My name is Chris, I will be 30 years old next week, and I have never changed a tire. I've only had one flat ever, and I was in New Jersey, so I just coasted into the service station that I happened to be passing, and had them patch it.

I just bought a set of winter tires mounted on alloys. We've got a few inches of snow on the ground, and another 2-4" forecast for tomorrow, so obviously it's past time to get these puppies on my car. Rather than get into the habit of paying someone to do this, I'd rather lay out the cash for the tools and learn to do it myself.

In an effort to make up for my stupid questions below, I've done a bit of research that I hope will be helpful for others at this time of year:

Two great write-ups on changing brake pads, from OctaneGuy, here and here.
Extensive discussion of jacking and jackpoints here.
Info on $$$ high quality jacks and jackstands here and here.
Cautionary tale about a MINI that fell off of a floor jack here.
Randy Webb's brake bleed how-to shows jack points.

Questions I still have:
1) Anyone have specific floor jack and jackstand recommendations? This lightweight one, suggested in another thread, looks frighteningly insubstantial, and is jacking up my 2500 pound car with a 3000 pound capacity borderline dangerous, or am I being too paranoid? The wheels on it seem awfully small. Is there anything safe to use that's well under 100 pounds? (I live in a 3rd floor apartment, and all my large tools are in the 4th floor attic!)

2) I know that I've seen specific recommendations on what kind of grease to use to prevent the wheels from rusting to the hubs, but now I can't find it. Anyone?

3) Even though I just bought my car in June and only have 4500 miles on it, I'm expecting the wheels to be fully rusted to the hubs. Is the rubber mallet method the best? I will not be administering any violent kicks to my suspension, thanks.

4) People seem to like Tire Rack's $30 torque wrench. Anything else I should consider? The price seems hard to beat!

5) What about a breaker bar - can I easily find that at Home Depot or an auto parts store? Is the point of the breaker bar to get more leverage than the torque wrench provides?

6) How level of a surface do I need to be on? Is a typical asphalt driveway OK, or do I need to seek out some extra flat concrete?

7) Is it okay if there's ice on the driveway when I do it? (kidding, I'm kidding)

I think that's it... for now. Many thanks in advance for any help.

Chris

 

I just thought of another amateur question. What else should I check out while I have the wheels off? Anything in particular that it would be beneficial to clean, sand, etc.?

 

Just about any 2-ton floor jack will do - even the ones at WalMart that are generally bundled with jack stands. The thing I would caution about the jack you've linked to is the long handle. While it is very nice to have (more leverage is easier jacking and it is probably fast), it requires that much more room to work. If you have tight quarters, you're better off with the short handle.

I think you might be referring to an anti-seize compound. Just about any autoparts store has this. One example:



Probably - but, with only 4,500 miles you shouldn't have a prolblem. And, seriously, a kick to the tire isn't any worse than the potholes you'll hit at 65mph.

Hmmm.... May have to consider one of these myself! Thanks!

This may be old-school, but I would consider a 4-way. It is easier to spin the lug nuts on/off than a breaker bar.

Even if there isn't any slope it is a good idea to chock the wheels of the side still on the ground.


Hope that helps!

 

Mini2Go, thanks very much for the info!
I'll definitely chock the wheels! I was thinking more about the variations or slight slope in the driveway surface. Just wondering how perfectly flat the surface needs to be for the jack. In retrospect, this is probably a nearly impossible question to answer; common sense should probably suffice here.

 

Another quick thought:

Asphalt is very soft - especially in warm/hot temps - compared to concrete. Your jack/jack stands may very likely sink into the asphalt. You can put a piece of plywood under them to help distribute the weight.

 

Remember that the floor jack is only being used to tilt the car, and only on one side. This would require no more than 1500 pound capacity (probably much less).
Basically the breaker bar is for loosening lugs and the torque wrench is for tightening. A breaker bar gives you leverage to break lugs free that are stuck. You risk damaging or uncalibrating a torque wrench if you use it to remove lugs. If you get TireRack's torque wrench, you may as well order their $8 power wrench (breaker bar) and a 17mm socket at the same time.

One more point. Be prepared for the possibility that you may find one or more wheels fused to the hub as you try to remove them. Here is a thread on the subject (rather long and rambling, but I just happened to see it recently).

