Change the rotor on the pathfinder

[ganesh21]

Has anyone change the rotor on the 99.5 to '01 pathfinder.

I notice on the website that there is a center hub missing from some rotor. You have to remove the hub from the old rotor and install it on the new rotor or can i just purchase a rotor with the center hub.


Modified by ganesh21 at 7:28 AM 7/22/2009

[Ron Burgundy]

Yes, I have.

Its very simple. Unscrew the distributor cap (one screw on each side) and pull it off.

The rotor is right underneath (I reccomend looking at it before buying a new one so you are sure you are getting the right one). If thew screw is facing you - awesome unscrew it pop it off and put the new one on.

If the screw is not facing you, close it up and start the car so it rotates, stop the car and check it again. You'll get it sooner or later.

Very simple job, should take no more than 5-15 mins.

[Mikey178]

Not sure if your asking about the brake rotor or distributor rotor. Seems like Ron gave you the instructions for changing your distributor rotor.

I've changed my brake rotors to the drilled rotors and I reused the center hub. Just remove the bolts and the screws that holds the rotor, I believe there was 3. Then install the new brake rotor and attach the hub. Its quite simple but very straight forward. Not sure if my explanation is correct but its been a while and it was easy from my memory.

[GRNMACHINE]

Ron & Mikey,

Good info on both Rotors! Thanks

[Ron Burgundy]

Drilled rotors eh?

How do you like them? Notice any difference?

[ganesh21]

Thanks for the response. I was actually talking about the brake rotor.

[Mikey178]

Drilled rotors eh?

How do you like them? Notice any difference?

To me they do bite a lot better. The only donefall for them is the pads, I had semi metallic with them and they got eaten out by the rotors in a years time.

I've replaced them with ceramic pads and its been about 8 months and they are still far from needing replacement, so I thnk I've found the right combo and medium that performs quite well.

Also, the rotors were zinc or cadium plated or something like that and its to protect from rust and its so far done its job, no rust build up on the vents as the conventional rotors do.

[sixty4]

Yes, I have.

Its very simple. Unscrew the distributor cap (one screw on each side) and pull it off.

The rotor is right underneath (I reccomend looking at it before buying a new one so you are sure you are getting the right one). If thew screw is facing you - awesome unscrew it pop it off and put the new one on.

If the screw is not facing you, close it up and start the car so it rotates, stop the car and check it again. You'll get it sooner or later.

Very simple job, should take no more than 5-15 mins.

I need to do this, what immediate benefits are given from doing the replacement?

[Ron Burgundy]

Eh, to be honest nothing much.

Its just reccomended preventive maintenance. Every 100,000 miles. The contact on my old rotor was burnt up so I guess it was worth replacing

[rydebynite]

where'd you order yours from?

[UndeGuy]

There's another downfall with drilled rotors.

If they should ever start to crack, even the slightest... you gonna have to replace them sooner rather than later (where later is a replacement of a regularly worn down rotor).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake#Cracking

It still has pretty good benefits, but to lessen then chance of cracking, you're gonna have to buy really good quality rotors, that could be lots of $$$... which, depending on your usage... might not be worth it.

[Ron Burgundy]

Therefore slotted rotors would be the better choice?

[Buzzman]

I need to do this, what immediate benefits are given from doing the replacement?

FYI: If you're thinking about doing this on your '01 Pathfinder with the 3.5 engine, then good luck. There is no distributor or rotor on that engine.

[ganesh21]

Not sure if your asking about the brake rotor or distributor rotor. Seems like Ron gave you the instructions for changing your distributor rotor.

I've changed my brake rotors to the drilled rotors and I reused the center hub. Just remove the bolts and the screws that holds the rotor, I believe there was 3. Then install the new brake rotor and attach the hub. Its quite simple but very straight forward. Not sure if my explanation is correct but its been a while and it was easy from my memory.

This is the step for removing rotors:Remove brake padsRemove CaliperOnce the caliper is remove, do i remove the hub and rotor or do i remove only the rotor. i am a stuck on the this part?

I plan on picking up the rotor with hub. Also, do i have to remove the bearing?
Modified by ganesh21 at 7:09 PM 7/28/2009

[Empty V]

I replaced mine a while back but will be upgrading to either slotted or slotted/cross dimpled. I've heard from many that integrity is compromised due to the lack of material causing a weakness i.e. potential failure point with cross drilled rotors.

I've been thinking about DBA rotors and EBC Yellow Stuff pads.

Billy

[mda185]

One of the first jobs I had to do on my 2001.5 Pathfinder was replace the front rotors. They were warped at 66K miles. (I bought it used at 66K knowing the rotors were bad.) As others have pointed out, you do have to pull the hub with the rotor. You do not have to replace the wheel bearing unless there is a reason to such as wear or noise. (If the bearing is making noise, it was worn out a long time ago.) I did clean and repack the inner and outer bearing races and I replace the grease seal on the back of the hub where it mates to the stub axle.

There is one key thing to know before you tackle this job. The bolts that hold the rotor to the hub are known to fail frequently. I learned this the hard way. I was tightening mine up with a torque wrench and 2 broke on both the left and right hubs. They sheared off before I reached the rated torque. When I went to the dealer for new ones, the parts guy told me this happens a lot and they try to keep them in stock for that reason. There were no markings on the heads indicating these bolts were a high strength steel such as metric Class 10.9. I decided to pass on the OEM bolts and ordered some Class 10.9 bolts from McMaster Carr. Drilling and removing the sheared bolts was not much fun. I don't want to go through that again. I also question the fact that Nissan uses low grade bolts on such a safety critical part. I guess with 6 on each hub, the risk of catastrophic failure is low but it sure made this job a PITA.

I replaced the rotors with ATE slotted rotors and the pads with Hawk Performance pads for SUVs. The braking action was very good with this combo but after 30K miles, the ATE rotors are grooved from the harder compound on the Hawk pads. I will try a different brake pad compound next time.