97 Explorer Rear Brake Rotor Removal Help?

[dmhenson]

I have a 97 Explorer with rear disc brakes, and am about to do a replacement. I have noticed that the rotors need to be turned, but there seems to be a specialized center nut holding the rotor in place. Does anyone know if a specialized tool is required to remove this nut?....

I can't get any coperation from the local dealers here, and I would like a little more information before I try to manhandle it.

 

[Howard]

As far as I know the disc is only held on by the lug nuts with some star washers sometimes. The only problem that I have had is to back off the e-brake before you try and remove the discs and take off the calliper and holder. All the best.

 

[5.0Dad]

A couple of sharp raps with a hammer around the hat will help break up the rust around the studs and behind the rotor.

Mike

 

[4by4]

Hammer Time!

I read this forum when I ran into the same problem. It looks like the axle nut holds the rotor in place, but the rotor is rusted to the center hub and the e-brake shoes are dug into the back of the rotor. I have a 2004 and I had to beat the rotor off with a board and a hammer (normal claw hammer). It will come loose - keep turning and beating!! Also, your e-brake shoes may break after removing the rotor (even when they are released). Plan to replace them too. I hope this helps!

 

[matt369]

Similar Problem

I don't mean to hi-jack but for all I'm worth I cannot get my front rotor off. I've tried hammer time, penetrating oil, wheel puller and more hammertime and more penetrating oil, I've even broke off a piece of the rotor from cranking on the puller. Whats next? Torch it??? let it sit overnight with the puller on and a generous amount of oil??? I think these are the original rotors and my explorer has seen a good bit of beach time (salt water) I think I'll be at it for a while.

 

[corkey]

it is time to get aquainted with the BFH< big frickin hammer, , hit it on the edges and try to rock it off the hub in the center, ,

 

[matt369]

Puller was rated for 1000# and it just snapped!:fire:

 

[Carguy3J]

You could try a little heat around the center hole. I wouldn't get too crazy with the hammer, as you could damage something in the diff. Also, it could be corrossion around the studs too. Maybe try knocking the studs out, or torch them off. They're cheap and easy to replace once the rotor is out.
As someone else said, expect to replace the e-brake shoes/hardware as well.

 

[IZwack]

A shop had to crack the rear rotor on my Explorer once in order to get it off

 

[96eb96]

Puller was rated for 1000# and it just snapped!:fire:

Took me a long time to get mine off too. Seemed wedges between the knuckle and rotor helped. Pieces of wood driven in are good. Then you hit the opposite side with a deadblow hammer. Unfortunately too much abuse can hurt your bearings.

Also, penetrating oil in the stud holes, behind the rotor where it meets the hub and around the inner circle, banging, rinse repeat, yeah it sucks but eventually it will come off.

If I had it to do over I would probably try a MAPP torch, have one now didn't then. I guess you slowly heat around the stud area so the rotor can expand.

Make sure you clean the surface of your hub very well. Harbor freight has a hub kit that goes around the studs

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa...o?itemid=97759&CategoryName=&SubCategoryName=

This will prevent runout when you install the new rotor.

Coat all hub and rotor face contact surfaces with permatex anti sieze or equivalent. Next time around your rotor will just fall off~!

 

[matt369]

Thanks!!!

Thanks for all the replies! The banging that I did was not very agressive but it was thorough and around all the rotor and the hat. I dont feel I banged hard enough to damage the cv as I've finally gotten the rotor off and noticed only minor dings in it from the hammering. Hopefully the wheel puller din't damage the hub as it was centered on the axle, I guess that remains to be seen. Anyhow after the puller broke I soaked it in penetrating oil all around the studs and from the back side around the hat, I let it sit over night and began tapping again today. It still wasn't budging, so I busted out the torch, all I had to do was heat it for about 20 seconds around the hat and a couple of the studs and about 3 more taps and it came right off! The rest of the brake job didn't even take a 1/2 hour go figure! Its a daily driver so there's no time to redo the bearings or spindle, THe ol' gal is scheduled for new ball joints, shocks and an O2 sensor at my son's vo-tech so I have the other issues addressed at that time. Thanks again for all the replies!

