I just had to replace the rear rotors on my Excursion yesterday afternoon. I knew that the time was drawing near, but I guess my internal clock for "inspection" was slightly slow. With 175K on the original rotors, so I was going to replace them anyway.

I fought this effort several times on my F250, and was not... NOT looking forward to the rotor removal process.

First I tried what one FTE brother has mentioned on previous threads about very slightly loosening the lugs and driving the vehicle for a short distance. Maybe I didn't loosen the lugs enough or drive enough, but it didn't make any difference.

After shooting some Penetro90 (by Schaeffer Manufacturing) through the edges of the lug bolt openings and beating one side with a hammer for a while, I got an idea...

... I went and got my propane torch and heated just the front outer edge of the rotor surface (outside of the lug bolts), and the slid under the truck, and two pops with a framing hammer knocked the rotor loose. The second side got only the shots of Penetro90, propane-heated edge, and two pops with the framing hammer. It now appears that I can do "first time" removal in about 5-10 minutes which is WONDERFUL for me, especially given that I have had to fight rear rotors in the past for as much as 1-2 hours each.

One other thing I do which I've found to make a good difference is to apply a very thin coat of the Permatex 24125 CeramicExtreme Brake Lubricant on the mating surfaces inside the vertical drum face and the exterior vertical plate where it mates... rear rotor removal at a later date will be easier because the grease minimizes any corrosion buildup.

Maybe it's not really new information for many of you, but perhaps it might help someone.

 

Great idea, Pete.
Will keep in mind when I do the rear brakes. I have already replaced the front brakes. With only 112K on my truck,I hope it will be a while before I have to tackle the rear.

 

since i replace rotors with shoes, i just give the rotor a really good whomp with a 5 lb sledge. they pop off every time first shot.
before i assembly, i give the axle face and rotor flange a coating of never seize to help removal next time.

 

Tom:

Where do you WHOMP the rotor? Axle face, side of drum, rotor face (outside or inside)?

 

back of the rotor on the face the pad rubs on.
like i said, since i do not reuse rotors, i don't worry about hurting them with the hammer.

the one exception to the rule was a 2005 F-250 i did for one of the guys at work. they put 4 sets of pads on the rotors without ever taking them off.
i had to beat them off the axles.
they broke loos after the second hit, but there was so much rust and crap in the flange i had to beat them all the way off.
that pos took me close to 1 hour per wheel.

 

Good tips OP. When I did my rears I sprayed them with PB Blaster around the lug holes and then smacked it with a fairly large rubber mallet. Seemed to do the trick.

 

This trick works with or without pneumatic tools. Its just easier with pneumatic.

How to Remove a Stuck Brake Rotor: