2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission 2001 one ton rotor removal

[VolsFan]

Hi, done a ton of searching on this subject. Thought it was gonna be a cinch since they are not part of the hub assembly.got the caliper mounting bracket and calipers off easy enough but cannot get the rotor to break free. Beat on it like crazy with a 3 lb hammer. Soaking in pb blaster now. I need to have all 4 done in order to get md inspected. Thanks for any info

 

[JR]

Are you talking front or rear? The fronts are indeed a slip on design, there may be those little clips around the wheel studs that you will have to remove, other than that you just gotta get a little more persuasive with it. As far as the rear goes, you may be fighting the parking brake shoes?

 

[VolsFan]

I haven't even started the rears yet. Not sure about any clips around the wheel studs, didn't see any. Tomorrow morning gonna try to use mapp gas on it but a little weary of hearing the bearings up. On a side note when I do get the rotors off I heard you could fill the hub up with grease through the abs hole. Gonna try it, old truck didn't have front abs

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

IIRC, you have to unbolt the caliper mounting adapters to get the rotor off. Those bolts are tight. However, your issue is that the rotors have rusted tight. Heat usually works to loosen them.

 

[VolsFan]

I got the caliper mounting brackets off easy enough, the calipers themselves threw me for a loop when I had to hunt down a t45 bit but got that done ok. Gonna try some heat in the morning but nervous about heating the bearings up and having to get a whole new hub assembly

 

[NIsaacs]

Did you remove the dual wheel spacer?

Nick

 

[VolsFan]

Yes those are off on both sides

 

[VolsFan]

Wow, still not off, trying to take the hubs off with the rotor,the two 9/16 star bolts that you can access with a wrench are off but the other two require a socket with extension, broke 3 extensions. Aggravating as all get out

 

[PC12Driver]

From the service manual:
(1) Raise and support the vehicle.
(2) Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
(3) Remove the hub extension mounting nuts and
remove the extension from the rotor if equipped.
(4) Remove the brake caliper adapter assembly.
(5) Remove the rotor assembly.
They sure make it sound easy enough, eh? Heat is going to be key for you.

And just to give you a heads up down the road, the rear rotor/hub is an assembly on the 3500s. You'll need to pull the axle shafts to get the rotor/hub assy off, then you can split it apart. As a bonus, the locking piece for the axle nut is a one-time use part, so make sure you have a replacement set handy (axle gaskets, too). Or Quad4x4 has a kit to upgrade the stock spindle nuts to a removable/reusable setup. Also, this would be a good time to swap bearings and seals, and possibly even replace the parking brake shoes.

 

[DNDracing]

I had this issue on my 1995 3500 years ago the first time I did brakes.. I always put never seize on both sides of the rotor now when I do brakes, prevents this from occurring.

I had to use heat on mine, but did not trash the bearing.

Best of luck.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

The rotor should grip, not slide on grease or never seez, when the studs are tightened. I would use high heat paint instead.

 

[JR]

I second the never sieze, I use it on just about everything. You will thank yourself the next time your in there pulling things apart. I use the Nickel grade, it resists the heat a little better and seems to last longer than the copper grade.

 

[VolsFan]

Thanks for the replies. I only got the drivers side off so far. Had to take the hub out with it. Gonna have to do the same to the passenger side. After trying everything, had a mechanic friend come up and he even said he has never seen rotors stuck that bad, and he does tons of Chevys fords and dodges. So gonna get the front done tomorrow morning then do the rear. A little worried about that now. I didn't think this would be an all weekend ordeal!

 

[cerberusiam]

You might as well get new unit bearings, or a free spin kit, and a big tube of anti-seize. Evidently where the truck came from saw a lot of salt. The rotor is lierally welded to the hub and by the time you get it loose the unit bearings will go shortly after. There is no good way to seperate them that does not cause problems.

 

[VolsFan]

Got the rear axles out, do I need to have a special
Tool to remove the inner bearings in order to remove the assembly?

 

[PC12Driver]

No special tools, just the big ol' socket for the hub nut.

 

[VolsFan]

Ok, thanks, I see that it is a 2 9/16" socket which I don't have. Have to find one tomorrow. Also, is it an inner axle oil seal that I am going to need to replace? Goth front done, took 30 tons to break the hub free from each rotor, but the hubs are in good shape

 

[PC12Driver]

No inner axle seal - the gear lube in the diff is what lubes the wheel bearings. The only seals are in the hubs.

 

[VolsFan]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I got everything done earlier today, the rears went extremely smooth. Went way faster than the front. Truck stops like a dream now. Those old rotors were toast. I also filled up the rear, and glad I did, it had a leak evidently as there was barely a quart in it. Nothing looked messed up though. It runs smooth as silk, no slight jerking when I get on it now. All in all it was about a 24 pack job I'd say.

 

[JR]

I'm more than a little jealous of those rear discs :{ My drums are shot again after having them turned down over the summer, going to have to replace them over the winter. I'm torn over replacing them (along with new shoes and springs) or trying one of the aftermarket conversion companies. I've read mixed reviews on all of them, so I'm a little reluctant to make the jump.