Wife's 2013 Equinox is giving me a fit. She's got a warped rotor on the front, so I bought new rotors thinking this shouldn't be too bad. Got the pesky little Torx screw out on both sides with no problem, but the rotors won't budge, even with some persuasion with a 4 lb sledge. I see a $100 brake rotor puller on Amazon, but it says the spread is 12 3/4", and these are 13". Horrible Freight has an assortment of pullers, but I think the disks are still too wide. My 3 armed puller wasn't wide enough. No screw holes in the face to thread some bolts in to pop it off. Doused them in Blaster through the screw holes and degreased the disks so it'd driveable. Even put it back together, drove it around to get the rotors good and hot, but still no go. Any ideas?
Darn brake rotors
- Thread starter Dave Sherman
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Air hammer.
Call for kid dyn-o-mite to the rescue
Hit the area of the rotor right between and around the lug studs with a cutting torch, except you don't use any oxygen to cut. Get this area hot as fast as you can and move the torch around quickly. An occasional hit with a large 3-pound hammer or lighter hits with a sledge hammer will break it free quickly.
It's rusted on! Keep whacking with the sledge and spraying any holes with penetrating fluid. Once the rotor is off clean the hub and put some anti seize or grease around the hub before installing the rotor for the next time.
Hit it harder, it will break loose!
Whipcitywrencher
Site Donor 2024
Use a bigger sledge hammer.
It has to come off.
It has to come off.
Don't beat your bearing to death or torch them to death either.
Cut into the rotor with a sawzall a few inches put a chisel in the cut and a hit with a hammer will split the rotor easy.
Try it, it only takes a few minutes.
Cut into the rotor with a sawzall a few inches put a chisel in the cut and a hit with a hammer will split the rotor easy.
Try it, it only takes a few minutes.
Floor jack under the rotor.
Put a variety of all-thread, nuts & bolts on the caliper bracket mounting holes and use those to jack the rotor off. You can even measure the gap-- say it's an inch, even. Cut a bolt down to 1-1/8 inch but give it a pointy end, so it can get wiggled into the mounting hole with its head butted up against the rotor. Put a nut on said bolt, slide it in again, then unthread the nut.
Careful, you can bend this part of your knuckle, too.
I would put "some" tension on the all-thread then whack the outer face of the rotor in various other spots. So if the bracket is at 10-11 o'clock, hit at about 2 and 7 oclock. It will loosen 0.0001", so re-torque your allthread and give it another go until you achieve success. Incidentally, if you DID find a puller that fits, don't just crank on that as you'll bust the jaws. Put "some" tension on then hammer the rotor and repeat.
Lube the threads of your all thread with anti-sieze or moly grease, it gets hairy.
Careful, you can bend this part of your knuckle, too.
I would put "some" tension on the all-thread then whack the outer face of the rotor in various other spots. So if the bracket is at 10-11 o'clock, hit at about 2 and 7 oclock. It will loosen 0.0001", so re-torque your allthread and give it another go until you achieve success. Incidentally, if you DID find a puller that fits, don't just crank on that as you'll bust the jaws. Put "some" tension on then hammer the rotor and repeat.
Lube the threads of your all thread with anti-sieze or moly grease, it gets hairy.
Stop pounding it with a sledge hammer you can damage the bearings or abs sensor in the hub, ditto a torch if you get it too hot in the wrong area..
I have successfully used a sawzall with a metal blade more than a few times. In the area the caliper sits with no dust shield in the way cut through the rotor and into the part that sits on the hub, cast iron cut easily.
Cut deep into it in that area but not through then take a cold chisel and hit the cut area hard with hammer, it shouldn't take too much of a hit to knock it off after that.
Stuff like this takes a little brutality with finesse so you don't damage other parts.
I have successfully used a sawzall with a metal blade more than a few times. In the area the caliper sits with no dust shield in the way cut through the rotor and into the part that sits on the hub, cast iron cut easily.
Cut deep into it in that area but not through then take a cold chisel and hit the cut area hard with hammer, it shouldn't take too much of a hit to knock it off after that.
Stuff like this takes a little brutality with finesse so you don't damage other parts.
Coated rotors are awesome
Ah, much appreciated on the sawzall suggestion, I do have a cold chisel I could split it with. I didn't go full stroke with the sledge, I was a little concerned about damaging the bearings. Although the potholes we have around here are probably far worse!
You are probably okay, cutting it goes quick. Once you hit the cut where it goes over hub with a chisel a few times it will remove easy.
Give this a try: Maybe a few taps with dead blow hammer while pressure is applied with the bolts. Don't go gorilla on the bolts and damage your mounting bracket.
Air impact chisel around the hub face has worked for me. I like that sawzall and bolt/washer/nut ideas too. A nice quality sawzall blade will blow through cast iron super fast. Cheap blades not so much.
Originally Posted by doitmyself
Give this a try: Maybe a few taps with dead blow hammer while pressure is applied with the bolts. Don't go gorilla on the bolts and damage your mounting bracket.
This worked on the rear rotors on the Dodge Ram 3500 in my sig-the rotors were badly rusted on, but putting bolts in the caliper holes, soaking the hub & lug nut areas with Deep Creep, & a few smacks with my drilling hammer popped them right off. I like the Sawzall idea, I'll try that the next time.
Give this a try: Maybe a few taps with dead blow hammer while pressure is applied with the bolts. Don't go gorilla on the bolts and damage your mounting bracket.
This worked on the rear rotors on the Dodge Ram 3500 in my sig-the rotors were badly rusted on, but putting bolts in the caliper holes, soaking the hub & lug nut areas with Deep Creep, & a few smacks with my drilling hammer popped them right off. I like the Sawzall idea, I'll try that the next time.
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