 

1. I just picked up the equivalent - it's a nice jack! Remember, you're only picking up one side at a time, so you won't get anywhere near the 3K service limit.
2. I just use some wheel bearing grease - most anything will do.
3. I used the rubber mallet - I'm more comfortable with one arm underneath the car than my whole body when subjecting it to jarring axial forces. I've only had issues with rear tires, FWIW.
4. That looks like a winner!
5. Another 4-way fan here - allows you to work on other vehicles as well.
6. Flatter is better - also be cognizant of the texture of the surface. My driveway is much rougher than my garage floor, and it adds significant friction to the big roller wheel.
OTHER:
Nothing much to look at on a new car, but good to check (and record) the brake pad thickness and inspect the CV boots.
Also - if you're less risk averse, you can lift up the entire side of the car from the front jack point.
Make sure you loosen the front lug nuts BEFORE you jack up the car!

 

Exactly the kind of most-likely-obvious-to-everyone-else info that I needed - thanks!
Done, done, and done.
Thanks for the link! Hopefully this thread can pull together a bunch of good info for others who are clueless like me.

 

Again, forgive my ignorance, but other than lifting the whole side of the car from the front jack point, how else can I jack up the car (assuming one jack and a jackstand)? Not that I'm not risk averse; just trying to know my choices.

I'll check replies tomorrow; I need to get me to bed!

Thanks very much,
Chris

 

I'm all over that (and anything else that saves me time/effort) - but was hesitant to recommend it to a first-timer.

Speaking of saving time/effort, I've been looking into one of these buggers - it isn't a drill, but a cordless impact wrench. Rather than start down the path of investing in air tools - and this provides me a lot more overall functionality. I'm just not sure that I'd be able to break a lug free with 103 ft/lbs. They also offer a 1/2" drive. Still pondering...

 

Plus, it's rechargeable, so it might start out with 103 ft-lbs capability, but what about a year or two down the road?

 

I rotated my tires on my miata a year ago... but never used a torque wrench. Used a regular hydraulic jack, on gravel, and did it no problem. (ok, so i had my dad come out and tighten the bolts more )

I finally did on the mini at a recent tech day, and actually had men around to guide me to do it the "right" way. With lube and torque wrenches. I think it was 80 lbs of torque? Yeh, that's my whole body. I couldn't quite get it to click

 

Fortunately, it is a NiMH battery and not a NiCd - which should prove a little more durable and has no "memory effect." ...plus I could always just get a new one. ...By then, it will probably be just as cost effective to get a new tool with whatever advancements it has than just a battery.

Wheel changing is only one possible use I have in mind. I have LOTS of other projects that it could be used for - including the deck I started too late this fall (which now needs to be finished in the spring ), the basement finishing project, the sunroom addition, etc, etc!!!!

 

To do it 'right', you would jack up the car from a point INSIDE the plastic jack block (using a 2x4 or similar to dissipate the load), then put a jack stand under each jack block.
Check this thread for more info, and #5 for OctaneGuy's pics

Jackstands generally come in pairs. As you get more gearheaded, you'll want four so you can get the whole car off the ground. The kind that ratchet are superior - I don't even know if they make the PITA ones I use anymore.


Hey, and what's up with changing the username - at first I thought you were an imposter!

 

Thanks for another great informative link! Somehow I missed that one in my search.
I changed it back to what it used to be when I first joined MCO. At some point I decided I didn't want my full name on here, and had someone delete the vowels in my last name. Now they're back, because you just can't possibly pronounce "chrisnl" unless you make it sound like crystal.

 

Home Depot does not sell floor jacks or jack stands. I was able to procure a rubber mallet, though.

 

That's okay, you don't have to tell us what you're going to do with it (see definition 3 here: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=procure).

 

I also procured some light bulbs...

 

Here are my little pieces of advice:

You can do tire swaps with just the tools in the MINI's tool kit, but it will be easier if you get some better tools.

A breaker bar is a very useful tool. The long, straight versions with a pivoting head are great because they're pretty easy to store (unlike the cross versions that look like this + ) and the pivoting makes it easy to straighten it out and spin the loosened lug nuts off.

A torque wrench is good to have, but expensive.

If you leave an aluminum wheel (alloy) on the hub for more than half a year, it will probably wind up stuck to the hub. There a variety of methods on how to get it un-stuck. I go with the rubber mallet (hit the tire, spin the wheel, hit the tire again, spin the wheel again, repeat until the wheel loosens up). no matter what method you use, remember to leave the lugs on, but loosened, when you try to get the wheel to break free. If not, once the wheel breaks free it will fall off and possibly damage something.

