Rotor hat removal question

JonT · 03-09-2004, 09:16 PM

For my brake caliper project my next question is does the rotor hat come off easily with the removal of the 5 bolts inside the hats? It would make the job much easier. What do I torque these back up to when I reinstall? Thanks all.

AirCooledExcellence · AirCooledExcellence's Garage

Jon,

Yeah, they tend to come off easily.

As for the torque required to button them up it's really low, 17 ft-lb.

Cheers,

Tim.

JonT · 03-10-2004, 05:02 AM

Thanks Tim--after posting I found the torque requirements with a search and lots of reading. Much appreciated!

JonT · 03-10-2004, 08:11 AM

Ok--I started to remove the nuts on the rotor hat bolts and the bolts themselves started spinning and the actual nut would not come of because of this--what do I need to do to get this rotor hat off? Thanks

KTL · 03-10-2004, 10:03 AM

You have to hold the bolt with another socket while you turn the nut.

When you get all the bolts out, you might have to pop the hat off the rotor with a rubber mallet. Sometimes they stick together from light corrosion. And speaking of corrosion, be sure to clean the mating surfaces and apply some antiseize lube on the hub and the rotor when you reinstall the hats on the rotors. It'll prevent them from sticking so much the next time they have to come apart.

It really is important to clean the surfaces of the hat and rotor. If there's too much crud or corrosion on there, the hat may not sit squarely on the rotor. This can lead to excessive rotor runout/wobbling ----> pedal pulsing when you step on the brakes

JonT · 03-10-2004, 11:17 AM

Kevin--that makes sense but I don't see how to access the back of the hat so I can hold the bolt with another socket?! The other side is inside the hat with no acess to the backside--it appears anyway. My car is an 80 SC with original brake parts. Any other suggestions?

juanbenae · juanbenae's Garage

if i remember you need to pull the caliper off to access them. also if i remember you can only get to them with the rotor in one spot. meaning you need to rotate the rotor to access each individual bolt.

its coming clear to me now. because i put the caliper back on then could not tighten the things because i could not get to the bolt to hold while turning the nut. dam i was hot that time.....

KTL · 03-10-2004, 11:44 AM

Jon,

I see. You still have the hat on the car, don't you? So the bolt heads for the rotor are still hidden behind the splash shield!

You have to remove the hat from the strut spindle. Take the big center cap off the hat (I use a baby sledgehammer and a blunt rod like a punch or a drift) and then you can remove the pinch nut. The pinch nut has a allen head screw in the side of it that you must loosen and then you can unscrew the pinch nut. Now you can slide the whole hat and rotor assembly off the spindle.

Now is a time to regrease your wheel bearings while you're in there!