Rotors frozen on hub.. how to remove?

[bonez]

Hi all,

My first post on the new forums.. (love this format WAY better than yahoo)

I've got around 76k on my 98 sport. I;ve replaced the front pads 1x (about 50% material left on the stocks).. but ive never chagned the pads on the rear.

In anycase, I was trying to remove the rear rotors on my TI (the pads are very worn and while the rear rotors still have tons of material left, they are slightly grooved.. so I was going to reoplace it).. unfortunately they are frozen in place probably due to rust.

Anyone have any idea how to remove them?

I tried PB blaster and hammering it from the rear with a rubber mallet. I can see that the PB blaster is starting to seep in since i can see bubbles come out of the mating surface between the rotor and the hub, but it still wont budge.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[1996 328ti]

You did release the e-brake, didn't you?

[bonez]

Yep. i released it and the hub spins freely.. so I'm guessing I dont need to back out the screw (or whatever you do by lining the holes up 65 degrees as mentioned in the haynes manual).

[aceyx]

Are you using a regular hammer or a dead-blow (aka bigass) hammer? Hit it alternating on the front and back to "rock" it off.

[bonez]

I was using a rubber mallet on the rear of the rotor that is exposed by the cutaway in the brake shield.

I only used the regular hammer on the center of the hub (where the holes for the lugnuts go in).. I'm afraid of torquing and damaging something with the shock if i hit the rotor off center... is this a baseless fear?

Shouuld I just hammer away at the periphery of the rotor?

[pdxmotorhead]

Isn't there a screw holding the rotor on as well??

Too many brake jobs in the last month... Brain fade..

Dave

[bonez]

Yep, there is. I already took that out..

I believe the only thing that is holding it down is rust..

currently my car is sitting outside jacked up.. gonna attack it tomrrow.. hopefully ill be more creative.

[Bluebimma]

If you didnt take out the retaining screw, then youre not gonna get that rotor off no matter how hard you hit it or what you do. The easiest way to get the retaining screw off is to go to your local auto parts store, and purchase an impact screwdriver (about 8$-12$). You also need to purchase an 8mm male hex head socket i believe (they come in a set...make sure you at least get 6mm-9mm hexs (about 10$). Find the right fitting for the screw, then use your BFH and strike the impact screwdriver until you get the screw loose...

Other people may say you can do it with a rachet and the hexhead sockets, but this is by far the easiest way ive found with any type of retaining screws.

Safety...watch your fingers when you hit the impact screwdriver. Once the screw is off...then hammer the old rotor off, clean the hub with some brake cleaner and a wire brush, then put the new one on...pretty sure you know the rest. dont forget to replace the retaining screw.

Tony

[Bluebimma]

Originally Posted by bonez

Yep, there is. I already took that out..

I believe the only thing that is holding it down is rust..

currently my car is sitting outside jacked up.. gonna attack it tomrrow.. hopefully ill be more creative.

Well, nm my last post....jus hammer it off, its just stuck.

[AutoM3otives]

spray some wd40 into the 6 holes where the rotor and hub meet so that the wd40 can seep in between the hub and rotor.

get a metal hammer, not a rubber mallet, and hit the rotor face in all spots until it begins to move and finally falls off.

this is what i did when i replace my rotors last weekend. took a good 20 - 30 hits to get the rotor to budge.

[bonez]

ive been spraying PB blaster into it.. is WD40 better?

Is it ok to hammer the periphery of the rotor? Would the shock of the blows damage the diff or whatever else the hub is connected to?

And what kinda blows are we talking about? say... between 1-10 with 10 being all-out-wind-up-swings?

[1996 328ti]

As aceyx said, use a dead blow hammer. Dead blow hammers don't spring back the way regular hammers do.

[AutoM3otives]

id say my hits would be in the range of 6/10 to 7/10. im not trying to swing a baseball bat, more like hammering in some nails with some force.

[Bluebimma]

PB blaster is better....Wd-40 isnt a penetrator.

[Bluebimma]

Originally Posted by Bluebimma

PB blaster is better....Wd-40 isnt a penetrator.

Maybe even some Seafom Deep Creep...i used that in combination with the pb blaster....works very well.