Hi-

I've seen this question asked a lot, but I've also seen
conflicting answers, so I'm reposting

The front rotors of my 2001 Elantra XD are warped and need to be
replaced. I'm working in the right front right now. They have been replaced at least once previously, so they are not the originals

I took off the pads, the caliper, and the one Philllips screw holding the
rotor to the hub.

The rotor is rusted pretty securely in place. I've hammered it a bit,
sprayed penetrating oil, etc., to no avail. I even tried cutting into the rotor
with a hack saw, being careful to stay away from the hub. I've tried
prying against the caliper bracket, no soap. It's pretty rusty down there -
I had to use a breaker bar with a piece of pipe as an extension to even
budge the 17 mm bolts holding the caliper bracket in place.

My questions:

1. I've seen some people say you can screw in longer bolts into the two screw holes to help free the rotor, others say you can't. There's no access
to the screw holes from the back only from the front. If they thread into
threaded holes in the hub, I don't see how it would help, but maybe I could
insert a smaller metal piece into the hub hole before I tried tightening the bolt?

2. What are you supposed to do if you try cutting through the rotor
with a hacksaw or reciprocating saw? I've got to stay away from the
hub obviously. Do you insert a cold chisel into the cut to try to crack it?

3. The instructions on the HMA site for removing the rotor were confusing,
because it looked like you had to take out the whole steering knuckle, etc.
Most people don't say you have to do that and it looks like the replacement
rotor should just slide right on.

4. How hard can I pound on it with a hammer?

Any other suggestions (heating with a blow torch maybe?)

Thanks!

Kurt
cksvih01@hotmail.com

 

Watch this video. It's on a Ford truck but it will work on any car:

 

Hey thanks so much for the video!

I was trying to figure out how I might do something like that
from the back using the caliper mounting bracket holes.

That looks pretty easy. And satisfying! I was up till 5:00 AM
on a cold garage floor with a hammer and a saw...

One question:

I don't think my wheels will turn freely - they go maybe 10-20 degrees
but no more. I gather that after you break it loose in the first position,
you need to rotate the rotor maybe 180 degrees and repeat?

Do I need to jack up the other side too or maybe unset the parking brake?

Thanks again!

 

Yes, you need to rotate 180. You will have to lift the other front wheel to do that. Leave the parking brake on because it locks the rear wheels, not the front.

 

The video technique worked great!
Oh, the hours I've wasted with a hammer...

 

I spoke too soon.

It worked great on the passenger's side, but the driver's side rotor
wouldn't budge, and I torqued the wrench a bit too far and the
steering knuckle tab broke off.

Blast!

I'm gonna turn this one over to my mechanic....