Finally time to replace brake pads and rotors

[jiannichan]

Well, it is now time to change out my pads and going to upgrade the rotors in the process. I had already ordered everything because I got a good deal o it. I tried to take off the current rotors but having a little...well, quite a lot of trouble trying to remove that bulb portion. I saw a Youtube video that shows the guy just taking a flat head and hammering it to pry it off, and he got it off pretty easily. Mine...not so much. It is that middle ball/bulb piece after removing the #10 screws around it. Any advice someone can give on removing it? I don't want to try and pry the screwdriver/hammer too hard again just to get it off. I reassembled everything after putting in new pads. Would like to try again this weekend when the weather is nice. TIA!

[atraudes]

Are you talking about the dust cap?



If so, a flathead screwdriver you don't care about and a hammer are the only way it's coming off. I remember the first time I took mine off it was an absolute bear. The best advice I can give you is to strike, pry, rotate the hub, and repeat. By working your way around it will come off more evenly. If it goes cockeyed or crooked it becomes more difficult. Which #10 screws around it did you removed though?

If it's not the dust cap, can you find a picture of what you were looking at, or describe the steps you took to get to it?

Oh, and do you have 2WD or 4WD? It probably doesn't matter but it may.

[atraudes]

Oh, and using a heavier hammer will make a world of difference as well. Using one that's too light will make the process twice as long.

[jiannichan]

Yes, that is the cap I'm eferring to. I was using a regular house hold hammer and it wasn't working. I s seeing it leave small Knicks in the cap. That's fine right?

[atraudes]

You don't want gouges or to bend it seriously out of shape, but nicks aren't a problem. The cap has an o-ring pressed up against it inside that does the actual sealing. You may want to get a bigger hammer, though what you have may be enough.

You can also buy new ones from the dealer for a few bucks each. That will give you the freedom to absolutely brutalize these and get a good idea of what's required to remove them.

[attofarad]

My wife's hub caps were a bit dented by whoever did her brakes previously. I've just used channel locks to remove them. Not too tightly, just rock back and forth gently. Some minor dents, but seems to be no big deal. IIRC, the FSM says to replace them every time, but I never have yet.

You might want to clean/repack your bearings while you are in there. Either way, follow the FSM procedure for setting the bearing pre-load when you re-assemble.

[atraudes]

Oh, good call! We have a howto that'll give you all of the information needed on repacking your bearings and how to put everything back together