuts by hand a few turns and then use the impact wrench to spin the nuts slowly until they just touch the wheel surface and then I switch to the torque wrench. This has always worked for me with no problems. If you don't have or want to get an impact wrench you can still save some time by buying a 1/2" socket to drill adapter for a few dollars and spin the nuts in this way. Still doesn't help with loosening, however if you use the anti-seize paste and a torque wrench you will never have a problem removing the nuts.

**Note, I have never actually removed my LR tires before, although what I describe above has worked for various vehicles I have tinkered with over the years from Audis to a Viper. I mentioned previously that I torque to 85 lb. ft. but a quick search shows that 95 lb. ft. is probably the right number...just double-check before you do anything.

 

[howardduff]

I have seen a aide for reinstalling the wheels. It is two rods just smaller than the wheel holes that screw on the studs. One is just slightly longer than the other the longer about 4 in. long. When installing the wheels screw these rods on the upper most studs and slip the wheel over the rods. This will get the wheel onto the other studs and you can then install the lug nuts. I have an old lathe in the basement and made my own. I believe you can purchase a set from Atlantic British. Well worth the cost if you do any of your own work on your Rover.