Rotor installation

I finally ordered some rotors.

How hard are they to install? I just had new ones put on last spring on the rear and had the front ones re-surfaced. So the bolts have to be pretty loose still. Is there a writeup anywhere that would give me an idea on what I'm doing? Thanks!

Have you ever changed Rotors? Well if it's anything like the 1st gen then you'll need a 14mm socket and a breaker bar to get the caliper bolts loose but I doubt you'll have that much trouble. There not too bad though just jack the car up and take off the tire, then take the bolts out of the caliper and push the caliper to the side. Then just take the rotor off, sometimes they'll stick so just hit the rotor with a mallet and it'll come off. Then replace in reverse order. GL

don't u have to bleed the brakes?

don't u have to bleed the brakes?
You should but you don't have to if you don't take off any brake lines.

You should but you don't have to if you don't take off any brake lines.

I didn't think you did either unless you remove the brake lines.

you don't have to bleed them unless you take off a brake line since it is a sealed hydraulic system. there are 2 bolts holding the caliper on and 2 holding the bracket on and after that they should just slide off. key word is should. Most of the time they are stuck and you can do 1 of 2 things, 1 since you have new rotors you can just hit the old ones with a hammer to break them loose or 2 there is a little threaded hole in the rotor that you can thread a small bolt into to pop them off of the hub

I've done brakes... those are easy. Never done rotors though. I did some searching, and it seems easy enough.

You don't bleed unless you take off the brake lines from the calipers.

If you have trouble getting the capiper bolts to break loose or the bolts for the caliper bracket, put the car on blocks of wood and use the hydraulic jack to jack up and use as leverage on the ratchet it works really good...

its wierd how you have to screw a bolt into it to release like a lever to get the rotor to pop off

Does anyone know how to put in a wheel stud from here?

I've done brakes... those are easy. Never done rotors though. I did some searching, and it seems easy enough.

You don't bleed unless you take off the brake lines from the calipers.
also make sure to clean the rotors with brake cleaner before you install them

Is there bolts on the back that hold the rotor on? How many are we looking at here?

No they are probably rusted on. Use 2 large bolts (the biggest ones that fit in the caliper mount holes) Put the bolt through and put a nut on the inside closest to the rotor, tighten the bolt while you hold nut as it tightens it will push into the rotor and push it off. Do it once loosen and turn the rotor, keep going until it comes off.

If you know how to do brakes, then im pretty sure you can see how easy it is once the caliper is off, that you just slide out the rotor. unbolting the tire should be the hardest part. lol

If you know how to do brakes, then im pretty sure you can see how easy it is once the caliper is off, that you just slide out the rotor. unbolting the tire should be the hardest part. lol
Maybe if they're brand new but if they've been on a while it wont be easy at all.

My opnion is that since you are replacing the rotors anyway to get them off you can tap them with a hammer with no problems

Cool. I won't get them in for about a week and a half yet, so Ill keep this all in mind. Like I said, I got brake work done last year, so everything should be pretty easy to take off. The front rotors have been machined twice in 2 years, so they need to be replaced. They're slightly warped again, so they gone.

I'll post pics when I get them on. Should be sweet with the Enkeis and cross drilled and slotted rotors, and im repainting my calipers again (red of course). The rotors as zinc plated too so they wont show the rust. This should look great when I'm done.

cant wait to see pics

Yeah to get them off, take the caliper and all that crap off. And then just tap them off witha hammer. If you plan on saving them for some reason you can put down a cloth or towel where you hit the rotor at witht he hammer. If you are just going to trash them, just beat the hell out of them with the hammer.

So there's nothing that holds the rotor on? It just sits there?

most of the time that is nothing but sometimes there is one maybe 2 little allen bolts but IIRC yours are just"sitting" there

Well technically the rim holds it on but no, nothing actually "holds" the rotor in place such as bolts and/or nuts. Pull off the rim, remove the caliper, pull off the rotor, that's all you should have to do. It should be a breeze if the rotors were just taken off a year ago.

What kind of rotors did you purchase? Just curious. I will be replacing mine soon. I bought the car in 1997 and haven't had to change yet. It is definatley time.:evillol:

A lot of the time on 97's and newer you need to get like an 8 mm bolt and screw in in tight in the holes next to the studs.. there is two to do and when you tighten them they release a type of lever holding the rotor on.

I replaced my rotors on my car awhile ago and it was extremely easy. Mine is a 95 and the rotors were just held in place by the rim. The hardest part was compressing the pistons to get the caliper with the new pads back in place. I actually just did this for a friend last night on his cavalier. His had a single piston and I could not compress it by hand. If you run into this problem or just want and easier way to do it I suggest you use a bar clamp. YES! A bar clamp. Its deffinatly "rigging" but it works wonderfully. Just make sure you have something flat over top of the pistons so you don't damage them and just screw the clamp and it will compress the pistons like nothing.

I've always used a C-clamp to compress the pistons on the cars/trucks I've done. Really easy to do. I dont think anyone can do it by hand unless the brake lines are dry. I should get them in sometime this week. I can't wait to do them.