Tips on removing stuck/seized disc/rotor

Roady · 31 Oct 2017 at 16:38

Hi guys

I'm after some general advice on how to remove stuck/seized discs/rotors from a/any car.

My car in question is MK7 fiesta Zetec S ('61 plate) but I have a feeling the technique and method are the same regardless of model/make.

Had an advisory on my MOT to replace discs and pads. Bought pads (EBC greenstuff) and discs (Eicher) and then had to wait 5 weeks for a replacement locking wheelnut after the last garage to change tires had damaged the existing one with an impact wrench (I'm guessing) so I couldn't get enough traction (by hand) to get one of the wheels off. Now I can't get the damn rotors off!

Both front Discs/rotor seems totally stuck. Have checked everywhere for a retaining clip/bolt and can't see any sign of one and all the guides online just say to remove the pad carrier and the rotor should just come off. There's no holes to screw a bolt in to 'push' them from the hub.

I've tried shocking it, including running it in gear and slamming the brakes on (without wheels). Levering it with a piece of 2x4 and as a last resort bought a club hammer from B&Q and even after a good 20/30 minutes hammering all around the outside (front & rear of disc) I still can't get either off. Spoken to a couple of local garages and none of them have suggested anything else except maybe even getting a bigger sledge hammer to get them off (but have read online you can damage hub bearings doing this). This is also a way to break the rotor to get it off. I've also read but I don't have a blowtorch to try heating it. Have sprayed GT85/WD40 around the internal surfaces and left to soak for 12 hours before trying again. Still no joy. :confused:

Is there some other technique I'm not aware of? Some knack for those 'in the know'? Do I just man up and smash the hell out of them with a bigger hammer (I need to buy), buy a blowtorch to heat them, buy an angle grinder to cut them off or give up completely? Two local garages have quoted me £35 & £45 for an hours labour to get them off (I have replacement discs/rotors) but neither can do it this week/next.

The car has only done 68k miles so I'm guessing these have been on there since 'new' dealer/factory 5-6 years ago. Annoying garages scrimp on copper grease/anti seize!

grudas · 31 Oct 2017 at 16:45

get some heat on it, try that but usually a big hammer and some hard blows get them off! you basically need to "crack" the rust between the hub and disc.. when you do install your new disc add some antiseize.

Roady · 31 Oct 2017 at 16:49

Yeah but the only 'heat' I have is the other halfs hairdrier, a lighter or maybe a soldering iron at best lol

I've tried to 'keep pushing' but this is more of a 'keep pulling' kinda job!

scaza · 31 Oct 2017 at 16:50

On a side note, I warped my eicher discs within around 500 miles on a light car, MX5. I usually say discs are discs, but I think there's a reason they're so cheap haha.

grudas · 31 Oct 2017 at 16:53

Roady said:
Yeah but the only 'heat' I have is the other halfs hairdrier, a lighter or maybe a soldering iron at best lol

I've tried to 'keep pushing' but this is more of a 'keep pulling' kinda job!

haha.. keep hammering?

get one of these -;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Campingaz-...F8&qid=1509468781&sr=8-16&keywords=blow+torch

had mine for ages and has come in handy many times. Still has gas in it.

Roady · 31 Oct 2017 at 17:29

scaza said:
On a side note, I warped my eicher discs within around 500 miles on a light car, MX5. I usually say discs are discs, but I think there's a reason they're so cheap haha.

Meh, bit late now! Doesn't matter anyway, car is very light mileage (3800 last year) and I wouldn't say I really hammer it much these days... Possibly even less now baby is here!

grudas said:
haha.. keep hammering?

get one of these -;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Campingaz-...F8&qid=1509468781&sr=8-16&keywords=blow+torch

had mine for ages and has come in handy many times. Still has gas in it.

Luls

May do this but equally it doesn't get the rotor/disc off the car, is just another thing to try when hammering it! Would the £25 be better spent on a heavy duty long handled sledge?!

Simon · 31 Oct 2017 at 18:15

Probably rusted on inside of disk so it creates a ridge which won’t get paste the hub. Try a screwdriver in behind it as you turn the disk. Will remove a load of the flaking bits that are probably causing your issue.

Lashout_UK · 31 Oct 2017 at 18:43

You may well find that more expensive discs have the threaded hole in situ to allow you to get the disc off.

