I've got an '04 f150 and I can't seem to get the front rotors off. Calipers came off pretty easy, but the rotors seem frozen on.

Any tricks to getting them loose?


Thanks!

 

There are several helpful threads dealing with rotor removal on our model. They helped me stick with it when I did my rear rotors. The method I chose was the rubber hammer at the caliper position while rotating the rotor after each swing. When that didn't do the job on one of them, I "gently" employed my hand maul using the same technique and off it came. Others reported having to resort to a torch to heat the hub to get them off.

 

BFH, big fricken hammer. A 5lb sledge should work. Took about 10 swings to get them off my gf's 2K F150. If you want to save the rotors, tap them at first. You you don't want to save them, swing away. You may want to put the lugs on there loose to keep it from flying off.

 

I was just told by the ford house that on the 2WD, the rotor and the hub are one assembly... you can't just replace the rotors.

So, has anyone with a 2WD removed the hub and rotor? How big of a job is that?

Thanks!

 

If they are one piece, you should have to remove the crown nut under the grease cap and pull to whole thing off. At least that is how every other one that I worked on came off. I haven't removed the ones on this truck as of yet. Just be sure to keep everything clean and repack the grease when you put them back on.

 

If it's a 2WD, you've gotta remove the hub nut, it's 36mm, if I remember right. Then the rotor/hub assembly slides off completely. Also note that you aren't supposed to reuse the hub nut after removing it.

 

What about the rear rotors?

They seem "loose" but it doesn't feel like rust that's holding them, it feels like there's some link to the driveshaft.

 

Beat the hell out of 'em with a hammer on the outside flange side, the rears just slide off.

 

Thanks for the help everyone!

Since I would have had to remove the hubs and repack the bearings, I gave up on the fronts. Just too much for me.

I got the rears off with a hammer and a pry-bar. Worked like a charm. Now the rears are in the process of getting turned and I'm undercoating my wheel-wells.

 

The bearings are sealed on the fronts, there's no repacking or servicing necessary.

 

Oh. I guess I misunderstood.

Oh well, the fronts were in good condition. I just sprayed them down with some brake cleaner and checked for grooves, etc.

The rears were grooved on one side bad and a little on the other.

I had a lot of pad left all the way around, but the rears had sounded like they were grinding which is what initiatied this little project. I'm looking forward to less brake dust, less squealing, and better stopping power though!

 

Here is a past thread you could have taken a look at.

...it's a real b*tch to get off there but get the biggest hammer you got, seriously. It won't look like it's coming off but it is. I sat there for about 30 minutes hammering the hell out of it with a sledge (I have 64k miles). It gets rusted on there, but I found loosening the adjustment sprocket in the back hole thats covered with a rubber grommet (it's the parking brake adjustment) probably helps. Regardless, you don't have to do that and it could have been my imagination. Just take the brake caliper off, and of course the tire, and you're good to go. It actually just slides right off...if it's not rusted. Basically, bang the hell out of it.

 

Gotta give props to the Akebono pads!!!

They're doing great so far... just bedded in and drove around a while. No hint of noise from the brakes. It's like driving a new truck again!

Also, for people who told me to search... I did... all I could find were threads saying "bang on it" which wasn't working for me. It was the info that I found out from the ford house that I needed. (1 piece hub/rotor on the front of 2WD's.)

 

And what was that Info????

 

That the front rotos on a 2WD are part of the hub assembly. You can't just remove the rotor itself. It comes off with the hub.