Sl0w7

hey guys... i have searched and found nothing on this so far... i am trying to pull my rotors off to replace them... they wont come off for anything... what is the trick??? is there a tool that i need to buy??? please help me asap... i am dying to get my new brakes on... ( https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=263445 )
thank you in advance...
-Keith

alberto_mg

Haha. I had the same problem. Is it the rears or fronts?
First off, make sure you got the retaining screws off. If they are, than you are having the same problem that I am - the rotors are rusted on!

Since you seem to have new rotors, I am assuming the old ones are going in the garbage. So I suggest getting either a rubber mallet or a regular hammer (or 2lb sledge hammer) and bang on the rotors from the inside out. Bang hard!

If that doesn't work (didn't for me) get a crow bar and slide it behind the rotor from the rear for the rear rotors and pry, pry and pry some more. The prying did it for me. repeat in the front. Good luck!

Sl0w7

thanks so much man... yeah i have the screws off... someone told me that they are pressed on and i have to take the hubs to a shop and have them done... thanks again man...
-Keith

alberto_mg

pressed on? nope! they screw in. they are a biatch to get off though. do a search and you'll see. damon commented on a thread about that either here or in the suspension/brakes forum.

anyway, if your issue is the screws not coming out then I suggest you go to Sears or some automotive store and get an impact driver. you fit a phillips screw head into the impact driver as if it were a regular screw driver and bang on the end with a hammer. the impact driver does the twisting for you. this doesn't work for some people and they drill those screws out somehow.

if screws are the problem search for a post about that that DamonB commented on.

Sl0w7

thanks a lot man... i have an impact driver... i had the screws off already... but anyway... i used a rail road spike and a hammer... and with in 2 min the fronts (my problem rotors) were off like nothing!!! thank you so much man!!!
-Keith

BlackRX7Turbo

was that to get the screws out or to pry rusted rotors off? (i.e. the rail road spike and hammer)

RE13REW

take the scres out and use hammer or pry bar to take it out... this method i used....

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

yeah i had to use a BFH !!!! i thought i was gonna break something banging on the car that hard...but it worked.

DamonB

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEAT THE ROTORS WITH ANYTHING TO REMOVE THEM!

If you look closely at the hub area of each rotor there is an unused bolt hole. Thread a bolt through this hole and tighten it. As you tighten the bolt it will press the rotor away from the wheel hub. Works easily and requires no banging on the brake rotors!

Radical Rotary Avantgard

Damond, I was about to use my favorite tool
"Mr.Hammer" to remove the rotors. I also was wondering, what was the extra bolt hole for or maybe I was missing one.
Thanks for clearing that.

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

damn, never thought of that first thing that popped into my mind when i couldnt get it off was "F*!@ You rotor come off".... then i went for the hammer. logic should have prevailed but i get frustrated with this car when im working on it...... we have a love hate relationship

DamonB

I wish I could remember who originally pointed this out to me, but it's just so much nicer than banging with a hammer.

I have yet to buy the proper bolt to keep in my toolbox, so I just use the long alternator tension bolt whenever I remove the rotors

alberto_mg

yes it is, except i have screws in both of the holes up front. oddly enough, there were no screws in the rear...

besides, beating a dead rotor by swinging a big f**in hammer can be a good stress reliever

DamonB

There is an additional hole in the hub area of the rotor that is threaded and not used for mouting. It is not countersunk and its only purpose is for removing the rotors. Look closely and you'll see it.

ronarndt

Originally posted by DamonB:

I had the same problem while getting tires on my Chevy pickup a few years ago at Sears. One of the rear wheels (not rotor) would not come off cause it was rusted fast to the center hub. I watched three of the Sears "mechanics" pound the shxt out of the wheel for 45 minutes trying to break it loose. I finally told the service manager to put the new tire on my spare wheel and I would worry about getting it changed. Same solution- used the extra holes in the wheel to thread bolts into to push the wheel off. Had it changed in 5 minutes. Moral of story- use head, not brute force. (Although I have also used the other method, with proper four-letter words, when appropriate.)
Ron A.

MazdaRx7Racer4Life

Wow, I was wondering what that hole was for. No need for banging on the rotors.

clayne

Haha, jesus. There is a threaded hole ON the rotor just for this purpose. No need to take a railroad spike to them.

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

no need? its the only thing on the car you can beat the crap out of without seriously breaking it! sometimes i just need to release some of the frustration caused by my FD!

maxpesce

The use of the "Extra Hole" for removing the rotors is described in the FSM!
also it is threaded the same as the rotor retaining screws so you can use one of them to remove the rotor!

PandazRx-7

iTrader: (18)

My fronts had the small threaded holes...but the rears didn't...Nice big hammer was the what did it for me.

scratchjunkie

i too used a big hammer for the front rotors.

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

haha..... the FSM!! i have it, its basically useless except for torque specs. here is my take on how they describe to swap a motor: remove engine using SSH, rebuild, install in reverse order using SSH...... mazduh, come on list the steps in between.... the factory manual is complete CRAP!! am i the only one that wants to burn it? heath

Sesshoumaru

iTrader: (1)

i like the fsm ........haaahha i think torque specs are useless.........

if you try to take them off in sub zero weather.......(ugh....i need a heated shop )

you might want to heat them up. Rims are like that too.

even with a mallet and a good amount of force I couldn't get them off........then we just got a space heater and got it back to normal temps....... It was easy then.