2006 Nissan Titan, from the general condition of the rotors I'm guessing they are originals. They aren't budging. Three rounds of Kroil and two rounds of heat about the center and a BFH pounding and rotating and not even a hint of coming off. Any good tips?
No tapped holes in the rotor hat for bolts to help pop off the rotor?
Harbor Freight hydraulic puller. Sold in 3-ton and 10-ton varieties. Used one to solve this very problem on my F150.
Air hammer?
Will said:Harbor Freight hydraulic puller. Sold in 3-ton and 10-ton varieties. Used one to solve this very problem on my F150.
That looks terrifying! I wish I knew that existed a few times in my past!
I will say that I've broken a few rotors removing them with manual pullers, but at least that gave me a section to chisel into against the flange..
No threaded holes on these, unfortunately.
Thanks for the HF tool tip. I wasn't aware of that one. Should do the trick. I was trying to figure out how to wedge a jack between the frame rail and the rotor - this is a better way.
More heat, mainly on the rotor where it contacts the hub. Be sure to wire wheel the rustiness away at the mating surfaces. That's how we often have to do this job in the rust belt.
I've had to use a rosebud tip sometimes, being careful not to get the hub warm enough to melt wheel bearing grease or do other harm.
Get a bigger hammer? If they're being replaced you don't have to worry about damaging the old ones.
I had this issue with a Mazda 3 a few years back. I bought the big hydraulic puller from HF shown above. It broke the rotor, but did not remove it. I ultimately had to cut it in half horizontally with a saws all and angle grinder and then whack it with a sledgehammer. It was nuts how stuck it was.
This one works every time for me.
Get a puller on it and apply tension to the rotor. Scrape any gunk you can off the hub... wire brush, 3M scotchbrite on a die grinder, whatever. Take a torch and heat up the rotor's centerbore (like the ring between the lugs and the hub) just enough that it will melt a candle or a crayon. You're looking for fast melting and maybe a bit of smoke, but not sizzling. Use a few crayons or a whole tea-light sized candle amount. NOW whack it with an air hammer near the hub and a BFH on the back.
I used this to replace a clutch on a John Deere once and it worked well enough that the flywheel broke my nose because it yeeted itself. Maybe a little less torque on the puller next time.
After my last issue with stuck rims I think I'll get one of the HF pullers too for future problems
Yes that is a cool tool of destruction.
Hit harder. Don't tappa tappa tappa, beat the crap out of it, aiming for a spot three or four inches beyond it. Hit the hub face of the rotor, not the outside.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:This one works every time for me.
Get a puller on it and apply tension to the rotor. Scrape any gunk you can off the hub... wire brush, 3M scotchbrite on a die grinder, whatever. Take a torch and heat up the rotor's centerbore (like the ring between the lugs and the hub) just enough that it will melt a candle or a crayon. You're looking for fast melting and maybe a bit of smoke, but not sizzling. Use a few crayons or a whole tea-light sized candle amount. NOW whack it with an air hammer near the hub and a BFH on the back.
I used this to replace a clutch on a John Deere once and it worked well enough that the flywheel broke my nose because it yeeted itself. Maybe a little less torque on the puller next time.
Curtis said it better than me. Pete too.
I have gotten these to release by cutting into them with an angle grinder, gets some heat in and spots to get more penetrating oil in. Plus biggest hammer possible
Crazy idea.....But....
Since the idea is to separate the rotor from the hub , even just a little , could you use dry ice on the hub to shrink it a little ?
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I'm... not sure where you're applying the wax in that description.
In reply to Duke :
The rotor's center bore, according to the post. The holes where the wheel studs poke through might help as well.
In reply to Duke :
Heat between the lugs and the hub on the rotor hat (the red circle). This not only grows the rotor bore larger, it gets it ready to melt wax.
Apply the candle to the hubcentric seam between the hat and the hub. (green arrow). It will wick where it needs to go.
That's not what usually sticks. The inside of the rotor hat rusts to the outside diameter of the hub, and in a lot of cases the rust mechanically locks the rotor in place with expanded rust behind the hub.
This can generally only be removed by beating it with hammers or air hammering.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
That's what my arrow is pointing to. The inside of the bore of the rotor hat to the hub's outer diameter.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I mean the inside of the HAT. The part that some manufacturers like to specify as a close tolerance fit to the outside diameter of the hub. Rust builds up and makes that close tolerance an interference fit, and/or in the area beyond the hub, it builds up to a smaller ID than the OD of the hub, so it locks the rotor on. You get the rotor wiggling but you still can't pull it off until you break that rust free.
Good times.
I've never damaged a hub or bearing from removing a rotor, but I've had to replace rotors while doing wheel bearings because the rotor couldn't be removed without damage.
If you are replacing the rotor, cut into it stopping right as you get to the hub surface, there is very little to worry about
Cut a slot in the face and the friction surface. Air chisel in the slot unti it jambs. Or use a regular chisel. Then get the BFH. Usually my 7 or 10lb sledgehammer. You will either get it free or you split the rotor in half and then it comes free.
BTW. This works on cast iron bath tubes. Cut with a grinder put chisel in cut and jamb it in with a hammer then hit with a sledgehammer. They will shatter in to chunks for easy removal.
Luckily I didn't need to resort to cutting. I remembered that I had a bigger BFH. That coupled with turning it over to the 27 year old boy who swung harder than I did. It reminded me of when I was about that age and my Dad stopped doing a lot of the work because he realized I was at the age where I was stronger, and more flexible. Circle of life.....
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