 

[helphos]

Removing rear rotor/drum on a 2002 explorer

Well, I found this thread today as I was getting frustrated with a 5 hour brake job on my daughter's 2002 explorer. She had complained that the parking brake was not working, so I bought shoes, pads and a new rotor along with a e-brake hardware kit.
Left side was uneventful except for getting brake springs on- what a pain- but that's typical for brake shoes. I thought the right side would go faster since I had learned tricks for getting the springs on.
But getting the disk/drum off was a nightmare. When I saw that there was no easy method, I banged with a deadblow hammer until I thought the neaighbors would call the police. Then I tried a puller. That did the trick. I used a 3/4 inch drive ratchet and after killing the ebrake shoes, it came off.
And to those who say "adjust the star wheel so the shoees will contract" I say "Show me the hole in the backing plate that enables that trick- There ain't one."
The star wheels were hopelessly rusted anyway. And they had to be bought separately from the hardware kit, which added to the time to get the job done.
To those who posted- 'Use a hammer'- Thank you for confirming there is no easy way to get these disks off. If my puller hadn't worked, that was my ace-in-the-hole.
Thanks!

 

[96_sport_ct]

yeah there is nothing really holding the rotors on after you take the calipers off and the brackets except for the wheel when you tighten the lugs. you just have to pound the hell out of them. i wish i would have saved a picture or my old rotor on my rear passengers side because it was only about 1/8 of an inch thick because the pads had never been changed. the amount of heat that build up over the years practically fused the rotors to the hub and i could only get them off with a 4 foot sledge hammer. almost snapped the whole hub off but i got the rotor off. i wish i would have had a torch because that fixes everything that duck tape cant.

 

[firepop5]

Put a little grease wherever the rotor makes contact with the axle. This should make future removal easier. I do that whenever I remove a rotor or drum and it helps.

 

[archfish]

Went through all of the above with my rotors as well. Heat/spray/pounding with a BFH. Eventually I rented a 7 ton puller from O'reilleys and bent the rotor but it still wouldn't come off.

I think I found this info on this forum but I'm not positive.

Anyway here was the fix: with the caliper and mounting bracket removed the threaded mounting holes will align with the back surface of the rotor. Went to the hardware store and picked up a couple of the appropriate sized 4" long bolts. Ran the first bolt in tight, ran the second in a couple of turns past snug and the rotor popped loose.

Later that night a mechanic friend of mine was giving me a hard time about it taking 10 hours to change a couple of rotors, and I told him the above story. His response was: "oh ya, I keep an assortment of bolts in my toolbox for just that purpose. You should have called me."

 

[MrBibs]

Ok i tried the beating starting with a claw hammer and moved on to the sledge hammer end of a splitting maul to no avail. Tried rigging a couple different pulleys on there thaty was also a bust. So at about my wits end i tried what had crossed my mind earlier and got the screw jack that came with the explorer and wedged it inbetween the frame and the rotor, at an angle was the only way it would fit, twisted it up by hand until i couldn't anymore then used a large straight screw driver to keep twisting it out. I had to stop and untwist it and turn the rotor to the opposite side and did it again and the rotor popped right off. I spent hours on the drivers side rotor and repeated the same thing on the passengers side with the screw jack and had it finished in about a half hour. Mind you that probably isn't the easiest way to do it or the most orthadox way but it worked wonderfully and i hope this helps someone else!!! By the way i am by no means a mechanic i know enough about them to leave them alone but when you have to you have to lol. Oh also if you're going to try beating on it make sure you put the lugnuts back on it far enough they guard the threads from being wacked but leave enough room for the rotor to move.

 

[koda2000]

Any time I've encountered a stuck rotor I've used my torch to heat it up around the axle stub. Then a couple of smacks with my 5 lb sludge and they've always come off easily. Cast iron expands a lot when heated. I don't recommend using a jack to force the rotors off because you could bend the axle flange. The hammer is just used to break the rotor or drum free, not to pound it off.

 

[massacre]

At least it wasn’t drums lol
But I have hard real hard times with econoline rear rotors, have broken a couple getting them off