Chrome wheels, Buick PA -- how to remove?

[Benzadmiral]

Seriously. I've changed tires on previous cars, but this one is weird.

My '03 Buick has the optional chromed wheels, and the manual doesn't mention them. Now each wheel has five chromed lug nuts that I presume are simply ornamental covers, and I can loosen them with my lug wrench . . . but then they won't unscrew completely. How can you get them off?

Further, they're within a central plate that looks like it might hide the actual lug nuts. Do I need to loosen (or can I remove?) all five chromed lug nuts, and then the central cover will come off? Or must I pry off the central cover plate -- and if so, how, without scratching the chrome?

I want to check the lug nuts on the wheels and tighten if necessary -- I'm getting a faint vibration while driving, mostly at low speeds, but possibly at higher (it's hard to tell with the poorly-surfaced roads around here). If all the lug nuts seem fine, then I'll have the balancing checked. (Plus I want to know how to do this, in case I have to change a tire sometime.)

Thanks in advance!

 

[GMBoy]

This is all GM has to say about any wheels on your car. I wonder if your lug nuts are stripped out? If you have the chrome wheel, I do not believe they had any nut covers like used to cover the lug nuts on other wheel styles.


Document ID# 660218
2003 Buick Park Avenue


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Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation

Tools Required
J 39544-KIT Complete Torque Socket Set-10 Pieces

Caution: If penetrating oil gets on the vertical surfaces between the wheel and the rotor or drum it could cause the wheel to work loose as the vehicle is driven, resulting in loss of control and an injury accident.

Notice: Never use heat to loosen a tight wheel. It can shorten the life of the wheel, studs, or hub and bearing assemblies. Wheel nuts must be tightened in sequence and to the specified torque to avoid bending the wheel or rotor.

Notice: Improperly tightened wheel bolts or nuts can lead to brake pulsation and rotor damage. In order to avoid expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel bolts or nuts to the proper torque specification.

Notice: Removing the wheel may be difficult because of foreign materials or a tight fit between the wheel and the hub/rotor. Slightly tap the tire side wall with a rubber mallet in order to remove the wheel. Failure to follow these instructions may result in damage to the wheel.

Tighten all wheel nuts on the affected wheel.
Loosen each wheel nut two turns.
Rock the vehicle from side to side in order to loosen the wheel. If this does not loosen the wheel, rock the vehicle front to back applying quick hard jabs to the brake pedal to loosen the wheel.
Repeat this procedure if the wheel does not break free.
Removal Procedure
Raise the vehicle. Support the vehicle with suitable safety stands. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.



Remove the wheel nuts from the tire and wheel assembly.
Mark the location of the tire and wheel assembly to the hub assembly.
Remove the tire and wheel assembly from the vehicle.
Clean the wheel nuts, studs and the wheel and rotor mounting surfaces.
Installation Procedure
Caution: Before installing the wheels, remove any buildup of corrosion on the wheel mounting surface and brake drum or disc mounting surface by scraping and wire brushing. Installing wheels with poor metal-to-metal contact at the mounting surfaces can cause wheel nuts to loosen. This can cause a wheel to come off when the vehicle is moving, causing loss of control and possibly personal injury.

Notice: A torque wrench or J 39544 must be used to ensure that wheel nuts are tightened to specification. Never use lubricants or penetrating fluids on wheel stud, nuts, or mounting surfaces, as this can raise the actual torque on the nut without a corresponding torque reading on the torque wrench. Wheel nuts, studs, and mounting surfaces must be clean and dry. Failure to follow these instructions could result in wheel, nut, and/or stud damage.





Install the tire and wheel assembly. Align the locating mark of the tire and wheel to the hub.



Notice: Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.

Important: Tighten the nuts evenly and alternately in order to avoid excessive runout.


Install the wheel nuts.

Tighten
Tighten the nuts in a criss/cross pattern to 140 N·m (100 lb ft).

Remove the safety stands and lower the vehicle.

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Document ID# 660218
2003 Buick Park Avenue

 

[alreadygone]

Sounds like the center cap of GM pickups. Loosen all 5 plastic nuts on center cover,then it should come off without prying. The lug nuts proper will be behind center cover. Jack up beforehand, just in case I'm wrong.

Don't recall doing a chrome wheel PA, but it ain't rocket science

Bob

 

[Benzadmiral]

No, not rocket science -- but I don't want to dive in and scratch up the chrome. This isn't a beater car.

I don't think the chrome cover lugs are stripped. The ones on the front wheels behave the same, and yet my regular mechanic just did a front brake job for me last month. So there must be a way to get the wheels off!

I'll try loosening all 5 fake lugs on one wheel, and then see if I can remove that central plate.

 

[eljefino]

Saw this on my olds intrigue. The center cap is just held in with springy friction, though it could be suprisingly grippy. Center cap should just be chromey plastic and very lightweight; any prying you do should probably be set up to sacrifice the cap if anything.

Work the cap and see if you can get it to make creaking noises, a sign of looseness.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Update, all,

As with so many things about cars, it was simple when you knew how. I unscrewed the 5 fake lugs as far as they would go, and the central cap then could be removed by hand. The 5 fakes aren't meant to come out of the cap at all; they simply serve to screw into the real lug nuts and thus hold the central cap in place.

All the real lug nuts had no play in them, so my "slightly loose" feeling at low speed must be due to something else. Thanks, all!

 

[alreadygone]

" "slightly loose" feeling at low speed " Not 100%,,just about 99.5% of the time is a bad tire. Slipped belt.

Bob

 

[Benzadmiral]

Update to close this out: Bob, you were right. An "egg" had arisen on the left rear tire, a Goodyear Eagle LS in P225-60-16.

I stopped at a local Goodyear place this morning, and they had me out the door in half an hour with a replacement, and gave me a credit for the old one, amounting to about $50. The car drives 100% again -- and with a Buick, that is good indeed.