Need help installing my Brakemotive rotors..

[steelcity]

My rotors have been sitting for months and the time has finally come to install them..

Right now I have my rear on jack stands and both wheels are off and I'm having a hard time removing the rotors. Do I need a specific tool?

[ae7456t]

Assuming you got the brakes removed, as well, don't forget to release the parking brake. It will hold on to those rear rotors pretty tight. Other than that, a few taps to break them free from years of salt and corrosion should be all you need.

[steelcity]

That's what it has to be. This rotor is not budging. I already have the caliper off on the passenger rear and I tried to get that rotor off and it's just stuck. At the same time I couldn't pound it as hard as I wanted to last night because my family was sleeping. I'll make sure to give it some nice wacks later today.

My other question is: What's that 6th hole on the rotor? Do I have to do anything with that?

[EniGmA1987]

There is a smaller hole, which you are probably referring to, and I think that has to do with the parking brake. I dont think you need to mess with it.

But yes the rotors can get stuck on the hubs pretty tight.

[steelcity]

Thanks Enigma..

So if I pound away with a hammer that should be good enough right? I was using a rubber hammer last night trying not to make too much noise.

[pedsemdoc]

Might need to apply a little penetrating oil/PB blaster at the lug nut studs to loosen them up and then give the rotor edge a good whack...you're not gonna reuse it anyway so don't need to be gentle...

the small hole is to be able to adjust the parking brake shoe if needed, this is sometimes covered up with a small rubber plug,
Taken from the How To & FAQ section on changing your brakes (may want to check it out, Ilya put a lot of work into that one, plus some good comments/tips in general for the M:

2) The small rubber plug in the rear rotors covers the parking brake adjuster. If you place the car in neutral and rotate the rotor to the 12 o'clock position, remove the plug, you will see a cog-wheel on the adjuster, adjusting this all the way down will "bring in" the shoes of the parking brake on the inside of the rear hub. These can tend to stick and prevent the rotor from coming loose. Closing the adjuster will let the rotor move freely.



so, based on the diagram, you'll want the cogwheel to move upwards towards the roof of the car

good luck,

Craig

[kmiles]

The first time I replaced my OEM brakes with Brakemotive, this was the worst part. I pounded on them with a board and a hammer for up to 15 minutes to loosen them and then they finally popped off. The good news is when you replace them a few years later with another Brakemotive set. No pounding at all, they just slid off! Made the job a piece of cake.

[steelcity]

Thanks for that info pedsemdoc.

I was able to give the rotor 3-4 hard strikes with my rubber hammer and had it off in minutes. I was battling last night though. The problem I am having now is when I installed the caliper back on. Everything is screwed back on except for the top slide pin. I'm having a hard time getting it back in to complete the rear passenger wheel.

I've been spending more time painting my rotors and calipers as I've been trying to figure out what to do. Any advice on re-installing that pin?

I currently have a caliper bracket for the rear driver side that I am going to install. Just to see, I took the new slide pin and went to install it in my troubled area and that was not going in as well. I don't know what to do because that slide pin I'm trying to re-install is only 5-6 months old because that's how log ago I had changed that bracket.

[pedsemdoc]

The problem I am having now is when I installed the caliper back on. Everything is screwed back on except for the top slide pin. I'm having a hard time getting it back in to complete the rear passenger wheel.

I've had that issue before, tried sliding pin back in place and pushing the dust cover down, but it kept wanting to pop out. You should clean off the pin thoroughly and place it back without putting any grease/anti-seize on it. Do that a few times to try and get some of the old grease out of the hole, cleaning off the pin each time it is taken out. Then, when it finally seems to stay in place, you'll want to coat it in some new grease/anti-seize and push the dust cover down over it. Hopefully should work then.

Craig

[steelcity]

I will try that. I went straight to putting white lithium grease and putting it back in. I'll try to clean it as much as possible later tonight. Thanks.

[steelcity]

I forgot to mention that it goes in up to the threading. After that the threading does not get in there so it can turn in. Just keeps turning without going in. Was your situation similar?

[pedsemdoc]

No, I was able to get the pin down in the hole, but it wouldn't stay in place - it kept popping up and I've have to push it down again and hold it there for it to stay. That's when I tried really cleaning off the pin because I figured there must too much grease/grime in the hole that was preventing me from keeping the pin in place. Your situation sounds a little different. Maybe someone else whose had your problem will chime in with their solution.

[steelcity]

Hey pedsemdoc..

You were 100% right. There was just too much grease in there. I cleaned it real well and was able to tighten the bolt without a problem. So I finished the rear passenger side and put my wheel back on.

