I'm at an impasse on a brake job on a Dakota. The front rotor is stuck to the hub. No amount of hammering, penetrating spray, ect. has worked. Using a puller has only resulted in breaking off the edge of the rotor. What is the next step?
I'm at an impasse on a brake job on a Dakota. The front rotor is stuck to the hub. No amount of hammering, penetrating spray, ect. has worked. Using a puller has only resulted in breaking off the edge of the rotor. What is the next step?
Scrape the rust out of the bell of the rotor and apply lots of air hammer.
If that is too boring, the fast way is to smack the friction surface with a 10lb sledge. Should only take one or two hits to break the bell off of the hub face. Then the rotor should come the rest of the way off.
That's basically the ONLY way F-150 4x4 rotors come off.
A little PB Blaster, time, heat and a sledge
Using a thin cut off wheel make cut across the face all the way over to the other face. Make the cut 1/2 as thick as the metal, then try to get it to crack along the grove
Bigger hammer. Eventually you'll either get it off or destroy everything. Either way, the rotor will no longer be the problem that it is currently. It's worked for me in the past.
Agreed bigger hammer. This kind of torture is why I have a 4# mini sledge BFH. 
Worst case, cut it off so you just have the top of the "hat" stuck to the hub, then get out a good air chisel (like a CP 714)and peel it off. All this hammering may damage the wheel bearing, so check it after pulling the hub.
Coat the new rotors hub contact surface with antiseize.
2 x4 and a sledge removed the front rotor off my truck. You have to use the right combination of swear words too.
PB Blaster and the biggest hammer you can find. Make sure to eat our Wheaties!
I've had this same issue over the hears as a tech. penetrating oil, let it sit while you take a dump. Then put a lug nut 1/2 the way on, then hammer on the friction surface like there's no tomorrow. I wear ear plugs, cuz it can get loud. There's really no other way. Pullers will just be grabbing rust, or possibly just brake the outter friction surface from the vanes.
Put it back together with the wheel on it but the lugs not tightened all the way. Hit 5 mph and slam the brakes. Do it a couple times.
In reply to DrBoost: I did this one previously on a VERY rusted 2.5rs rotor, used a small hand sledge and beat it like it owed me money. It evenutually came off after that, cleaned the hub a ton, threw a bit of antiseize behind it...hopefully next time it doesn't happen. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.
Lesley wrote: 2 x4 and a sledge removed the front rotor off my truck. You have to use the right combination of swear words too.
I find some conbination of "Heartless mother berkeleyin slut whore vajajay vajajay vajajay berkeley" works best for me.
took 2 hrs+, a can of PB Blaster, and a 5# hammer ( each side ) to get the calipers off the front of my rust bucket F150 4x4 ... the rotors were actually dust ... but the calipers 
44Dwarf wrote: Using a thin cut off wheel make cut across the face all the way over to the other face. Make the cut 1/2 as thick as the metal, then try to get it to crack along the grove
had to do that to my wife's cavalier when we were still dating. her brother had done the brakes last time and "figured he wouldnt bother with anti-seize because she's trade it in by the time it needed new rotors" - dork.
This is part of why I like living in California. Never used anti-seize on a rotor, never had a rotor fail to come off (usually they just fall off in my hands).
this.
http://youtu.be/mtsTJCRljAs
Is it a 2wd or 4wd? What year?
Ist gen trucks (87-96) use a one piece hub/rotor on 2wd trucks and a separate rotor and hub on 4wd trucks. Unsure of later model trucks.
I like the miata rotors with a threaded hole in the rotor to thread a bolt in and press it off the hub.
moparman76_69 wrote: Is it a 2wd or 4wd? What year? Ist gen trucks (87-96) use a one piece hub/rotor on 2wd trucks and a separate rotor and hub on 4wd trucks. Unsure of later model trucks.
97-up are slip on rotors like a 4x4 even for 2wd's...
Heat induced differential expansion does the trick every time. If you have or have access to oxy-acetylene it's best, but a MAPP gas will do.
Apply max torch in a continuously moving circle around the face of the rotor hat. Keep at it til it's hot. If you have an infrared pyrometer 400 degrees F isn't too hot. Then hit the rotor with a hammer of at least 4 pounds, hard.
Don't work your way up to it. Just get the outer edge of the middle really hot, and hit the outer face of the rotor like you mean it, once.
It should fall off.
EDIT: I reread and saw "Dakota". If you could the rotor failed before extraction, I'd guess it's integrated hub/rotor.If you fustigated the living bejeezus out of it with a hammer the wheel bearings are toast now too. Did you look at an assembly view before starting if you'd never had it apart before?
Those stock Dakota rotors are crap - I replaced mine with stainless slotted ones. The stockers are prone to what I call "rotor ripple" - freaking warping.
She said ripple... lols
What you did there.....I see it.
I just did brakes all the way around on my 07 F350. The rotors came off like butter. In fact the front right had a big crack in it all ready. The rears came off easy because my backing plates crumpled like burnt toast. Should 5 year old backing plates rust away like that? I don't even plow with the truck.
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