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It was time to replace the rotors on our '14 SXT, not due to wear but because of rust. Northeast Ohio winters are hell on the rotors, so with 20K miles and half the pads left, I went at it.
Rears first, as the friction surface was half rusted. Pro tip: adjust the parking brake before pulling the rotors. Had to heat & hammer to get the rotors free of the hubs. Put a liberal coating of anti-seize on the hubs before reassembly.
Now for the battle: The fronts were a damn nightmare. First, the big 21mm screws holding the caliper bracket to the upright just wouldn't unscrew. I know there's a little dollop of yellow threadlock, but I've never fought a bolt so hard. Gonna estimate them at 60 ft-lbs just to get them to turn AFTER initially breaking them free. In other words, 60 ft-lbs the whole way out. Had to use a 25-inch breaker bar and an air impact to get them free.
Close inspection of the threads revealed no problems. No galling, pulled threads or anything like that. No rust either, which was unexpected. I have no idea why they turned so hard. Anyone else have this? They went back in hard, too. I guess the good news is they won't back out.
Front rotors were rusted to the hubs, too. More heat, more bashing, more heat and finally a 36-inch pry bar to break them free. An even more liberal coating of anti-seize on reassembly.
Everything's good now, but I'm plumb wore out.
Anyone else have to fight the caliper-bracket screws like that? The rears weren't a problem, just the fronts.
Rears first, as the friction surface was half rusted. Pro tip: adjust the parking brake before pulling the rotors. Had to heat & hammer to get the rotors free of the hubs. Put a liberal coating of anti-seize on the hubs before reassembly.
Now for the battle: The fronts were a damn nightmare. First, the big 21mm screws holding the caliper bracket to the upright just wouldn't unscrew. I know there's a little dollop of yellow threadlock, but I've never fought a bolt so hard. Gonna estimate them at 60 ft-lbs just to get them to turn AFTER initially breaking them free. In other words, 60 ft-lbs the whole way out. Had to use a 25-inch breaker bar and an air impact to get them free.
Close inspection of the threads revealed no problems. No galling, pulled threads or anything like that. No rust either, which was unexpected. I have no idea why they turned so hard. Anyone else have this? They went back in hard, too. I guess the good news is they won't back out.
Front rotors were rusted to the hubs, too. More heat, more bashing, more heat and finally a 36-inch pry bar to break them free. An even more liberal coating of anti-seize on reassembly.
Everything's good now, but I'm plumb wore out.
Anyone else have to fight the caliper-bracket screws like that? The rears weren't a problem, just the fronts.