You could use a puller, if need be.

silverblack · 31 Oct 2017 at 19:42

Disks on my car were rusted on even after removing the locking screw they still wouldn't budge.
Got a mate to hammer one side while i hit the other and they eventually came off.

swinnie · 31 Oct 2017 at 20:00

First set of disks I ever had to change were on a Toyota Aygo, a good hour of hammering all around the disc surface on both sides finally got them free. ~70k and original fit pads and discs, they were well on there!

Make sure you have any disc retaining screws out, many discs have two. If they're not keen on coming out then just drill the heads off. Make sure you have your caliper well out of the way and secured so you've no risk of stretching the hose and get both the carrier and caliper cleaned up theres that much corrosion on there. The same for the hub when you finally get the discs off.

ianh · 31 Oct 2017 at 21:44

I know it won't help much but I had this on my old 7 Series BMW front discs and spent hours smashing them with a lump hammer. Luckily I lived close enough to a someone with a proper man-tool cave that I could borrow his acetylene torch and within 5 minutes each side and bit more hammering they were off.

bremen1874 · 31 Oct 2017 at 22:00

As well as a big hammer some penetrating oil would probably help.

If they have rusted on you're going to need a decent wirebrush to clean up the mating faces before the new discs go on.

sovietspybob · 1 Nov 2017 at 09:12

I'd get one of those blowtorches as linked above, i got one from B&Q years ago and it's been very handy for a few jobs like that.

Alternatively could you drill a hole and tap a thread into it if there are no pre drilled holes in the disc, just go easy and don't drill into the hub

I just changed the discs on my Avensis last Friday, original 7 year old discs with 85,000 and if it weren't for the pre drilled holes i could put a bolt in i feel i'd still be getting them off now!

Roady · 1 Nov 2017 at 09:51

Lashout_UK said:
You could use a puller, if need be.

Thanks, I hadn't thought to look for a specific tool!

silverblack said:
Disks on my car were rusted on even after removing the locking screw they still wouldn't budge.
Got a mate to hammer one side while i hit the other and they eventually came off.

How much hammering did they take? The concerns I have are that if I hammer these hard enough they crack or are so badly dinged yet I still can't get them off, then I can't drive it to a garage to get it done for me lol

I can see no evidence of locking screws or holes in the disc to aid removal

swinnie said:
Make sure you have any disc retaining screws out, many discs have two. If they're not keen on coming out then just drill the heads off. Make sure you have your caliper well out of the way and secured so you've no risk of stretching the hose and get both the carrier and caliper cleaned up theres that much corrosion on there. The same for the hub when you finally get the discs off.

I've generally balanced/hooked the caliper above the axle on the shock but before really going to town with a hammer I'll probably cable tie them up there so there's no chance of it dropping.

There's really no danger of this not getting super cleaned and coated in anti-seize when the new ones go on, don't worry!

ianh said:
I know it won't help much but I had this on my old 7 Series BMW front discs and spent hours smashing them with a lump hammer. Luckily I lived close enough to a someone with a proper man-tool cave that I could borrow his acetylene torch and within 5 minutes each side and bit more hammering they were off.

How much heat did you use and for how long?

bremen1874 said:
As well as a big hammer some penetrating oil would probably help.

If they have rusted on you're going to need a decent wirebrush to clean up the mating faces before the new discs go on.

Got wire brushes no worries! Penetrating oil and some long threaded bars/bolts might be my weekend project...

Step I hadn't thought of - long threaded bars/bolts into the caliper mounting points to push the rotor from that side! Might even find the existing caliper mounting bolts are long enough?! Failing that buy some with nuts & washers... :cool:

Failing that I've got my eye on a puller, but not sure if a 6" is large/strong enough: https://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-reversible-gear-puller-6/6696g

silverblack · 1 Nov 2017 at 10:11

It took me and the brother about 2 mins of hammering and that broke the seal of rust and the disk fell off.

Six6siX · 1 Nov 2017 at 10:13

That nut/bolt/washer method worked absolutely brilliantly for me when I did my brakes.

MatteH Oxford · 1 Nov 2017 at 10:20

They don't put up much resistance to a long handle 4lb lump hammer

vanpeebles · 1 Nov 2017 at 10:20

A good square block hammer and strike the blows around the outside of the disc, across the edges. Not on the face of the disc.

Gaijin · 1 Nov 2017 at 10:27

A club hammer wrapped in a rag has never failed to get discs off a hub for me. Plenty of approaches above - i'm sure a combination of them will get it off.

Make sure you put a bit of copper grease on the hub face of the new ones!

adam cool dude · 1 Nov 2017 at 10:27

Most cars have a threaded hole in the disc. This is to put a bolt in to pop off the discs. If not the bolt through the caliper brackets works a treat.