07 ST - Wheel seizing to rotor

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Pat Freeman

Pat Freeman

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With 30,000 miles on my ST, I changed the oil and rotate the tires. I neglected to rotate the tires since 20,000 miles. I usually do it every time I change the oil, but was busy last time and put it off until now. After removing the lug nuts, it took quite an effort to break the wheels away from the rotors. Where the wheel meets the center/round part of the rotor, right around the hub, it was seized. It appears that the dissimilar metals of steel and this alloy aluminum 18" LTD wheel is causing a chemical reaction. There was a lot of white/yellow corrosion there. There was more on the back wheels probably because they get more water due to front tire spray. I had to kick the tire a few times to loosen it from the rotor on the back.



I scraped the corrosion away with a flat blade screwdriver and applied some anti-seize to the rotor and the wheel. Keep this in mind if anyone has an 07 or higher with the LTD 18" wheels. Keep the rotations at 5,000 miles and apply some anti-seize (like Permatex or Loctite brand) if you want to ensure no seizing to the wheel and rotor, near the hub, to prevent a future problem.
 
Not uncommon on most cars today...



Todd Z
 
Lithium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Lithium (IPA: [ˈlɪèiəm], from Greek: lithos: stone, because it was discovered in petalite) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is in group 1 of the periodic table, among the alkali metals and is the least dense solid element.



Lithium in its pure form does not occur naturally on Earth. It is a soft, silver white metal. Lithium reacts with oxygen from the air to form white lithium oxide (Li2O). It therefore has to be stored under the cover of oil to stop this oxidation reaction from occurring. It tarnishes and oxidizes very rapidly in air and water. Lithium metal is used in rechargeable batteries (e.g. for cell phones and cameras), and in high strength to weight ratio alloys used for aircraft construction. Lithium compounds are used pharmacologically as a class of mood stabilizing drugs, a neurological effect of the lithium ion Li+.



Though in group 1, lithium also exhibits properties of the alkaline-Earth metals in group 2. Like all alkali metals, it has a single valence electron, and will readily lose this electron to become a positive ion. Because of this, lithium reacts easily with water and does not occur as the free element on Earth. Nevertheless, it is less reactive than the chemically similar sodium.

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FYI - (says on the can) The white lithium grease is in Mineral Oil 64741-96-4, and "Ideal for all metal lubrication and gives superior performance in any weather or temperature".
 
Last edited by a moderator:
a super thin layer of anti seize has allways worked for me..



Todd Z
 
I just rotate mine every 5000. Never had a problem. Worst case, I might have to kick the tire to loosen it.
 
I had the same problem on my Ranger FX4 which had forged Alcoa aluminum wheels. When I did my first tire rotation I had to use a two pound sledge hammer to beat the rear wheels loose from the brake drums by whacking the inside of the tire sidewall.

I have to believe the type of terrain the vehicle is used on could also have an effect. The areas where I do most of my hunting include reclaimed surface mines. The soil tends to be highly acidic and this, combined with the dissimilar metals, exagerates the problem. As others have suggested, a thin coating of anti-seize will prevent any future problems.;)
 

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