|
I have an N-reg mk3 fiesta and am in the middle of changing the front discs and pads. I've jacked up the car, taken off the wheels, but one of the brake discs is completely stuck to the hub! After many attempts to gently persuade it off i resorted to a bit of brute force with a mallet but all to no avail, the thing just won't come off. I suspect the car has been in an accident previous to me owning it and that there are still parts of the car that are just a bit bent out of shape. The only thing i can think of is to remove the hub and bearing and change the whole lot. Is there an alternative to this or does anyone know if this can be done with the disc still in place?? Please help... Graham
|
|
Keep belting it with a good heavy lump hammer. It will either eventually give up and come off or break into pieces which should also release it from the hub.
|
|
Good advice,'when in doubt give it a clout'.Have you tried getting some penetrating fluid into it?Let it soak overnight,then give the hub part a blast with a blowlamp,not so hot that you cook the grease in the bearing,then belt it again.Before you fit the replacement make sure the hub is free of loose rust that might give runout,then apply some coppergrease.
|
|
you have taken the little locating screw out?if you have why not put a nick in the disc with a grinder to weaken the discs hold on the drum and hit it here with a chissel,i dont recommend brute force mk3 fiesta"s dont have the strongest bottom arm setup and you may also damage the rack end with the shocks from the hammer,as well as the track rod ends
|
Put your hammers away unless you want to destroy the wheel bearings by Brinelling. Remove all disk fixings, jack up front of car completely, run engine in first gear at idle, then gently apply the brakes. The first disk will break free with a crack - stop everythiong and replace 2 wheel bolts on this side. Now repeat to free the other side.
Many front wheel bearings have been damaged by hitting disks - failure generally occurs later when the disk job has been forgotten.
659.
|
|
659, That is one of the most inventive methods I have read to overcome this problem.
|
|
|
659 is spot on - put your hammers away! I have changed a few wheel bearings on cars with new(ish) brake discs, and I think that the hammering was the cause of the bearing failure.
Number_Cruncher
|
|
Thanks for all the advice, I was worried that i may be damaging the bearings with the hammering, do you think its worth replacing the hub and bearing assembly at this point just in case i've damaged it? I've been getting a litte bit of squealing when pulling away recently (not sure whether its coming from the wheel bearings or cv joints). Does anyone have an idea how much a new set of hubs and bearings would cost for a mk3? Its a lowly 1.1 HCS if that's a factor.
|
"I've been getting a litte bit of squealing when pulling away recently (not sure whether its coming from the wheel bearings or cv joints)."
Fanbelt loose?
I like 695s idea. I've never had this problem with a disc though I have struggled with a few drums in my time.
You can get pullers from motor factors. IIRC these lock onto the drum via the wheel bolts and you turn a bolt to pull the drum off.
Is there any reason why these wouldn't work on a disc? Dozy, don't try this until someone who knows more can comment.
|
>>Is there any reason why these wouldn't work on a disc? Dozy, don't try this until someone who knows more can comment.
While Hugo's suggestion is very logical, I think the most likely result is local breakage of the disc, where the legs of the puller press on. I think this because the disc is quite weak in bending - especially with the load being applied at the periphery.
Number_Cruncher
|
|
the easy way to dislodge disc is to put a block underneath it to support the weight so the shock of hitting it with a hammer will not damage wheel bearings or bottom joint but it will either crack it away or it will break.it must be supported securely otherwise the bounce can do other damage
|
Cheers for all the advice, in the end i tried the blowtorch and lump hammer approach and it finally popped off! Not sure what i've done to the bearings though, guess i'll find out tomorrow when i take it for a test drive... fingers crossed...
DozyG
|
|
|
659FBE, I think you will find that you can't use your method to break the discs free as MK3 Fiesta's have wheel studs that pass through the disc rather than bolts.
|
I have sucessfully used this method with stud fixed wheels. There is always a small clearance around the stud holes in the disk and this is sufficient to allow the joint to break free, especially if first and reverse gears are used alternately. Studs in fact make the job easier - you don't have to stop and insert bolts after the first disk breaks free.
On some front hub designs, the small countersunk screws play a part in centering the disk (the wheel fixings, of course, carry the load). When careless operators shear off/drill out and fail to replace these screws, an off centre disk can result. This probably explains why some vehicles are unjustifiably claimed to be prone to brake vibration following disk renewal.
659.
|
|
|
|
|
