1998 corolla help! front rotor wont come off,?

[ziggy]

Hi all
Well its time..put new cheap brake padson my 98 corolla hours ago. quit stop under the shims.Grinding noise comes n goes front of car, it was time. the calipers have seen better das, so gunna get napa ones in a day or too, put em on myself..
My problem today is...on the passenger side, the rotor itself has seen better days, groones along it, all crusty rusted in the middle. The rotor would NOT come off!And i got new napa rotors. i tried mildly strongishy pushing the rotor, back n forth, it wouldnt give way.
i noticed in the middle, thiers a cotter pin, spindle lock nut. is that what holding the rotor on? i saw youtube vids for my application, and in those vids, the rotor just came off, withot messing with the cotter pin.
is my rotor rusted/frozen? something i can use a rubber mallett with? or does the cotterpin spindleneed too come off? it kinda appears th nut is touchingthebaseof the rotor. but its hard too tell,the rust

hope some or all can help and inform me: )

 

[bdcardinal]

The nut and cotter pin hold your halfshaft in, nothing to do with the rotor. Get a hammer and hit the backside of the rotor. You will also want to spray a penetrating lubricant inbwtewwn the hat of the rotor and the hub face to try and break up the rust holding it on.

 

[spasm3]

Bfh and hit it hard. Use some antiseize on face where the rotor sits.

 

[Kestas]

I had a similar problem with a 98 Escort ZX2. I had to hammer so hard, the rotors came off in pieces. It took an hour of hammering on each side. Inspection showed there was nothing I could have done better. The rotors were rusted on good. (I didn't install them.)

 

[qjohn]

Are there two small threaded holes on the center of the rotor, toward the hub threaded for two 8mm (I think) bolts? If so, add bolts and crank on them until the rotor just pops off.

Alternatively, hit it really really hard a bunch of times in the center (of the rotor, not axle), to shock the rust. Wear eye protection. A 3 lb sledge and an extension you dont mind ruining is helpful here. Be careful to not damage the wheel studs.

 

[Robenstein]

air hammers work awesome for stuff like that.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Bfh and hit it hard. Use some antiseize on face where the rotor sits.


+1

 

[ziggy]

guys,thank you!!!
you should see the inside calper piston :x its completely flaking, rust piled ontop of rust looking. Why im also looking too replace them.
Gunnado it myself, since i am motovehicly inclined. IM jut an average doit yourselfer, oil changes, brake pads, serpentine belt, thingslike that. never replaced calipers before. Hardest part looks like bleeding the lines.
I do have a one man brake bleeder. eric the car guy, on youtube,said its notreally necessary too do all the lines, as long as the master cyclinder hasnt been emptied... he did a calper on a car, in a garage, and what he did...mountain dew bottle,line that fits snuug over the bleeder, go in car,press brakepedal 5-6times, or until thiers no visible air bubbles..
our should ALL brake lines be bled? imdoing the 2 in the front.caliper replacing..
should go smoothly, even for me,right?

 

[spk2000]

Heat sometimes helps too. Acetylene torch works well but a small propane will also do the trick. Heating it up will expand and break the rust.

Aero-Kroil is awesome as well. PB Blaster would not budge a brake bolt for me but the Aero Kroil broke it easily.

 

[djb]

Don't be surprised if you are replacing the wheel bearing 10K miles from now after hitting the rotor with a hammer. Sometimes it's the only way, but it has a cost.

 

[eljefino]

I had this happen on a saturn, pulled the whole spindle so I could beat on it on the floor.

Started knocking my lug studs through instead.

Luckily I had a parts car at the time.

Good luck!

 

[ziggy]

geesh! i had no idea a rotor can be stuck on that bad! Ive done rotors before, when i had a 95 neon, but they came off re;atively easy. i yanked yeah, but they came off.today i yanked on the rotorpretty good n hard, didnt budge. i do have a rubber mallott..and a , dont remember if its a 3 or 7 lb sledge...im gunna take cautious whacks at it..one goodhard bang every few moments,...knock it off.
however, i do need ot get the new calpers. Napa has em for lke $48 each. bracket sold seperatly. another $20...a core of about $45 each. at least i'll get some ofthe money back.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: spk2000
Heat sometimes helps too. Acetylene torch works well but a small propane will also do the trick. Heating it up will expand and break the rust.

Aero-Kroil is awesome as well. PB Blaster would not budge a brake bolt for me but the Aero Kroil broke it easily.


50/50 acetone and ATF works just as good as kroil. Old farmer trick for unsticking motors....awesome rust buster.

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein
50/50 acetone and ATF works just as good as kroil. Old farmer trick for unsticking motors....awesome rust buster.

I have seen some tests and works better than kroil

 

[ziggy]

wow! maybei'lltry that! what kind of ATF?ihave alot of valvoline dexron III.

 

[Gokhan]

This makes no sense. The rotor is only held by wheel nuts. It should be entirely loose, to the point that it won't stay vertical, when the wheel is removed. See if you accidentally had the cotter pin stuck between the rotor and axle. Here is the drawing for your car. Wheel nuts are the only thing that hold the rotor in place. The axle nut and cotter pin hold the axle hub in place, not the rotor:

Note that to get the rotor out, you also need to remove the cylinder mounting.

 

[Joel_MD]

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
This makes no sense. The rotor is only held by wheel nuts. It should be entirely loose, to the point that it won't stay vertical, when the wheel is removed. See if you accidentally had the cotter pin stuck between the rotor and axle. Here is the drawing for your car. Wheel nuts are the only thing that hold the rotor in place. The axle nut and cotter pin hold the axle hub in place, not the rotor:

Have you ever worked on a car before? Rust has a tendency to form on bare steel parts, like brake rotors, and cause them to seize. It may not specify in the owner's manual, but sometimes you have to use a BFH.

 

[Gokhan]

Originally Posted By: Joel_MD
Have you ever worked on a car before? Rust has a tendency to form on bare steel parts, like brake rotors, and cause them to seize. It may not specify in the owner's manual, but sometimes you have to use a BFH.

I have a 1985 Corolla and have never had that problem. I can't imagine rust having the rotor stuck in place because it's normally very, very loose. If there is some rust, just use some penetrating oil on the wheel studs and light hammering if necessary.

 

[Gokhan]

Thinking about it, perhaps OP had an ill-fitting aftermarket rotor installed by force. If that's the case, good luck in removing that.

Toyota OEM rotor would never get stuck, rust or not, as it fits very, very loosely on the wheel studs.

Aftermarket parts and bad mechanics really ruin your car.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Thinking about it, perhaps OP had an ill-fitting aftermarket rotor installed by force. If that's the case, good luck in removing that.

Toyota OEM rotor would never get stuck, rust or not, as it fits very, very loosely on the wheel studs.

Aftermarket cars and bad mechanics really ruin your car.
Your mind is stuck in Los Angeles, California, where cars don't rust. The OP is in Connecticut, rust central. Obviously you've never dealt with rust before.