Removing front rotors on a GT PP

[jbailer]

I found this to be the easiest way to remove a stuck rotor. I just helped my buddy with his 2013 Audi S4 and if it wasn't for this trick there was no way we could have taken it off.

Except in this case, our cars aren't that old yet and the surface area that rusts together isn't that large. You don't want to screw up the inner side of the rotor because it is a braking surface also. I used a large rubber mallet on the first side. I still had to smack it pretty hard and there's not a lot of swinging room in there. When I got to the other side, it wasn't letting go as easy. I put a 2x4 up against the rotor and smacked it a few times with a 2 lb sledge hammer.

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[5LITERV8]

Oh I didn't realize OP was going to reuse his rotors. In that case this is not the way to take it off as it will create damage.

 

[jbailer]

Oh I didn't realize OP was going to reuse his rotors. In that case this is not the way to take it off as it will create damage.

I'm not sure if the OP is or not but for anyone referring to this thread, just in case. Like I'm re-using mine.

 

[SYK]

If you are not reusing the rotor, I would smack it with 5lbs hammer toward the edge (like 3 in from the edge of rotor). If you are reusing. I will grab a rubber mallet and smack it as hard as you can at the same spot. HOWEVER.. 5lbs hammer never failed me on removing a rotor but rubber mallets in occasions failed me in removing it.

 

[Ugly John]

Whelp... I was playing with the strut yesterday afternoon and once again tried everything y'all mentioned to get the rotor off - absolutely no movement whatsoever!!! My next thought would be to hit it with penetrating oil, but I hate the idea of bringing any oil anywhere near the brakes.

If I ever need to have these resurfaced, I'm screwed. I don't see a way to get them off without damaging them.

 

[TNcoupe]

Whelp... I was playing with the strut yesterday afternoon and once again tried everything y'all mentioned to get the rotor off - absolutely no movement whatsoever!!! My next thought would be to hit it with penetrating oil, but I hate the idea of bringing any oil anywhere near the brakes.

If I ever need to have these resurfaced, I'm screwed. I don't see a way to get them off without damaging them.

Spray pentrating oil down through the lugs stud holes and rotate the brake around to get it into the mating surface between the rotor and the hub. Tap it with a ball peen hammer in between the studs while rotating it and then beat the crap out of the backside of the rotor with a dead blow or rubber mallet. Clean the rotor with brake cleaner before installing it and you wont have any problems with oil on the rotor.

 

[Ugly John]

Clean the rotor with brake cleaner before installing it and you wont have any problems with oil on the rotor.

Install the rotor? You're assuming I can ever get the damned things off!!! I'm beginning to think mine were welded on....

 

[TNcoupe]

Install the rotor? You're assuming I can ever get the damned things off!!! I'm beginning to think mine were welded on....

LOL, patience is a virtue....being in FL you may need to go to an aluminum hat rotor. After you torch your current ones off of course.

 

[jbailer]

I DEFINITELY would not spray penetrating oil through the stud holes. I just did that and ended up stripping all of my studs as well as the hubs. I used a very powerful penetrating oil though. You could use that bolt method in that video if you have something flat you could slip between the nut that will go up against the rotor and the nut that will be pushing it so it doesn't damage the rotor surface. Just about anything would do, like a metal ruler, a thin flat piece of plastic. I just held a piece of a 2x4 against the rotor and beat it with a 2 lb sledge hammer. I'm not saying it was easy and there's not a lot of room to swing but hit it hard enough, it will let go.

 

[TNcoupe]

I DEFINITELY would not spray penetrating oil through the stud holes. I just did that and ended up stripping all of my studs as well as the hubs. I used a very powerful penetrating oil though. You could use that bolt method in that video if you have something flat you could slip between the nut that will go up against the rotor and the nut that will be pushing it so it doesn't damage the rotor surface. Just about anything would do, like a metal ruler, a thin flat piece of plastic. I just held a piece of a 2x4 against the rotor and beat it with a 2 lb sledge hammer. I'm not saying it was easy and there's not a lot of room to swing but hit it hard enough, it will let go.

How did you do that spraying oil into the lug stud holes on the brake rotor to penetrate between the hub surface and the back of the rotor?????

 

[kz]

. I used a very powerful penetrating oil though.

A little off topic question - what is that very powerful penetrating oil ?
I am upgrading '65 to disc brakes in the front and can't disconnect the brake hard lines from the distribution block bolted on the side of engine compartment - don't want to use brute force since everything's >50 years old (and I do have flare nut wrenches).

 

[jbailer]

How did you do that spraying oil into the lug stud holes on the brake rotor to penetrate between the hub surface and the back of the rotor?????

I took the lug nuts off and just sprayed in beside the studs, 4 shots on each stud at each 90* angle and repeated this about 4-5 times over more than 24 hours.

A little off topic question - what is that very powerful penetrating oil ?
I am upgrading '65 to disc brakes in the front and can't disconnect the brake hard lines from the distribution block bolted on the side of engine compartment - don't want to use brute force since everything's >50 years old (and I do have flare nut wrenches).

The penetrating spray is called Nano Pro MT. I got it from Auto Zone. The guy behind the counter said it's the best thing he's ever used.

 

[TNcoupe]

I took the lug nuts off and just sprayed in beside the studs, 4 shots on each stud at each 90* angle and repeated this about 4-5 times over more than 24 hours.



The penetrating spray is called Nano Pro MT. I got it from Auto Zone. The guy behind the counter said it's the best thing he's ever used.

But how did you strip the studs???

 

[jbailer]

But how did you strip the studs???

Well, when I took them off, they felt fine. They were definitely torqued very well, by feel I would say it was at full torque near 150 lb ft and the lug nuts came off normally. I had 2 problems, I had wheel adapters that had galvanic corrosion combined with rotors themselves being rusted on. I had all the lug nuts removed and neither would budge. I spent probably 1.5 days soaking it all over with penetrating fluid. Having it to do over, I would never do that again as it's caused me nothing but problems. I have a thread in the wheels section called Seized Wheel Adapters that I shared my experience. The penetrating fluid solved nothing for me. To get the adapters off, I had to resort to using a torch and heating them u, then pounding with a flat tip screwdriver and 2 lb sledge hammer to work them loose. Then the 2x4 block and 2 lb sledge hammer to get the rotors free. When I went to reinstall everything, I hadn't gotten the penetrating fluid cleaned out of the studs. I'm guessing I only got up to maybe 60 lb ft before they were just spinning. I knocked a couple of the studs out and sure enough, both the splines on the studs and in the hub were smooth.

 

[TNcoupe]

Damn

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