Hello. I have a CRG Kalifornia kart, and want to change the front wheels (as you can see they are intermediates wet), but I haven’t been able to unlock the single nut, doesn’t move a single bit.
I might also want to try to replace the single nut to a 3 bolt stud/american profile, but before thinking about it, I have to remove the wheel first. Any ideas? am I missing a lock somewhere, or do I just need a longer driver?
I’ve been trying with a 23mm deep socket with a 3/8 driver and a 8 inch rachet, and already bent a driver bar by stepping on it.
1/2" drive breaker bar should do it. These nuts dont have to be super tight when reinstalling. Theyve got nylock inserts and you should have safety clips through the holes on the outer threads.
I fear the threads may be crossed. Under normal circumstances the bearings would collapse before you can even torque it that hard. As Bryan said, they should remove with very, very little effort. When tightening you spin the wheel by hand until the nut just barely makes contact.
Maybe someone put red loctite on the stub threads, in which case some heat will help. I’ve never had to do that EVER on a kart put it’s plausible I guess.
Yeah I’m betting it’s cross-threaded or something. If it were that tight, the wheel wouldn’t spin. It’s seized. Heat and a big breaker bar or strong impact.
Unfortunately years ago I had a Birel gall the threads. It was the first time I put the nut on the spindle. Apparently there was a bad spot on the thread. I started backing it off and after a few turns it stopped. I end up having to cut the spindle and throw it away to save the wheel. For a long time I would chase threads on new spindles to make sure they were good. It only happened once, but it sucked
On the one that galled the thread. I got it to turn again. It just never came off. I did not throw away a new spindle lightly. I turn that nut until it basically turned freely. I had been racing 4 years when it happened. I have been racing 22 years since. It is the only time it has happened to me.
Heat the nut with MAPP gas or oxyacetylene until it starts glowing (try not to hit the rim or use a fiberglass blanket or heat sink with old rag doused in water), then air impact (the big one for car tire lug nuts). Going slow with a big breaker bar may do more damage in these situations. Heat and big shock usually does the trick…if the male thread is damaged, it’s a writeoff anyways. Good luck!
the exposed threads don’t look screwed up, just rusty. doesn’t mean you don’t have boogered up threads under the nut, but it doesn’t look like a full on crossthread situation.
Hi all ! Thanks for the amazing replies. It was not as stuck as it seemed to be. I used a bigger lever (1/4" drive bar, 16" long), and some heat (not much) with a cooking torch, enough to melt and meld the nylock. After a couple of tries it just turned easier than expected.
Please find a picture. I wish I could share the video showing a flambee nut.
Now that I managed to remove the nuts, one wheel came off and the other didn’t, it seems stuck in the stud. It has some 1mm or 2mm play, but it seems it is hitting something inside, I cant seem to find a way around it. I will continue trying later, so far I will enjoy the victory against the stuck nuts.
Heat is your friend. But if you need to heat up the wheel, try not to use a flame but use an hot airgun instead. At any rate, do not use a hammer on the rim. You can hit the tire as much as you like, don’t touch the rim. One thing that can help you is freeze-off (CRC). It’s a spray that “freezes” the metal…so you heat up the wheel, hit the spindle with freeze off and it should help
