Ok.. this is an 88 GXL.. 5-lug. Front driver's side brake. I could NOT get the rotor off, even after banging the bejezzus out of it with a sledge hammer while on the car.. So, I figure, what the hell, and take the whole hub off. Now, I'm not much better off: They're STUCK together--very stuck.

I have banged at them with a sledge hammer. Heated it up with a blow torch. I tried chizzling at the inner edge (green dots) with a lil screwdriver. Once I had it off, I tried using a block of wood to hit down on the outside of the hub, to knock it thru. I split the 2x4.

Does anyone have any suggestion as to how to get these bloody things apart?! Or am I just out of luck, and should buy a new hub? I already have the new rotor, so that's why I figured I'd destroy this one trying to seperate them.

-Tesla

 

Heating them will only expand the metal and make two fused items harder to separate. You should try super cooling the parts. It's been -35C up where I live this month already, so if you don't have anything that cold, try your freezer. That's all I can think of right now. Jaws of life maybe?

 

..and the front of the rotor..just for fun.

 

soak it in PB blaster or WD-40? i dunno.

 

Try this, put your lug nuts back on the studs part way. Take a flat thick peice of metal or a peice of wood and place it on top of the nuts and bang the **** out of it with a sledge hammer, it will come apart.

 

damn dude that looks like the rotors on my 300zx when we beat the **** out of them to get them off to get turned.

 

lol I had this problem twice. Once getting the old rotors off for the 5 lug coversion and then again, replacing them with new rotors (after that I coated the under side with synthetic grease ). I think you're BEST bet is to pound on one end, then turn, hit it again, then spin and just keeping spinning and hitting it and you'll notice a small gap opening up. I had to do this till the rotor completly was off the studs. It took me about 5-10mins of pounding on the rotors to get them to break free. IMO its easier doing it on the car.

 

go somewhere that has a hydrolic(sp?) press. place the piston of the press right on the center of the hub, where the dust cap fits in, and start cranking. it tok like 2 tons of pressure for mine to come out

 

If you haven't trashed the screws that hold it on, thread one into the extra hole in the rotor (not the countersunk ones) to pop it off. That is what it is there for in the first place.

If you have to, use a bolt.

 

As 1FastT2 said above..knocking thru the lugs does work..we have got the hub out in past. A question would be...the OLD HUB has corrosion on the sides and the FIT into the NEW rotor (disc) must be very tight..do you know of any type of special cleaner that will clean up corrosion on this aluminum hub? And also what about cleaning up inside of hub, for the repacking of the bearing grease? Someone said use a product called KENKRIP (sp?) that is used for engine carb parts (just drop in bucket and soak? Any experience on that?

Thanks..

colonel ron (rwbcolonel)

 

Since you have the whole hub off the car, just go to a machine shop and have it pressed off. Believe me, it will take about 10 seconds for them to do it (30 tonne press does wonders) and will be well worth the $25 you pay them.

 

i thought there is a screw that screws in and forces off the rotor. thats what i did to get mine off, i did the banging but it never worked,

same thig Felix Wankel said above

look where the red points to.

 

mine were pretty stuck, when i asked for help i was told to do the "bang on a side, turn 1/8 turn, bang, repete"

eventualy it started to move, then i just used a bolt in the threaded holes to put them the rest of the way off

-Jacob

 

im glad it worked, sorry i forgot to post a picture

 

i hope your rotors are not bent from all the banging

 

Ok.. We got it off, thru much banging. 1FastT2's method seemed to work the best.

This is for the front rotor on a 5-lug car. There *IS NO* threaded hole to screw something into that pushes it off the hub. That's only on the rear for 5-luggers. You really would think they would have designed it better, considering the heat cycles that brakes go thru.

Oh well.. The hard part is done. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

-Tesla