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Possible fix for preventing Rusty Hubs

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2013 jeep
8K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  not_too_shabby 
#1 · (Edited)
Fix for 2010-2013 18" Jeep/Dodge Wheels to preventing Rusting Hubs

I posted this in the thread under Visual Formum, I'm surprised there was no comment. I think this might be the best fix. It's simple and maintenance free. When I put the snows on I'll probably do the same to the Jeep wheel.

By the way I used a small Drill Grinding wheel and a round file. The new grinding wheel was toast after just 4 notches.

Only one drain I think is needed. Because when it spins it will flush out.

I think it's close enough and small enough not to cause balance issues. But I was getting snows with these rims rebalanced any way.

I thought I was gonna notch the little cap but that won't work (see pic) because it does not go to the edge. These are 18" Dodge Durango Wheels I'm about to mount Snows on. I believe they are setup identical to the Jeep 18's

Notice the 5 Pockets have drains.

The center hub has no drain. So I added one.



Here is what it looks like from the outside when mounted



Here is Jeeps fix for 2014 Wheels

 
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#3 · (Edited)
Not so sure I would of did that to mating surface where Rim meets center of the Hub.

But they are only for winter so have at it!
Jeep had no problem mucking with mating surface. I updated opening post with my updated fix (more aggressive cut and a photo of Jeeps WAY more aggressive FIX).
 
#8 ·
I never had to spray any other car. Even if you spray do really want to allow the water to stay in there. It will eventually make it's way through bearing seals. Especially if it ever freezes. You don't want standing water in there, ever, period. Spray or no spray. Spray is a band aide.

If my wheel still is hard to get off in the spring, I'll put the 5 drains in. Which will also ease it's grip on the hub.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Great idea! However, I'd be concerned at causing stress points on the rim. I would like to get a close-up look at the Jeep fix first. No doubt they considered this and chose a stronger and less stressed part of the rim.
 
#11 ·
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#15 ·
Many thanks! I was looking at the wrong thing.
 
#16 ·
I hate to necro a 2.5 year old thread, but this is on topic and there aren't many threads about this.

I recently experienced rusty water spinning out of the edge of the hub cap at the center of one of my new wheels. I'd never seen that before. A few days prior I'd driven through a massive downpour with lots of standing water and freeway speeds, so I figured it must have had standing water in there for several days and spun out when I drove it again a few days later.

About a week after that, I was touching up my summer wheels (original stock 18" wheels) and noticed there were drains at the inner/outer edges of the pockets.

I definitely don't want my hubs rusting away prematurely, so I did some more research. I found some photos of the mating surface on my winter wheels before I mounted them and there were no drains! These are MOPAR wheels sold as an "upgrade" to the OEM 18" wheels that come on the vehicle from the factory. I'm really surprised to see a design flaw like this.

So, I'm thinking I'll dremel 5 drain channels about 1/16" deep and about 1/4" wide centered between each of the stud holes.

Thoughts? Good idea or bad?

.
 

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#17 · (Edited)
Definitely a good idea but make it smooth so as not cause stress points. It might be just as effective to cover the rusting axle area with grease. Whenever I remove a wheel and the axle stub looks a bit dry, I give it a light spray of WD40. After all, according to Wikipedia, WD40 is an acronym for 'Water Displacement, 40th formula'.
 
#18 ·
When I put on my summer/OEM wheels/tires (the ones with the 5x full drain) yesterday, 3 out of the 4 axle ends (inside the hub center ring - not sure precisely what it's called) were *very* rusty. Those three had standing water almost two weeks after driving through the heavy rain. There was one that didn't even have a hint of rust or wetness, which I thought was odd.

I cleaned them with a steel wire brush and wiped up afterwards with a shop towel.

Before I put my winter wheels back on, I'll definitely need to add some drains to the winter wheels. Even if I don't do that, I should, at the very least figure out the right type of grease to coat the inside of the hub center ring and use some.

The level of rust for 12000 miles was obscene. I had a tire shop mount the winter tires on the winter wheels around 8700 miles. They offered to swap the wheels onto the car and I let them, so I have no idea how much rust was there at that point. I normally do all my own wheel swaps and will from now on so I can keep tabs on this.
 
#19 ·
Here's the finished drains on my MOPAR "Rugged Off-Road Black and Machined" 18" wheels. They're kind of rough, but it was the best I could do with a dremel and a hand file.

I took care to remove minimal material and keep the edges rounded. It's tough to tell from the picture, but each groove is only about 1/8" deep through the inner/outer rings on the hub mating surface.
 

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#20 · (Edited)
Good job!

Before I put a wheel back on, I always give the nut and wheel/hub contact surfaces an ever so light spray of WD40 being extra careful not to let any get anywhere near the brakes. After all what does the WD40 stand for? It stands for "Water Displacement, 40th formula". Look it up on Wikipedia if you don't believe me. It's nothing fancy, just a blend of kerosene and light machine oil but it sure works well especially on Atlas ICBMs.
 
#21 ·
Just a quick update. After the mod to my wheels, no new rust after a full winter of lots of snow and rain. Very pleased with the results.
 
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