Brake Experts please step in
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,995
Likes: 61
From: Fort Wayne IN
Brake Experts please step in
I'm changing rotors/pads. All is well except the rotors will not budge. Any tricks on getting these off. I've got a rubber mallet and penetrating oil but so far no luck.
As always.. Thanks
As always.. Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
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From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
Did you take off the little star washer on one of the stud bolts??
Take them off and toss them. Those start retaining washer should have been removed at dealer set up. Those retaining washer only hold on the rotor in assembly.
Take them off and toss them. Those start retaining washer should have been removed at dealer set up. Those retaining washer only hold on the rotor in assembly.
Team Owner
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keep 
and spin the rotor....and I take it you have the E brake off 
serious BMFH and bang away....I used a regular mallet and placed a 2x4 between the hammer and rotor....
and spin the rotor....and I take it you have the E brake off serious BMFH and bang away....I used a regular mallet and placed a 2x4 between the hammer and rotor....
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Buy USA products! Check the label! Employ Americans
throw the rubber mallet away and get a big ball peen since you are dumping the rotors. Hit it a good shot on the rotor face edge. Rubber is not shocking it.
P B Blaster is the best oil to use.
P B Blaster is the best oil to use.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,251
Likes: 4
Squirt some penetrating oil in each stud hole and then use a ball peen hammer in between the studs(becareful not to hit the studs) and rotate the rotor as you hammer. I also found that if you use the floor jack under the bottom edge of the rotor to load it with shear will help it break free quicker while you hammer the rotor hat. And one more way you can free them is to pull outward on one side of the rotor while you strike the outboard side of the other side with the hammer.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 8,222
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From: Norfolk VA
Originally Posted by Snidley
Use a blow torch and heat the rotor at the bolt circle. After about 5 min, it will pop right off.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
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From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Inspect the area where the hub and the rotor meet. This is a tight fit and if you have corrosion on the hub it will lock the rotor in place. Unless you have been driving in the winter salt and sand of a Northern State this shouldn't be too bad although it may seem like it. I did the rotors and pads on my Tahoe a couple of weeks ago and had to take it to the dealer to get the right front rotor off. I had banged on it for 2 days with a sledge and heated it till it was red hot with a torch and it still wouldn't budge. They only charged $44 for removing the rotor and installing my new rotor and pads. A day or so latter I saw a Ford Expedition getting a brake job at another shop and the tech was swinging away with a sledge hammer on the left front rotor. I was there for half an hour and except for rest breaks he was slamming away the whole time. Ever since I did the brake job on the Tahoe it has a pull to the right. Made me realize that if they are all that hard maybe its time to trade a vehicle once it needs a brake job.
Bill
Bill
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Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Metamora, IL
I would be careful beating on the rotor with a large hammer. Those wheel bearings are fragile and this can damage them. I have used an air hammer at a low setting to set up a vibration along with the penetrating oil around the center hub and the studs. If the hub has excessive rust, you should polish that before you try to remove the rotor. After a few minutes they just pop loose. Once loose, you can work them back and forth until they are they come off. Buff the area and put a light film of grease on the hub and you won't have this problem again. Good luck with your project!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
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Wouldn't you have thought that over the past decades of hammering on disc rotors someone would have invented a heat proof (asbestos like) wafer to seperate the rotor from the hub? How expensive or troublesome would that be? Especially for brake shops who want to speed up the R&R of the cars they work on.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 781
Likes: 1
From: Buffalo Grove IL
Originally Posted by mfrejek
How does all that heat play with the ABS speed sensor in the hub?
If you decide to use the heat, you will usually hear a "ping" when the rotor releases. I had to do this on one of my rear rotors, and again on my buddies, Jim Bacus' car. It won't affect the speed sensor at all.
Steve
Le Mans Master
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From: Winchester TN
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Hi Tigershark3-
I agree with the above - if you are sure the parking brake setup is not interfering, and you have hammered on the rotor, then heat is the next thing.
You can buy rotor pullers, but they are fairly pricey and I am not certain they would work on a frozen one anyway.
I have a 3lb sledge I use for this.
An interesting idea that I had seen on one of my old toyotas was that the bolt face of the rotor was drilled and tapped for a bolt in three places radially around the face.
You could put a bolt in each of the holes and then turn them in, pressing the rotor off of the hub.
Why doesn't every rotor have similar holes?
best regards -
mqqn
I agree with the above - if you are sure the parking brake setup is not interfering, and you have hammered on the rotor, then heat is the next thing.
You can buy rotor pullers, but they are fairly pricey and I am not certain they would work on a frozen one anyway.
I have a 3lb sledge I use for this.
An interesting idea that I had seen on one of my old toyotas was that the bolt face of the rotor was drilled and tapped for a bolt in three places radially around the face.
You could put a bolt in each of the holes and then turn them in, pressing the rotor off of the hub.
Why doesn't every rotor have similar holes?
best regards -
mqqn
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Phoenix AZ
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rotors
I have a 2001 coupe, and the rotors wouldnt come off the back, so I used lps1 and let it sit a little, then hit it with a leather mallot, and nothing, then i squirted the lps in between the hub and the rotor, and that didnt work either so I used a sawed off pry bar between the upper part of the (spindle?) the part that meets the upper ball joint, and it popped it off with no damage to either part. I just wrapped the prybar with masking tape to keep from marking the parts
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,875
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From: Long Beach NY
You might want to try hitting the rotor between the lugs. This usually sets up a vibration type sequence and releases the rotor. Be careful not to hit the lugs.
That is hitting flat toward the hub between the lugs.
Barrier
That is hitting flat toward the hub between the lugs.
Barrier