Brake disk stuck on!!

[Jack]

In a moment of genius I decided that to get out of bank holiday DIY I would change the disks and pads on my diesel Maestro having already changed the alternator (all now okay - thanks for the advice on the other thread). I already had the disks and pads but had just not got round to doing it yet.

Anyway, first side was okay. The disk screws needed am impact driver and the disk took a bit of hammering to get it off but it came off eventually. That side sorted I've moved to the off side.

I knackered one of the disk screws and so drilled it out. I cannot now get the disk off at all! I don't think it has anything to do with the screw as it simply has not moved a millimetre despite a fair bit of hammering (which I am worried won't do the bearing any good).

Any suggestions other than lots of penetrating fluid? I don't have access to heat.

[MGTurbo]

Chisel or punch the screw out as much as you can then give the disc some sharp whacks with the hammer, and it will come off after some sweat and swearing.

Gareth

[MaestroMatt]

It is held on by the miracle of rust. You can save yourself some effort by using a hammer-action drill on only hammer-action (if you have one with that feature) to bash it off (stick a cold chisel or something in the chuck, not a drill bit!) or you can use a clutch puller to get it off. You'll be pleased to hear that after you have got the disc off, retapping the screw-hole will be a walk in the park!

[Jack]

Success! I drilled through the stuck disk and the old disk from the other side which I had already removed. I then put the wheel nuts on the wheel bolts and screwed them down, almost to the stuck disk. Then I mounted the other disk and put a bolt through the holes to wind them together (and theoretically pull off the stuck disk!

The outcome? One broken disk! I was having to use a breaker bar to get enough leverage to wind the bolt! It was that stuck! Anyway, I was starting to give up and wonder what else I could do when, after more penetrating oil and whacks with a hammer and swearing, it came off.

Needless to say I cleaned up the hub and applied a thin smear of Copaslip to the surfaces before mounting the new disk.
:) :) :)

[MaestroMatt]

That's a lovely belt-and-braces solution! An unnecessarily elaborate method. I like it a lot.

[Maria]

We tried to do a disk change on the Mondeo the other week. There are no screws holding it on - only some silly washers over the studs. Got them off, hit the disk from behind. Nothing. Hit it again, still nothing. Lots of WD later, still nothing. By this time chips were starting to come off the disks, and we decided it was better to try to drive carefully elsewhere before the car became immobilised - not good to be stuck at a garage 7 miles from home on a Sunday morning with no other roadworthy vehicles!

We drove to a garage round the corner and paid a nice man £40 to give up and get his colleague, who broke his best hammer, before getting out a sodding huge lump hammer and finally getting the disks off after about 10 minutes of serious whacking with a good run-up.

Moral of the story: there are some things worth paying to make someone else's problem :laugh: