Brake Rotor Removal??? (1 Viewer)

[LonghornCruiser]

Does anybody have any instructions on how to remove the rear, or front for that matter, rotor? I cant find a thread that describes how to remove them and I think that I might need to get the rears turned. I haven't really looked at them yet, but since I am somewhat mechanically inclined, I figured I might try to take them off myself. I know that some cars discs are a lot more difficult than others to take off and was just wanting to know what I am getting myself into.



Any help would be appreciated.

p.s. Its a 99 with rear locker if that matters.

 

[spressomon]

Mine are not need of replacing so I can't tell you the procedure. However from my disk rotor experiences over the years I would not recommend turning rotors. It just eliminates metal which increases fade and typically makes them more susceptible to 'warping' due to the higher concentration of heat in effectively less metal.

jm2cents

 

[bh4rnnr]

Removal of the rear rotors is somewhat simple... after removing the tires, looking at the caliper assembly you'll see two 17mm bolts holding the caliper on to the axle. After removing the caliper, you can pull the rotors of. Note sometimes they are tight to remove as they like to get rusted on there... If you are replacing the pads to, you'll see two 14mm bolts holding the piston onto the caliper. When replacing the pads, I always replace the shim kit and fit kit.

The front are a little more involved. You have to take of the hub assembly to get to the rotor. Which would also be a good time to re-pack the bearings since you already have the assembly out. You will have to replace the seals for the hubs when you go to re-install them. There are about 6 17mm bolts that hold the rotor to the hub(on the back side of the hub assembly).

 

[LonghornCruiser]

Mine are not need of replacing so I can't tell you the procedure. However from my disk rotor experiences over the years I would not recommend turning rotors. It just eliminates metal which increases fade and typically makes them more susceptible to 'warping' due to the higher concentration of heat in effectively less metal.

jm2cents

There are many opinions on the possibility of increasing the "warpability" of rotors by having them turned. Some call it the truth, some call it a myth. Don't really know who to actually believe. Here is a link talking about it from the 80's group.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=39013&page=1&highlight=rotors


But, since I am talking about the back brakes, I am more inclined to get them turned seeing as they see about only 20% max of the work as compared to the front. It seems like they wouldn't get nearly as hot as the fronts that take the brunt of the braking weight. Therefore be less likely to "warp". But it seems that everybody has different experiences and different opinions.

I have a couple of buddies that are store managers at a couple of local NTBs so I can have them turned for free. I am more inclined to go the free route.


Oh, and thank you, bh4rnnr. I appreciate the help. I will try to tackle that project here in the next couple of days.

Also, do you have a recommended way of pulling off the rotors that are rusted on? Besides just yanking till it gives. Don't know if anyone would recommend the help of a rubber mallet.

 

[spressomon]

I would assume you want to turn the rear rotors because they are "warped"? If so there must have been enough heat to cause it...even if the rears only do about 20% of the work. If your labor time is not a big deal and the rotor turning is free it is worth a try. However in 20-years of dealing with this same issue (albeit not on LC) I have consistently found, that rotor replacement (with better quality rotors) was the only repair that remedied the problem. Keep us informed...

 

[spressomon]

Also, do you have a recommended way of pulling off the rotors that are rusted on? Besides just yanking till it gives. Don't know if anyone would recommend the help of a rubber mallet.[/QUOTE]

Spray 'em with PB Blaster first?

 

[LonghornCruiser]

I would assume you want to turn the rear rotors because they are "warped"? If so there must have been enough heat to cause it...even if the rears only do about 20% of the work. If your labor time is not a big deal and the rotor turning is free it is worth a try. However in 20-years of dealing with this same issue (albeit not on LC) I have consistently found, that rotor replacement (with better quality rotors) was the only repair that remedied the problem. Keep us informed...

Rear rotors are not warped. There is no vibration or wobling. Just got this cruiser a couple of months ago and yesterday I started hearing a grinding noise coming from right rear when stopping. In other words the pad had grinded down to nothing. Previous owner probably heard the squealers, but they were gone before I got it, so I couldn't tell that the pads needed replacing by the sound. I had looked at my discs through the spokes on the wheel and they felt smooth, but I had not taken the wheel off till last night. The inside pad had completely gone to **** making a little groove pattern on the inner side of the disc. Could not see or feel anything wrong till I got the piston off. I replaced the pads, but probably need to turn the rotor as not to wear out the new pads prematurely.

