How to get a stuck brake rotor off the hub
Brake rotors often get stuck tightly to the vehicle hub due to rust and friction, even when they are not fully seized. This prevents you from removing the old rotor to complete brake service, and standard prying or hammering from behind may not be enough to break it loose.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Pushing the rotor back in and wire brushing corrosion around the hub lipDid this help you?
- 2Hitting the rotor from behind with a hammer while rotating itDid this help you?
- 3Using an air hammer to create vibrationsDid this help you?
- 4Filing down protruding high spots or damage on the hub outer ringDid this help you?
- 5Pinch the soft metal clip together with pliersDid this help you?
- 6Put a flat blade screwdriver in the middle and twistDid this help you?
- 7Flatten the mangled clip with a hammer and screwdriver against the brake shoe before pryingDid this help you?
- 8Using a breaker bar for increased leverageDid this help you?
- 9Applying penetrating fluid like PB Blaster or liquid wrenchDid this help you?
- 10Tapping the bolt with a hammer to help the penetrant work inDid this help you?
- 11Turning the wheel to improve physical accessDid this help you?
- 12Wiggling the drum in opposing directions until it comes offDid this help you?
- 13Bolting the wheel back on temporarily to use as leverage for wigglingDid this help you?
- 14Loosening the handbrake from inside the car and tapping the side with a hammerDid this help you?
- 15Turning the drum so bolt holes are horizontal and verticalDid this help you?
- 16Using a screwdriver to lift the auto-adjusting wedge through the top bolt hole to retract brake shoesDid this help you?
- 17Slacking the handbrake cableDid this help you?
- 18Tapping around the edge of the drum with a plastic hammerDid this help you?
- 19using penetrating fluid and vice gripsDid this help you?
- 20heating the bolt with a torchDid this help you?
- 21grinding a socket flat and hammering it onDid this help you?
- 22buying a replacement assemblyDid this help you?
- 23using m8 bolts to force the drums offDid this help you?
- 24unscrewing the cylinder from the brake lines and using really long m8 boltsDid this help you?
- 25drilling out the screwDid this help you?
- 26using a spring punch or hammer and chiselDid this help you?
- 27punching out studs and knocking the rotor to shear the head offDid this help you?
- 28discarding or leaving out the set screws entirelyDid this help you?
- 29knocking the old rotors off without removing the screws firstDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“After watching plenty of guides, I cannot take it off. I dont want to force it.”source ↗
“I dont want to put everything back on now incase the spring did come off and its off while im driving”source ↗
“what options do we have left...”source ↗
“Is there a chance i damage something? What if the spring is still on and I use too much force.”source ↗
“Bottom sliding pin on the caliper bracket or whatever is seized and rusted, I've been at it for hours , I think I'm going to buy new ,or I don't know?”source ↗
“Hit the drum with a hammer a bunch of times and used the adjuster gear to relieve pressure, still stuck.”source ↗
“Drum is basically 90 percent out, only thing holding it is the shoes which are bending sideways grabbing on to the drum.”source ↗
“2007 Mazda mazda3 rotor isn’t seized but isn’t coming off. Tried prying and hammering from behind. Anyone got tips for this?”source ↗
“Need advice on how to remove; Got this car at around 200k miles and when I go to replace the breaks, I see a destroyed, reused horseshoe clip. It is such that when I try to use a screwdriver to smack it off, it goes underneath one of the arms that is bent up (pictured on the lower end)”source ↗
“After watching plenty of guides, I cannot take it off. I dont want to force it.”source ↗
“I dont want to put everything back on now incase the spring did come off and its off while im driving”source ↗
“I regret trying this now. Any help please”source ↗
“Oh sorry I forgot to mention is the rear passenger side, the angle is what gets me.”source ↗
“Any tips on being these out? Rounded off on the inside to the point of the m8 triple square bit I'm using has wiggle room in it now.”source ↗
“When I switched to the right side I found I had no leverage to use the hammer again because of the longer handle.”source ↗
“I ran out of sunlight to finish so I put it back, I’ll grab a breaker at autozone tomorrow.”source ↗
“My godmother's car. I think the rotors are warped because of the set screws being broken is that possible? And should I even venture to figure out how to remove the set screws once I get new rotors and pads?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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