On a MINI, you can use the front jack point (even with the little jack that came with the car) and get both tires on the same side of the car off the ground, which makes swapping tires front to back really easy. Not as big a deal when swapping from one set of wheels to another, though.

I think the best advice I have is that if you haven't done this yourself before, find someone you trust who has, and have them do the first wheel, or side of the car, while you watch / help. Most people will be more than happy to help you out with this.

 

Some thoughts: That little makita impact wrench isn't powerful enough. Find a snap-on (yeah, it's expensive) or something else with more power. You may think that 105 ft/lbs is enough to remove a lug nut [bolt] torqued at 88 ft/lbs., but it's not. It's probably over-tightened due to heat, age, rust, over-enthusiastic mechanic, novice, incorrectly calibrated torque wrench, the list is endless.

Secondly, especially (IIRC) since you live in NJ where they do occasionally have snow you really need to use anti-sieze liberally, everywhere. OK, not liberally, that was wrong, use it sparingly. There are arguments and discussion on whether or not to use it on lug nuts [bolts] and things that are torqued (as the anti-sieze may affect the torque readings) but I do it all the time and I've never lost a wheel. On the mini there is a set screw holding on the brake rotor. In a few years, this will be impossible to remove and you will have to drill it out. So now, while you have the chance, when you have the wheel off, remove the set screw (you'll need a set of hex key wrenches, so tell Santa) and apply some anti-sieze and reinstall it. Or just leave it out, it's only there to make it easier to line up the bolt holes.

There are some super-nice aluminum "racing" jacks that you can buy that are strong, powerful and light. But you will be paying for the quality, big time. I've got a massive 4 ton Sears floor jack that was only about $80 but there's no way I'd lug that monster up four flights of stairs.

Remember this when buying tools: you get what you pay for. Buy a cheap tool, and it may destroy the fasteners, round off the heads, or break. And the only time it's going to break is when you're using it, and that's the time that you need it most. Do you want a tool breaking on you when your car is all in pieces in the driveway? No. Spend the money and buy decent stuff, the name brands (with warranty) offered by Lowe's and Home Depot and Sears are good tools with lifetime warranties. Stay away from the crap at Pep Boys or Harbor Freight.

Also when you're at Home Depot, go to the paint department and get some disposable gloves, and wear those when changing the wheels, doing brakes, etc. Makes it much easier to keep your hands clean.

That's all the advice that I can think of right now. Enjoy working on your car!

Michael

 

I thought of two more as I was driving in to work.

Break the lugs free on the wheels you are going to be changing (like one side of the car at a time) while the car is on the ground. One less chance to knock the car off the jack / jackstands.

If you have the parking brake (e-brake) on, and the car in gear, like you should, the car will wind up sitting higher than normal after you jack it up, change the wheels, and lower it back down. It will look like you broke something. Don't worry... release the parking brake and the suspension will settle and everything will look right again.

 

They are on their website.



It won't let me post a direct link, but you can search for T82503h and it will show you the jack ($39.97).

Here's the stands ($19.71). Search for T43002H. (It actually says $19.71/each - but they are usually sold in pairs, so I'm not sure if they mean each pair or each stand?)



Maybe your local store was sold out? They are 3-ton capacity and may not be what you wanted to find anyhow...

 

Maybe I just talked to three clueless employees, but they didn't seem to have them. I walked around most of the store and didn't see them.
Thanks - very good to know!
Yup, that's the plan!

 

Yeah, prolly. Similar thing happened to me the other day when asking about/looking for a a battery charger (for my tractor, not the MINI). No one I asked knew where they were - but I had seen them online, so I knew they were there. I finally found the buggers!

I have left each Home Depot and Lowe's in a "huff" more than once because of my frustration with either incompetent staff or inability to find a product. Fortunately, they are close, so when one irritates me I just go up the street to the other one.

 

Agreeing with Beemer Guy...

I think it's amazing how many people say how expensive some tools are... but if you need them, and plan on using them (or might have friends that could use it) wouldn't it be worth the splurge? Come on now, you're men! You need sweet tools

Luckily my dad has every tool known to man. And everything is Craftsman.