Noise from wheel?

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8Muddypaws

8Muddypaws

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Posts
4,070
Location
California
We have a very loud clicking at low speed from the passenger front wheel.  It sounds like a popcorn popper at low speed.  The bearings, races, seals have been replaced twice.  The mechanic says the noise is coming from the wheel simulator and I'd like to remove it.  I tried to do so today with the super cool tool provided by Fleetwood but needless to say it wasn't up to the amount of torque required to remove the two big nuts.  It bent like warm butter.

I really need to get the stupid thing off.  If the wheel still makes noise with the simulator off we'll be heading directly to the nearest Freightliner service center.

Anybody know a trick to getting the stupid things off?
 
Is your simulator  held on by a couple extra nuts on two of the wheel lugs? That's how my last coach that had a wheel cover "simulator" did it. Just needed a good sized lug wrench to break that nut loose. Suitable size socket, an extension, and a 24" breaker bar? Or an air or electric powered wrench?  Sounds like the mechanic tightened those simular nuts down far too much - they don't need the same torque as the actual lug nuts underneath.

A pebble or gravel trapped behind the simulator is a common cause of that ticking sound. Empty it out and put the simulator back on.
 
Thanks Gary.

I'm sure it's not something like a pebble in there.  The mechanic has taken it off twice in the last few months.

I'm currently in Sonora, Ca and there's a couple of good hardware stores in town.  I need to find the right sized socket.  I've got a 36" breaker bar that should do the trick.

Once I get the two dimpled nuts off will the cap just fall off or will I need a tire iron to pry them off?

I'm shopping for a set of Alcoa wheels to go along with the next set of tires.
 
The one I had came off easily once the nuts were removed. The dimpled nuts were just trim covers - there was a plain old nut underneath on two of the lugs. But maybe yours are under the actual wheel lug nuts?  I don't have any direct experience with your year/model of coach. The last one I had with simulators was a 2002 Workhorse W22 chassis and a Dolphin brand coach.
 
I got one of them off.  I think we're probably talking about the same style of covers.  I found exactly what you describe.  The cover is pressed on the inner nut so tight I think trying to remove the cover would be futile. 

Thanks for your help!
 
Yesterday I went to beautiful downtown Sonora and found a big OSH and bought the biggest socket they had.  It turned out to be 1/4" too small.  However, in a dim little flash of inspiration/frustration I used my largest pair of channel locks with a breaker bar and got the other nut off.  Doesn't seem like they need to be all that tight.
 
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