Rear rotor replacement
 

I was looking for a DIY guide on rear rotor replacement. I find a lot of posts about the fronts, not so much on the rear. Anyone have a link to a guide or video?Thanks!

It's pretty straight forward from what I remembered when I was replacing a rear stud.

I reused the same torque specs as the fronts for the rears.

1. Remove wheel
2. Remove caliper and pads (hang or have something that will hold it up instead of having it dangle)
3. Remove rotor (I used a screw into one of the holes on the rotor to push it off)

No need to take off axle nut from what I recalled.

Click on the readme link in my sig. You'll figure it out from there.

AWESOME! Thanks for this!

Welcome. It's not mine but I figured we can share the love.

2.5 - Make sure e-brake is fully released, you'll never get it off if the e-brake is engaged at all.

OK all the honest guys raise your hand if you ever didn't do this ^


https://i.giphy.com/DtMNbBu2KT1kY.gif

https://68.media.tumblr.com/a9d42891...dot9o1_400.gif

The worst one though was working on the rear UCA and not dropping the ebrake. Nothing would line up no matter how much we pulled. Released it with my buddy under the car and the the pieces whipped back so hard from the built up tension and buzzed a couple inches from his head lol

Wife - "What is the matter?"
Me - "Can't get the damned back drums off"
Wife - "Did you release the parking brake"
Me - "Of course I did. You think I am some sort of idiot?"


Later
"I am an idiot"

In my defense it was one of the few vehicles I owned back then where the e brake actually still worked.

:slap:

I realize it's a "special" moment... but when you have a habit of making sure the e-brake is fully locked anytime you're lifting the car with a jack, it's something you probably do without thinking.

When I did my rear rotors I definitely locked it, then before I went to pull the rotors realized what I had done when I couldn't rotate them at all.

Right? That's always how it goes. Pull e-brake, loosen lugs, lift car, insert jack stands, get to work.... :bonk:

Excellent reminder. Thanks for thinking of it.

Mine routine has loosen lugs and lift car reversed, but I'm lazy and using air tools to pull the lugs off.

Grave digging but I can't remove the *@&# drums after turning the star gear in the proper direction after letting out the parking brake and hammering away like a blacksmith with a rubber mallet and lightly with my 32 oz hammer. I'm staring at these damn things and cursing up a storm. Is there something that I'm missing?

More PB Blaster & BFH (Big Fucking Hammer). You can also use some bolts to help loosen it from the front. There should be 2 holes or try this

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Ody4WCIWY"]method.[/ame]

All you need is some nuts/washer & a bolt that is smaller than the caliper bracket hole and use it to push out the rotor. You don't need a bolt like the video that is the right size. Way easier than a hammer.

Provided all the other advice in the thread has been followed (caliper removed, parking brake off, etc.) There should be threaded holes in the disc that you can put a screw in to push them off the wheel hub. Like this:

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/...torremoval.jpg


iirc it's a standard 8mm or 10mm screw and you can definitely 100% use one that is fastening the underbody of the car in place. That's how I got mine off.

I don't think the wheel speed sensor has to be removed but it doesn't hurt to check it.

Edit: I would not do what's done in the video @FirstWinter posted, that could cause some dinged up surfaces by putting that much torque on one edge of the rotor. You could potentially fuck up the emergency brake assembly. Start with the two holes in the disc and if that is problematic you can try more extreme measures.

Did mine earlier this year, and the wheel speed sensor does NOT need to be removed.

I winter drive my car in the Land of Salt, and got the rotors off after 4 winters using only the bolts in the front as shown in your picture so I'm not sure why @Trefoil is having issues.

The shitter part of doing it this way is depending on where in the county he lives and if its year round daily car its very possible the threaded holes for rotor removal will need to have the threads chased before he will ever get a bolt through them. All the vehicles I have dailed year round here in Minnesota even after only 2 years the threaded holes would no longer take a bolt without being chased.

*read 1st post looks like he is from California. Should be ok then*

https://i.redd.it/qpkn39y4rn1z.jpg


Holy crap! :w00t: Just needed to put the impact gun on it and there was immediate separation after I did both ports.

:thumbup:

Sometimes they just need the right motivation.

