Stuck Brake Rotors

In reply to BrokenYugo:

Already tried the heat. I'd did nothing.

Air hammer?

Maybe put something under the disc and lower it so the weight of the whole vehicle is on the disc? Obviously make sure it can drop much farther with jackstands etc

Maybe I will lower it in to my metal ramps.

I did get the drivers side off earlier today. After torching, trying the bolt method, cutting the rotors and hammering with every sledge I have, I bought Freeze-off and a cross peen hammer and finally got it off. None of this is working on the passenger side.

I assume this is on jack stands. Your hammer swing is compromised with the car so low. Standing under it and beating the hell out of it with a hammer would remove it. But since that option is out, now that the rotor is wasted.... have you thought of unbolting the hub/bearing assembly and simply removing both as an assembly?

Wear hearing protection. Pounding on rotors will do permanent hearing damage.

The two ways I see rotors get stuck are corrosion joining the rotor pilot hole to the hub pilot, and corrosion inside the hat which keeps the rotor from sliding over the OD of the hub once it is finally free of the pilot.

To get the force of the hammer blows closer to the pilot, I hold the male end of a 3/8"-drive extension on the rotor hat face, and pound the E36 M3 out of it with a BFH.

Once it is free of the pilot, pound / rotate / pound on the inboard brake plate.

I've never had to cut a rotor to get it off, but that's a viable option too.

After all the hammer blows will the bearing be damaged?

My son got it with very fast jack hammer blows. Brakes are done. The truck stops and drives beautifully.

Now I can sleep tonight!

flatlander937 wrote: I bought a 10lb sledge from HF when I did rotors on the Mazda3 I used to own: In this case, bigger hammer really is the answer. Plus copius amounts of PB Blaster or equivalent. Once the friction ring broke off, I could spray PB Blaster directly into the back of the hub flange, plus hammer the hat flange with the more compact 5lb sledge I also got for these PITA rotors. 5lb + 10lb sledge hammers. Get them.

The first time I did brakes on my wife's 2010 Mazda 3, I did the same thing! Front rotors got stuck, and I was smacking them with the BFH and CRACK! The center of the rotor was still attached to the hub. A pry bar/PB Blaster combo eventually got it off. Took out most of the wheel studs, too.

On the Dakota... is it 4WD? My 2WD Dakota doesn't seem to have issues with stuck rotors.