Hey Everybody,

Replaced my Rotors and Pads last Sunday. Only had one problem which was getting the driver side Rotor off. Sprayed with PB Blaster and went to work on it with a 4lb.BFsledgeH.
After about 15 min of hitting, I got out the propane tourch and heated the rotor up evenly around the studs but not on the studs.
After that I was able to get it off with about 8 swings. Sprayed the passenger side and and let it sit for about 20 min and I got it off in 8 swings of the BFH. That PB Blaster works wonders.

Pads were 3/4 worn and the rotors might have been able to be turned but after beating the driver side to $h|t I went ahead and replaced them since I had bought them allready. Used plenty of anti-seize on the Hub to rotor surface and on the Pad slides and piston faces.

New brakes feel 100% better.

Any ?'s let me know.

 

Great Job Phil. Sounded like a lot of sweat and work you did. I never realized it would take so much to get the damn things off.
I too would like to change out my POS rotors and pads but #1 I don't have the $$ right now and #2 I don't have the resources you have to get the rotors off if they give me trouble like yours. Guess I could find a way though. I do have a sledgehammer.
What did you replace your stock rotors and breaks with?
Did you do anything with the rear drums?

 

Having the same prob with my 97 F 150 4x4 just can't seem to get the front rotors off.
Took out the big 1-3/8" center bolt but they won't budge. Any sug to my problem

Binky

 

Binky,

Put the bolt back in and torque it to the right spec. and then use a regular propant tourch and evenly heat the rotor around the studs and in between the studs for 2-3 minutes, then use your BFH and pound them off. Also try to avoid the rubber o-ring around the outside of the hub. Try using some good penetrating oil like "PB Blaster".
PB Blaster is hard to find but you can probably get it at a good parts store. (Not Autozone or Advanced)

Any other Q's let me know.

 

Autozone carries PB blaster.

Make sure there are not extra holes in the rotors around the lug nuts. If there are, then get a bolt and start that in the holes to push the rotors off the hubs. Also around the lug nuts is a retainer piece that have to be removed. They are just thing sheetmetal things that you can clip off.

 

Matt90GT,

Must be nice to be able to get PB Blaster at Autozone on the West coast. Out here in the Midwest there is no such thing. What retainer pieces are you talking about? Are you confussed between the difference of LugNuts and Wheel Studs?
Didn't have any kind of retainers on mine. Binky and I both have 97 F-150 4x4's maybe different in other years. (i.e. 98-2001)

 

On 97`ORP 4x4. My rotors were stuck on too. But I had a run out( on driver`s side hub) problem before the warr. was out. They were going turn the rotors also because of the run out when they found out the rotors were stuck. Atfer the beating them off they had to replace both hubs too.The dealer had to break my driver`s side off into 3 pieces. The pass. 2 pieces. The problem was from factory, they use rotors that were something like .020 to small from earlier models before switching to the right ones in 97. This is what I was told at the dealer. I hope this helps !!!!!!!!!
Lariat#1

 

Take a sawzall or a cut off wheel and cut the rotor from the outside down the the hat area. Do two cuts opposite each other. Cut in between the cooling vanes in the rotor. Then beat it on the outside edge 90 degrees from the cuts. It should split in half. Make sure you dont cut anything important

 

wow, from beating the rotors with a BFH to cutting them off now! haha.

If you have 4wd, make sure that you do not remove the center nut from the hubs. The hubs and rotors are seperate units. You have to remove the caliper bracket from the spindle, the metal tabs on the wheel STUDS (corrected, sorry I was tired last nite) and then they should come off really easily. Remember that they are hub centeric so if you need some lube to get them off then do it at the center of the rotor.

 

Had to rent a torch to finally get the front rotors off. I cut them about hlf way through from the outside of rotor to the center. I then gave it a good beatin' with a 6# sledge.
The rust had them siezed so bad I needed the torch to get them off.

After taking the caliper brackets off I noticed that one of the caliper slide pins were seized and the protective rubber boot was damaged.
The whole shot cost me $28.00 for both front pads $50.00 each for the rotors and $60.00 for the new slide pin kit with boots and $25.00 for the rental of the torch.
I guess I got off pretty lucky, the dealership wanted $116.00 for the front pads $178.00 each for the rotors and $60.00 for the slide pin kit.

 

Binky,

Good job glad youn got them off, Screw the dealer prices!

 

Glad you was able to get the old ones off after all that hard work.

 

I just did the front pads and at 60k on the odo, the front ones were worn out. I couldnt get the anchor nuts off at all, though i am limited to a few tools only. Tried WD-40, breaker bars, hitting them to loosen them. Nothing worked. Would heating them work?? I would like to change out the rotors too or atleast resurface them!

 

Wow don't we have fun with our trucks...
I have done 2 brake jobs on my 99.
I replaced the front pads at 40,000 there was about 40% pad remaining.
(I do it in the fall to keep from having to do it in winter and freeze my fingers off) The second was a full front and rear job at 75,000 miles.

That was pads,and new rotors up fornt and shoes, and drums turned iin back. From what I can see the rotor are really replacement items as there wasn't much metal to turn even when new...

I used NAPA parts, I don't know if they are good or bad but that is what dad always used and he has an account there with a nice discount (from his garage days) and I was short on cash at the time...

Removing the rotors where a real pain in the butt, after lots of Kroil
(that is one great pentrating oil by the way try it yourself it is as good as I have found) and some serious cursing I had a chat with the local napa man where I was told beating the Hell out of them was normal, I broke out the
6lb tweeking tool and adjusted the rotors attitude...

I would suggest to everyone when you put new rotors or drums on that a serious application of anti-seize is in order!

I hope not to have to repeat pain again... In fact anytime I put on a nut or bolt I may want to remove again it gets anti-siezed... Great stuff!


Jim