For reference: the bolt is a M8x 1.25 pitch. I bought mine at 60 mm length but only 30 is really needed.

I didn't need the impact gun, but definitely the big wrench.

Good that you got it sorted.

I did the same thing and forgot to release the E brake, I got the rotor off but now I cannot get my new one back on, or the old one. I can't seem to get it over the ebrake. (the Ebrake is off). Any advice how to get it on?

If they work like the old shoe/drum brakes, I'd suggest you push them together as much as you can and make sure they are "round". If they still won't go on, you may have to back off the adjustment and then re-adjust once they are installed.


humfrz

Yeah I'm not too familiar with drum brakes, but I rooted around google and found I need to mark and turn that adjuster part to tighten it up.

When it comes to really old shit like drum brakes, hum is your huckleberry. Sometime you should ask him about his brake cylinder hone. :iono:

Oh yes, part of the repair process. A couple of cautions:

DO NOT breath the brake dust when you blow it off the brake drum - causes cancer.

DO NOT use trichloroethylene to clean brake parts - causes cancer

CAUTION using brake cleaner - even the stuff without TCE

INVEST in a brake tool to replace the return springs (unless you are really quick with two screwdrivers).

When bleeding the brakes, make sure the person pumping the pedal ain't half deaf (an eye full of brake fluid is painful).

Adjust the brake shoes back before trying to replace the drum - the new shoes are thicker

Drink no more than one beer per wheel

Got it - :happyanim:


humfrz

When I was a kid, my dad had a five gallon can of carbon tetrachloride. I used to clean my hands with it. :(

thanks for the advice, Im pretty sure the brake clean I got has that stuff, I use gloves and a mouth cover and goggles but still I smell/breathed some in when using it, I tried to avoid it best I can but still got bits of it.:( Would it be terrible if I tried to use rubbing alcohol to clean my rotors and shims instead of brake clean?

For the drum brakes I tried adjusting it back to the way it was before putting the rotor back on, I failed it wont loosen to the way it was. So I loosened it until I could hear the drum braking touching the rotor when I turn the wheel, then I back off some so it spins with out touching (ebrake is not engaged) Is this right or am I doin it all wrong? I did this with two screw drivers and it was a pain in the ass.

I recently bleed my brakes so Im just using a turkey baster to suck out extra fluid and I'll add it back after I press the brake pedal.



I also smashed the shit out of finger pushing the rear rotors back on, worth it to be careful

Well, THAT explains a lot - :confused0068:

:D


humfrz

LOL. Good advice humfrz. TCE is really nasty stuff. Brake dust isn't much better. My inability to throw away tools has left me with a pretty full compliment of drum brake tools even though, p-brakes aside, I haven't played with them in decades. Dear FSM I do love disc brakes.

next you're gonna tell me it doesn't take a full weekend to do 4 brakes!

Good work.

Keep in mind that my "advice" is sort of out of date. Back in the day, brake shoes were made out of asbestos (thus so was the brake dust) and we weren't aware it could cause lung cancer, so we didn't use any masks.

TCE (it its pure form) wasn't widely used by the general public, so we didn't use masks (not that they would do much good). The only solvent I used to clean up automotive parts was plain gasoline, applied with an old paint brush. Alcohol would work.

No way would we use latex gloves while working on a car. Latex gloves were only used by surgeons, not even the family doctor or the vet used them.

As far as adjusting the drum brakes, we would adjust them down tight (to set the shoes) then back off the adjuster till they barely made contact.

As far as using the turkey baster, if your SO sees you take it out of the drawer and head to the garage, plan on buying a new one for the kitchen.;)

Yep, working on your own car can be a rewarding experience - :thumbsup:


humfrz

Well, no. Back then, when my car was jacked up on cracked cement blocks, in a drafty barn, on a dirt floor and it was just above freezing and I was working with cloth gloves, with holes in the fingers and soaked with gasoline, sitting on the cold dirt floor …. I could make quick work of a brake job.

Oh yes, @DandoX, I smashed my fingers a few times too, but it didn't slow me down. Why not? Because my cold, gasoline soaked hands didn't feel anything till the job was done and I was thawing them out over the stove in the house. - :eyebulge:

:D


humfrz

The trick is to lay some cardboard down to lay on ;)