Since 8:30am I've been trying to get the front rotor off my wife's Expedition.
4 hours later, 1 5lb sledge, and a can of penetrating oil, I'm about ready to give up.

Any suggestions? Anything? I've been spraying and beating the thing to death from the back and it hasn't moved a fraction of an inch. On my 2000 F150, the rotors almost fell off after I removed the 2 caliper bolts. These seem like they're welded on.

Any and all suggestions, Ideas are welcome.


PS
Anyone near Weymouth, MA have a gun I can borrow? I only need 1 round.

 

Going to look for some bolts and try the "bolt trick"

I'll post my progress if any.

 

Mine came off relatively easy but I did use a 3lb dead blow and lots of PB blaster. I worked it around and hit it from the outside for a while then whacked it from the back and they came off in a few minutes. The bolt idea seems like a good one to me if they are on that bad.

 

If you hav a propane torch or better yet a map gas torch put heat to the rotor to expand it. Apply it to theouter edge just outside of the hub. Get it as hot as the torch will then start beating on it

 

I had the exact same problem. I did exactly what you are doing. I talked to a machanic friend and he said it is a common problem. He said when they're that bad they cut them off. So I did what he said. I put a cutting wheel on a grinder a cut the rotor off. The rotor fit is so tight and when they rust, man they are on there for good. Good Luck

 

After you get it off, take some emory cloth and clean up the hub, then put a little high temp anti-seize in the before installing the new rotor. That's what I did.

 

Well,

9 hours later, I have 1 side done. Un-freakin' believable. I thought I was going to bend the 2 caliper mounts because I had the bolts so tight. I was even using a 8' piece of conduit and blasting that with a hammer (from the other side of the car) because I had limited swing distance within the wheelwell. I don't ever think I worked so hard trying to break something off as this.

Not exactly looking forward to doing the other side - I'm guessing it is going to be in the same condition. What blows my mind is this . . . her Expedition is only 6 years old w/80,000 miles. The brakes have been done about 4 or 5 times (this thing eats pads like you wouldn't believe) and the rotors were replaced about 2-3 years ago. I thing they were turned down about a year or so ago. The thing rusted itself on like this in a year or so??
Unless they have a way to turn them down while they are still on the vehicle ?

In summary . . . 8:30am to 6:37pm EST to do a brake (one wheel)
Not too bad . . . I guess. Maybe in a garage on a lift,
with some power tools and better leverage to swing a
hammer and another person to take a few swings - it
would have come off quicker. But damnnnnnnn.

Once the swelling goes down in my left hand, maybe I'll attempt the other side (about 20,000 swings and only 1 miss) and see how that goes.


Thanks for the ideas etc.

 

Many shops do turn them on the vehicle these days.

 

I figured thay could, just haven't seen it done.
But even so, the rotor had only been on a few years tops - not like I'm launching a salt water boat (with a front mounted hitch) or anything.

This thing was absolutely married on there.

 

One suggestion that I was told when I did the front brakes on my F150 was to actually hit the rotor onto the hub first while turning the rotor by hand, then hit it from behind to drive it off. When I did mine last fall, it only took about 4 hits from the backside to get them off. I also used some PB Blaster on the rotor / hub joint to help. Hope that this helps with the other side.

 

Thats what I was trying to get at, I beat it on then off. I have over 200K and they were the stockers but we don't have salt here either.

 

i hope you ground off a few thousands where ti interfers so it aint so tight next time.

 

Next time cut the suckers off..... don't ask me how I know!

Tommy D

 

Even though i'm sure you already have this project done, or at least i would hope you do. I'll pass on these tricks i learned working 4 years at a small garage. Hitting the rotor on the hub does help, use plenty of penetrating oil. Have someone wedge a prybar behind the rotor and pull while you hit it on the hub surface. If you have an air compressor and an air hammer, put a pry bar behind the rotor and pull while blasting the hub surface with a air hammer using probly anything other than a chisel bit in it. The vibrations will usualy knock it loose in no time. For some reason they decided that fitting tight on the bearing hub was not enough so they had to make the whole bearing hub the size of the rotor hub. dumb idea if you ask me.

 

What is the trick? Can't find it in the search.