98 Brake Rotors
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Gales Ferry, CT
98 Brake Rotors
Boy do I wish I had done some reading on this topic before we started the project today! What was a 45 minute changing of the front brake pads and rotors became a 4 hour exercise in seeing how hard one could pound on brake rotors! 
They were the original rotors (72,000 miles) and extremely siezed onto the hub.
We (myself & my father/former-fulltime-wrench) wound up having to use about 4 gallons of Zep Twister, a good sized hammer, and actually an Air Chisel! Got word from the part store guy that he's had people both damage hubs and completely split the rotors while trying to remove them! Anyways, the vibration from the air chisel along the face of the rotor coupled with lots of twister apparently worked the juice in there, loosened up the rust, and finally they popped off. The replacement rotors appear to have a bit more clearance built in. Moral of the story: Use caution and be persistent!
They were the original rotors (72,000 miles) and extremely siezed onto the hub. We (myself & my father/former-fulltime-wrench) wound up having to use about 4 gallons of Zep Twister, a good sized hammer, and actually an Air Chisel! Got word from the part store guy that he's had people both damage hubs and completely split the rotors while trying to remove them! Anyways, the vibration from the air chisel along the face of the rotor coupled with lots of twister apparently worked the juice in there, loosened up the rust, and finally they popped off. The replacement rotors appear to have a bit more clearance built in. Moral of the story: Use caution and be persistent!
New User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
I just replaced my rotors with some cross drilled and slotted ones I found on Ebay for $120/pair and I had no problems getting them off, even with 149,000 miles on the original rotors!!!
The biggest problem was getting my fingers greasy changing the bearings (4x2) and re-packing them! (not really a problem)
But, the rears do require some pounding to get them off as that is how they seem to be designed on the hubs, but they still came off relativley easy with a rubber mallet.
BTW, the new rotors have a dramatic effect on braking performance, i highly recommend them as a solution to the Expo's numb I'm not really sure its going to stop brakes!
The biggest problem was getting my fingers greasy changing the bearings (4x2) and re-packing them! (not really a problem)
But, the rears do require some pounding to get them off as that is how they seem to be designed on the hubs, but they still came off relativley easy with a rubber mallet.
BTW, the new rotors have a dramatic effect on braking performance, i highly recommend them as a solution to the Expo's numb I'm not really sure its going to stop brakes!
Senior User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 329
Likes: 0
From: Wichita, Kansas
I am tackling the rears next weekend myself with new rotors and pads (87K on the ole' Expy). If I had a newer Expy, the cross-drilled would be considered but heck, it gets me to work and pulls the camper. What else can I ask of it?
