How to remove rotors?

No luck with a search. Does anyone know of a walk through for removing the rotors. I have Bobcats to put on and when I had the new tires put on the tech said it was just a couple of more bolts than doing the pads. Haven't done anything like this in the past but I can certainly undo some bolts and torque to spec. Is there anything I should be aware of that isn't covered in the vacations pics? Any special tools needed?

Qship - Get yourself (2) M8x1.25 bolts; it will help to "pop" off the stock rotors.

basically you just undo the two bolts per caliper and then pull off the rotor

 

the back rotors will be a beast with out an impact or air ratchet ill tell you that

 

you'll need a fairly long extension for the bottom bolts on the rear caliper bracket

I havent looked at the LGT rotors, but I know the WRX has an extra hole, I dont recall the thread count, but I took off a radiator support bracket bolt (12mm I think), put it in the extra hole and screwed it down which pushed it against the hub.

 

In essence, its VERY hard to manually pry the rotor off, and I get called a gorilla all the time. Check it out

You asked for it...so hear ya are! Enjoy.

03 - Front Disc Rotor.pdf

06 - Rear Disc Rotor.pdf

03 - Front Disc Rotor.pdf

06 - Rear Disc Rotor.pdf

If you're just doing pads, you shouldn't have to remove the rotors- are you putting on upgraded rotors or just the pads?

I'm just doing pads but. Larry at Carbotech insists that I need to remove the old pad material from the rotors to make sure the pads bedin properly. Instead of having them cut I was going to "resurface" them myself with a coarse grit sanding sponge.

 

Even if it's OK to resurface them on the car, which doesn't strike me as the way to go, I don't have a clue how rough to make them. I'm starting to feel that I've bit off more than I can chew. Maybe I should just go deeper in debt and get new rotors even thought I've got less than 8k on these. Any thougts?

If you don't have any puslations now, it would be a waste of money to change the rotors! The stock rotors are actually decent, it's the pads that stink! Do as Lary suggested, using scotchbrite pads, instead of the sandpaper. The scotchbrite won't leave behind particles on the rotor.

I'd be wary of trying to resurface your rotors yourself- if they need to be resurfaced, take them to a shop. I'd wager that there won't be much if any pad material on the rotors- I'd just use some brake cleaner on the rotors and resintall the new pads.

I have pulsations on my rotors, but only at certain speeds/rotor temps.

 

I don't think I have warped rotors, just oem pad composites on my rotors. I will taking off my rotors myself and cleaning them with a air-powered dremel-like rotary tool and some abrasives.

Here is a FAQ from another website that covers the scotch pad precedure:

 

Frequently asked questions:

 

Q. What will happen if I do not break my new pads in?

 

A. All racing brake pads require bedding to prepare the friction surface of the pad. U.S. Brake pads, if not bedded, may still provide a reasonable amount of performance, however braking quality as well as pad and rotor wear may be significantly affected.

 

Q. What if I feel brake fade during the break-in procedure?

 

A. The combination of brake system, vehicle weight, and track size will effect the amount of time needed to properly prepare the pad and may shorten the above procedures. If fade or a soft pedal is noticed during break-in simply park the car immediately and allow the pads to cool for about 20 minutes. Your pads should then be ready for racing use.

 

Q. Why do racing pads require a break-in procedure?

 

A. The rubbing surface of the brake pad reaches extreme heat levels during racing use. When new this surface needs slow temperature increases to help prepare the pad. Large amounts of heat all at one time can cause the pad rubbing surface to become somewhat liquefied and coat the pad surface with a glaze. This will dramatically reduce stopping performance. Proper break-in will assure that small amounts of heat are introduced to the pad.

 

Q. What is a pre-burnished pad?

 

A. Some brake pad manufactures offer brake pads that are pre-burnished during the manufacturing process. Pads that are pre-burnished in this way have had high temperature applied to the rubbing surface to simulate the first few engagements on an actual racecar. The process allows the pad to break-in quickly and begin working more effectively in a shorter amount of time. Even after a pad has been pre-burnished a break-in procedure should still be performed to assure that the pad and the rotor have an opportunity to mate correctly.

 

Q. What is a pre-bedded pad?

 

A. Some brake pad manufactures offer a pre-bedded pad and/or a pre-bedding service. Pre-bedding is done by placing a pad in a caliper and running them with a rotor driven by mechanical means. The rotor and the pad are then slowly brought up to temperature and allowed to cool down over several cycles. This process simulates real on track situations while the two surfaces are mated correctly. This process, while very expensive, greatly reduces the break-in time prior to purchase. In most cases the rotor and the pad would be sold as a matched set.

 

Q. What should I do when I install new brake pads?

 

A. First check the rotor for straightness. Never exceed run-out of .008".

Do not use a rotor that has excessive cracks. Lightly clean the rotor surface with scotch bright or light sandpaper. This will allow the new pad to adhere to the rotor without mixing with the old pad material. Always perform a break-in procedure.

Good info thanks.

 

I get my new pads in on Friday!

