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gregs210 · 08-25-2007, 01:00 AM

Hi, Folks.

A few members have sent me a PM asking for more help on getting stuck rotors...well, unstuck.

Re: removing rotors, as a general rule I simply don't tell folks how to do it. And it really has more to do with a very real potential for damage or injury than anything else. Pounding away on a rotor without a proper understanding of the process has the potential to damage other parts and it can also cause the rotor to break, sending pieces of it flying at velocities more than sufficient to puncture your skin, break teeth, gouge out eyes, etc. And of course the use of torches carries its own dangers. When I help folks with their brakes in person I can teach them the proper methods but there's no way to properly explain it on a forum and be sure the person understands. As much a fan of DIY as I am, I'd far rather you pay someone to do it for you than take the chance of you being injured and then we both have to live with that.

With that understanding, then I will offer up one tip that is almost completely safe and which often will work for getting a rotor unstuck. Start on just one corner, that way you have three wheels on the ground to help keep things stable and one good jackstand in position under the one on which you are working. Then remove the caliper and the rotor lock-screw. Spray WD-40 around the hub area (use lots of it, it's cheap) and particularly at a steep angle into each of the lug-bolt holes, the goal is to "aim" the straw so that you're pointing it at the very small spot between the back of the rotor and the front of the hub. Spray in lots of it and turn the rotor a little, then spray more. Wait a few minutes and repeat the process. And then repeat the wait, spray, turn process for a period of about 30 minutes. (The idea here is to give the WD-40 time to run and penetrate and work for you; if 30 minutes is not enough it never will work.)

When the waiting period is over, put on a good pair of work gloves and take a 10"-12" Crescent wrench (also called a sliding-jaw or adjustable wrench) and fix it to the rotor where the caliper would have been so it is sticking straight away from the rotor off into the wheel well. Adjust the jaws for a firm grip and then use a rocking motion to lever the rotor back and forth (in and out). You can get fairly violent with it, just make sure you don't pull it off the jack stand or slip the wrench from the rotor. Repeat several times, then slide the wrench off, rotate the rotor about 150-160 degrees and repeat the wrench/lever process. Keep rotating that same amount and levering and hopefully that will break it loose for you.

If that procedure doesn't work, then you'll have to decide what your next step is.

I wish you all good luck with this and other DIY projects.

Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg

08-25-2007, 01:00 AM	#27 (permalink)
gregs210 BenzWorld Elite Date registered: Mar 2005 Vehicle: '01-E320 & 02-ST2 Location: Adrift on an island... Posts: 8,336	Hi, Folks. A few members have sent me a PM asking for more help on getting stuck rotors...well, unstuck. Re: removing rotors, as a general rule I simply don't tell folks how to do it. And it really has more to do with a very real potential for damage or injury than anything else. Pounding away on a rotor without a proper understanding of the process has the potential to damage other parts and it can also cause the rotor to break, sending pieces of it flying at velocities more than sufficient to puncture your skin, break teeth, gouge out eyes, etc. And of course the use of torches carries its own dangers. When I help folks with their brakes in person I can teach them the proper methods but there's no way to properly explain it on a forum and be sure the person understands. As much a fan of DIY as I am, I'd far rather you pay someone to do it for you than take the chance of you being injured and then we both have to live with that. With that understanding, then I will offer up one tip that is almost completely safe and which often will work for getting a rotor unstuck. Start on just one corner, that way you have three wheels on the ground to help keep things stable and one good jackstand in position under the one on which you are working. Then remove the caliper and the rotor lock-screw. Spray WD-40 around the hub area (use lots of it, it's cheap) and particularly at a steep angle into each of the lug-bolt holes, the goal is to "aim" the straw so that you're pointing it at the very small spot between the back of the rotor and the front of the hub. Spray in lots of it and turn the rotor a little, then spray more. Wait a few minutes and repeat the process. And then repeat the wait, spray, turn process for a period of about 30 minutes. (The idea here is to give the WD-40 time to run and penetrate and work for you; if 30 minutes is not enough it never will work.) When the waiting period is over, put on a good pair of work gloves and take a 10"-12" Crescent wrench (also called a sliding-jaw or adjustable wrench) and fix it to the rotor where the caliper would have been so it is sticking straight away from the rotor off into the wheel well. Adjust the jaws for a firm grip and then use a rocking motion to lever the rotor back and forth (in and out). You can get fairly violent with it, just make sure you don't pull it off the jack stand or slip the wrench from the rotor. Repeat several times, then slide the wrench off, rotate the rotor about 150-160 degrees and repeat the wrench/lever process. Keep rotating that same amount and levering and hopefully that will break it loose for you. If that procedure doesn't work, then you'll have to decide what your next step is. I wish you all good luck with this and other DIY projects. Take care and enjoy the ride, Greg __________________ If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice. Meister Eckhart When you learn from your own mistakes, that's experience. When you learn from the mistakes of others, that's wisdom. When you fail to learn from any mistakes, that's government.