I totally agree that rotor replacement is usually the best bet, but I just don't know if it is necessary in this case. In your 20 years of issues with warped rotors, how many have been rear rotors? Rear disc brakes haven't been a standardized option on non-sports cars until not that long ago.

I really do appreciate the help and will inform back if they indeed do start warping after some time. At this point, the only thing I would be out is the cost of a set of pads and a couple of hours of labor. And seeing as I get the pads at cost and like taking things apart, I figure it is worth a shot.

 

[Jukelemon]

On all 100's, the rotors can be turned on the vehicle. I have had it done twice now at my dealer (two diff. 100's).

I will say that it seems odd that the rotors go so quickly in these 100's. Each time, the rotors needed turning at the 60-75k mark.

I am at 122k now and I starting to feel fade and slight warping.

 

[LonghornCruiser]

I am right in that mileage range at 68k. Although, other than that groove from the bad pad, my other rotors seem fine and in no need of turning.

I could get them to turn them on the car or take them off and turn them for free, but I want to be the least of an inconvenience for my friend as possible. The time his employee spends with my truck in one of the bays, it means a paying customer's vehicle isn't. Plus, I like getting my hands dirty. Thats why I was trying to figure out how difficult a job it is to see if I could yank it off myself and take it in to him.

Do they have to take off the rear brake shield to turn the rotors on the car? The only accessible area for the back of the rotor is right where the caliper is.

 

[Jukelemon]

Not sure on your question. Diff rotor machines have diff methods.

 

[e9999]

why is a groove in the rotor a problem (if it's concentric)?
I would think the new pad would just wear eventually into the groove and until then it should not make a big difference in contact area...

 

[LonghornCruiser]

It hasn't been a problem yet. Of course, I only replaced the pads last night. Hopefully it won't be a problem. I was just thinking about having it turned as a preventive thing. It seems like it could wear down the pad prematurely because there is a very slight bit of play of the pads on the rotor. I just don't know if it is enough to cause any excessive wear. Since it wouldn't cost anything to turn the rotor, I figure why not.
Probably going to drive a while on the new pads with the old rotor for about a thousand miles or so. I will check them , see how they look and decide what I should do then.

 

[wantacruiser]

it's really easy to remove the rotors. And I know nothing about cars. Just pull the caliper off and you should be able to just pull the rotor off. Make sure the parking break is not on. Having the rotors turned is fine. It's less than 10 bucks to have a rotor turned.

 

[Jim_Chow]

As Bh4rnnr mentioned, the front rotors are more difficult to remove. You need a 54mm socket, plus a brass bar to pound the cone washers loose. You'll also need replacement gaskets and lock washers at the minimum, plus oil seals if you plan to regrease the inner bearing (inside of the hub). As is, you'll need to repack the outer bearing since that is removed to remove the hub. First time I did it, it took around 6 hrs to repack the front bearings and swap in new rotors. Second time I did it, it was about 3.5 hrs total, plus clean-up time.

Nice thing about Toyota LC's and older 4runners/trucks is, the front hub/bearing assembly is exactly the same, and they all use the same 54mm axle nut and assemble/disassemble the same way, making it easy for us who own or plan to own more than one truck/LC. It's also a good idea to have a spare axle nut handy, as the first time I did it, one had threads that weren't in good condition and wouldn't thread back on the spindle properly.

 

[ff347]

well i'll throw in my .02, i would have them turned and i found this out after a problem with my cars brakes. when they are turned your not losing a ton of metal or anything, basically the high spots. Anyway, atleast scuff the surface really good if you don't turn them or you can end up with incredible grinding in your brakes pads. i did not have them turned and it sounded like all hell was breaking loose after i changed my pads, used a non toyota pad and as a few people told me afterwards the "dust" was what was causing the grinding. i called b.s. on that, but had to eat my words after i changed the rotors and used the right pads stops on a dime and you can not replicate the grinding. basically an old mechanic told me you really need to give the pads a "new" surface, and toyota said the same thing, i just happen to trust the old man more!