The new obstacle now is on the rear drivers side. All the bolts are extremely tight. The caliper bracket is real rusty and I've worn out the heads of the slide pins. What's the best way to remove these slide pins now? The other (2) bolts are real tight and I don't want to file the heads off those bolts too. I had put plenty of PB Blaster the last few days and it's not helping with these tight bolts.

I need an air gun!

[steelcity]

Wow guys....

I though for me this was going to be a 2-3 day thing at most. I have installed 3 of my rotors along with the brake pads. I even changed out one of my calipers in the rear and painted all my calipers black. But!!

No BS!

For the last 3 days I have been working on removing the ONE bottom bolt on my front passenger side. Literally, this is the third day today. The slide pins have been loose and the top bolt came off with my impact gun no problem. The impact gun doesn't fit down by the bottom bolt so I went out and bought a cheap impact wrench. This F'N thing is not coming off. It's frustrating knowing that for 2-3 days I have been 10 minutes from completing the job but a bolt is holding me back.

What the hell should I do? I've PB blasted it, WD 40'd it. Hammered it. I'm losing faith here because of one bolt (literally)

[paranoidjack]

Never replace brakes without thoroughly cleaning all parts, removing all grime and old lube, and reapplying fresh lube. Reinserting old slides with fresh lube into old muck is asking for warped rotors and bad hubs in no time.

As for your stuck pin, has it turned at all? if it has not turned at all, be very careful not to strip it. Do not use 12 point sockets.

Soak it WD40, sometimes you have to use heat as well. If it strips or seizes you are in for a real pain in the a** as you cut parts off and replace. Avoid that at all costs. You WILL get the bolt to break loose with the correct socket, and fulcrum. This may be impact, but I often use an open end wrench for brakes as there is no deflection like in a ratchet. Use an open end, hold it with one hand, and tap on the other end with a hammer. If you do have to use heat be careful not to damage the rubber boots (which you should have just pulled off and cleaned up in the sink) or any other non-metal down there.

If you have turned the bolt all the way but it will not slide out, then you need to take a flat chisel and just tap it in between the bolt head and the caliper to space it slightly, and then use the flat end against the head of the bolt to knock it outward, away from its seated position.

Also, be sure to reinstall the top bolt tight before you do this; having it installed properly will realign the metal towards correct seating and remove the deflection between upper and lower bolt. Tighten that top bolt down before messing with the lower one.

Best of luck and report back. Pics always help.

[steelcity]

Thanks for the advice PJ..

The caliper pin that was not going in was resolved after cleaning out all of the old grease. As far as removing the bottom bracket bolt, I just couldn't do it. I dropped it off to my mechanic 2 days ago. I was going to drop it off anyway to get my springs installed so I figured, let them get that bolt out and install that final rotor for me.

I tried everything for 4 days. A whole bottle of Deep Creep and PB Blast, heating, banging, impact, wrench and hammer, breaker bar. I just couldn't do it anymore. It was too stressful for me.

[paranoidjack]

Well good job getting the rest of the job done! Saved some money there and learned a bit. I always find it rewarding to finish work on my car.

[steelcity]

But it's funny how you mentioned to tighten the top bolt. That's what I did at the end with the intentions to give it one last shot. But then I was like, "screw that crap! I spent 4 days on this!" So I gave up, put the tire back on and dropped it off to my mechanic.

I was a little disappointed that I did not fully finish the job. But I did learn something at least.

[kmiles]

I installed my second Brakemotive kit today. This was my second set and it went in much easier than the first set. I ran into a problem with a seized caliper pin on the left front caliper. I was able to break it loose by putting it in a vise, applying some penetrating oil and then pounding it out using a large hammer and a large screwdriver. It took a lot of pounding, but finally broke loose. I was able to clean it all up and polished it on a wire brush wheel and it worked fine after that. I purchased a one person pneumatic bleeding kit and after figuring it out, it worked well in letting me replace all of the brake fluid. It was a lot easier the second time, as there was no rust on the original set of rotors after 55,000 miles. Afterwards I took it out and burned in the new brakes and they're working great.

[TDot]

Which fsm is this in, and are there instructions on how to change the emergency brake if needed?

Craig

[pedsemdoc]

Which fsm is this in, and are there instructions on how to change the emergency brake if needed?

This is from the 2006/07 M35/45 FSM, the Parking Brake (PB) section. and there are instructions on how to change the parking brake if needed, but not very detailed. It consists of basically one diagram of all the parts, half of a page on the tolerable measurements, and 3/4 of a page on replacing it.
Been super busy at work, but will try to upload pics from that section when I get a chance.