I'm just doing pads but. Larry at Carbotech insists that I need to remove the old pad material from the rotors to make sure the pads bedin properly. Instead of having them cut I was going to "resurface" them myself with a coarse grit sanding sponge.

 

Even if it's OK to resurface them on the car, which doesn't strike me as the way to go, I don't have a clue how rough to make them. I'm starting to feel that I've bit off more than I can chew. Maybe I should just go deeper in debt and get new rotors even thought I've got less than 8k on these. Any thougts?

 

Whenever I do new pads, I take the rotors to a brake/muffler place close by, and for $5 they will do a cleanup pass on them. It's normally $10 to turn a scored rotor, but I will usually replace them if there is any scoring.

 

The cleanup pass also insures that the rotor surface is flat.

Here is a FAQ from another website that covers the scotch pad precedure:

 

Frequently asked questions:

 

Q. What will happen if I do not break my new pads in?

 

A. All racing brake pads require bedding to prepare the friction surface of the pad. U.S. Brake pads, if not bedded, may still provide a reasonable amount of performance, however braking quality as well as pad and rotor wear may be significantly affected.

 

<snip>

 

A. First check the rotor for straightness. Never exceed run-out of .008".

Do not use a rotor that has excessive cracks. Lightly clean the rotor surface with scotch bright or light sandpaper. This will allow the new pad to adhere to the rotor without mixing with the old pad material. Always perform a break-in procedure.

 

Good advice, but the mfrs recommendations should be followed for bedding them in, as some brake pad mfrs will specify that bedding-in is not necessary.

 

There are a lot of suggestions out there for bedding, but here's a short, sweet one for seasoning new rotors and bedding pads:

 

http://www.shotimes.com/brakes/part1.html

Thanks for your post and pictures it helped big time. I have done many brake jobs before but never on a Subaru and all cars are different when it comes to rotor removal. Anyway appreciate it big time as I was trying to remove them with a block of wood and a hammer. The 8mm metric bolt is much easier.

 

I joined the forums just to thank you it was such a help.

 

You asked for it...so hear ya are! Enjoy.

Wow, that's an old post

Yeah, but it's probably one that should be stickied unde rthe basic maintenance thread.

 

When I did the 1st brake job a couple of years ago, I also found the rotor bolt method to be VERY useful.

Couple of hints:

 

1.) The bolts that hold the radiator brackets are the proper size/thread pitch to use for breaking the rotors free from the hubs.

 

2.) Remember to have your parking brake disengaged before attempting to remove the rear rotors.

radiator bolts.pdf

Thanks for your post and pictures it helped big time. I have done many brake jobs before but never on a Subaru and all cars are different when it comes to rotor removal. Anyway appreciate it big time as I was trying to remove them with a block of wood and a hammer. The 8mm metric bolt is much easier.

 

I joined the forums just to thank you it was such a help.

 

Awfully nice of you. Thanks.

On that note. So the parking brake is in the back? I have heard different input, from the parking break has it's own pads, to the parking brake is in the front. Which is it? Also my parking break since the car was new has not worked very well whats up with that. You have to yank real hard to get it to actually apply much pressure.

 

My wifes car is a 2005 Outback XT, mine is a commuter hooptie.

 

Couple of hints:

 

1.) The bolts that hold the radiator brackets are the proper size/thread pitch to use for breaking the rotors free from the hubs.

 

2.) Remember to have your parking brake disengaged before attempting to remove the rear rotors.

The parking brakes are in the rear. They use two brake shoes per side, and the drum is the inside of the "hat" on the rotor. You can adjust them out, just like the "old days" (I still have a brake adjusting tool in my toolbox!!).

 

FWIW, I found this to be a real blessing, as I was tired of working on cars with the parking brake connected to the caliper, and you had to do that pressing/twisting motion to turn in the rear pistons.

Couple of hints:

 

1.) The bolts that hold the radiator brackets are the proper size/thread pitch to use for breaking the rotors free from the hubs.

 

2.) Remember to have your parking brake disengaged before attempting to remove the rear rotors.

 

 

VERY helpful. Thanks!!!

I have been reading, searching, and looking on everything with brakes lately....

 

 

I haven't heard anyone really talk about calipers.... are the stock calipers working great.... how long should they last... some brake places (and tire places) always change out the caliper whenever they do a brake service... probably for more money but it does bring up the question...when do calipers need service or replacement..... if we add the Hawk HPS pads, new brake fluid, performance rotors,.....but I don't hear anything about the calipers......

 

 

thanks

OK so is there somewhere that I can read the 8mm bolt or radiator bolt procedure or will I understand it once I get the tires off and start trying to figure out how to pull off the rotor?

 

From when I did the caliper paint job it just looks like one big bolt in the center and then the rotor should slip off.....guess its not that easy....??????????

OK so is there somewhere that I can read the 8mm bolt or radiator bolt procedure or will I understand it once I get the tires off and start trying to figure out how to pull off the rotor?

 

From when I did the caliper paint job it just looks like one big bolt in the center and then the rotor should slip off.....guess its not that easy....??????????

Check the attached pdf files in post #5 above.