I've also seen clamps that go around the rubber hoses for mounts corrode on the surface facing the hose. This would cause the surface of the mount to grow inward, gradually pinching off the inner diameter of the hose.

 

Well I've been hammering & heating for a few hours now & it hasn't moved in the slightest way.

What should I do?

 

Has anyone seen one that it was just not possible to remove?

I'm pretty sure a torch can not get it as hot as it did while driving with that brake dragging. It's seeming as the rotor is now fused on the hub. I'm thinking that I should take the big nut off in the center & take a look at what's in there.

A 4lb sledge is not making any difference.

 

the big nut holds the inner and outer bearings together inside the hub. It has nothing to do with the disc. If you take the nut off, you can push out the axle shaft, but the hub and disc are still setting together. On the 2002- 2003 models the disc is separate from the hub.. I don't know about the 97-98 but assume they were made the same. Can you see evidence between the hub and disc that they are separate parts ? I have had some that were tight, but they all come off................. I have heard of guys that remove the caliper and get a bolt and nut and stick thru the mounting hole for the caliper and tighten the bolt down so it is pushing HARD against the disc trying to push it off. then you bang on the opposite side of the disc for additional removal force.

 

picture of hub with disc removed.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-NEW-Front-Left-or-Right-Wheel-Hub-and-Bearing-5-LUG-ABS-4X4-4WD-FORD-F-150-/111648299735?fits=Year%3A1997%7CModel%3AF-150&hash=item19fec1dad7&vxp=mtr

 

Oh sure...now you tell me!!!! lol. The nut & bolt way is exactly what I did! Worked great. Had it off in a matter of minutes. I'm pretty sure no amount of hammering or heat was going to do it. Got the idea from this YouTube video
How about alittle more advice. Should I check the bearings since it got so hot? I'm figuring it can't hurt. Right?

Thanks guys for all your advice that got me this far!

That's one less thing to keep me up tonight.

 

you cant check the bearing, they are a sealed unit. Look at the post I put above yours and you will see the "hub and bearing unit"......... it don't come apart !

 

Someone is not listening and thinking!
The bearing pack bolts in from the back side with 3 bolts.
It is a non serviceable unit.
Taking the axle nut off will not help you in any way get the 'disc' off.
You may be able to take the bearing pack off and the whole assembly should come off.
If the axle will not come out of the bearing pack, you have a very difficult situation.
Believe me, an Acetylene Torch cutting head is way hotter than the disc ever got.
The Torch melts metal.
You may get to a point that you have to accept the fact that a new disc and bearing pack has to be installed and maybe a CV axle along with it if it has to be cut apart.
Good luck.
.

 

That makes it sound as if the bearings are serviceable.

 

When I was cautioned not to use too much heat because it could damage the seal & grease, I was thinking that meant when using a non-cutting type torch.

But anyway, I finally was able to break the bond with the nut & bolt method.

Thanks again for all your helpful help.

 

Yes sir I've been there recently.
Hope you didn't mind being pulled and pushed along the learning curve.
Good you got it off.
Heating a round shape usually expands the circle because it has no other direction to go.
.
AND no to others, the axle nut does not hold the bearing pack together.
It only holds the axle firm against the axle shoulder on the back side..
The axle is 'splined' into the hub so it will drive the wheel.
A simple nut would never hold the axle from turning in the hub if it were not splined.
Good luck.

 

No, the nut actually does preload the bearings together. There is a spacer between them and you torque the nut TIGHT and the space holds the bearing together at the right preload.. The nut holds the shaft inside the bearings, but ist main goal is to set bearing preload.. If you don't believe that, back the nut off a couple turns and then run the truck down the road. Shaft will still be retained inside the hub, but the bearings will have excessive slop and will soon fail.

 

The factory shop manuals for FWD cars usually have a warning about this, with a heading like: Warning! Severe Vehicle Damage Can Occur!
Basically says that if the half-shaft assembly is removed, the vehicle should not be put on the ground (like to roll it to another spot while waiting for a part), as the outer CV joint acts as a big bolt with the axle nut to hold the bearing assembly together in the unitized hub. And if the vehicle must be lowered and moved on the ground, to install a (very!) large bolt and nut through the hub, or to use just the outer CV joint (as "the bolt") through the hub, and the axle nut torqued onto it.

Feeling Deja Vu here, I think we all discussed this once before! I may have even looked it up in my 1997 manual then, too. My 1997 is 2WD, so it is a don't-care for my pickup.

 

However unlikely, could there be confusion between 2WD & 4WD here? My truck is 4WD.

Either way, prior to reassembling everything, I bought 6 cans of brake clean & I'd like to remove any brake dust & loose rust & whatnot from the caliper, bracket, shield, slide pins, etc. How can I go about it without damaging any rubber parts? Perhaps not using any around any rubber? And using only water from a hose? And I should use the brake clean on the new rotor, right?

 

I have a bench grinder with a wire wheel and I use it on any parts that I can move. For inplace parts, I have a 3 inch wire wheel on a hand grinder..... as you said, stay away from the rubber. Make sure your "brake clean" leaves no residue or oil on the parts. The can should tell you that. You want NOTHING left on the rotor when installed.