HotBoyinDaAcura

I need help getting my rotors off, the screws are starting to strip on the front rotors and i dont want to strip them out all the way or i will be drilling them out, i have a impact scredriver but that isnt helping, what do i do?

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Before you strip them any further, have you tried using PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench?

I used PB Blaster and let them soak for a while, then I used a torch to heat them up. Then I used an impact screw driver and they came right out.

Good luck.

kensukikatayo

I just said fuck it and drilled those motherfuckers out. They're useless anyway.

UglyPsycho

Get some wd-40 and spray it on all over the screw. Let it sit for 5 mins. Spray it again if you want. Get a BIGGER hammer and then try it with the impact screwdriver again.

TunedTL

My driver side rotor is the same way. I sprayed WD40 five times and smashed the impact screw driver until the Phillips bit is broken. Almost gave up after 40 minutes of on and off smashing. Switched to a bigger Phillip bit and smashed for another 10 minutes and all of sudden the screw came loose, thank you God!

SQUEEZY83

I just did this today you have to spray them down i used pb blaster and then with a 5 pd mallet and a impact screwdriver beat it. takes a couple of good strikes.

pixrob

Perhaps a dab of anti-sieze might help in the future....

Bxscig

Use a big hammer, the small ones will take more force. Put some wd-40 or liquid wrench on it and let it soak. A friend spent 2 hours trying to get those bastards off and he was using a some what smaller light hammer. He broke my bit too since he hit it so many times. I had a bigger heavier one and it worked like a charm, 3 hits.

The bigger the swing the better and stronger it is... but watch out for those figures... have good aim!!

fsttyms1

Also try tightening it first a small bit. Then bash away in the OFF direction!

Lawaia

Torch 'em. Best way to loosen stubborn nuts and bolts.

whatwasthat

i f*ckin hate those screws, a planned <hr job turned into a 3hr nightmare...

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

That'll happen.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i just leave them off after i do the change...

kensukikatayo

Took me about 4 hours total including about 2 hours making runs to Pepboys for tools and parts. Spent another hour trying to get those fucking screws off. Just drill them out if nothing else works. They're useless.

TL09

If it were me, I'd take it to someone who's delt with that kind of problem before. There might be some hope left that they can be removed. You might find things by googling..

This site talks about impact wrenches but then lists alternative methods to get out screws, bolts etc. maybe it will give you an idea. They mention a screw extractor.. They mention heating it, or using a nut splitter. BTW, your post title sounds like it belongs in a porno movie.. LOL.. Just kidding.

http://www.thegsresources.com/garage...tractscrew.htm

loud_whispers

This thread is pretty funny..im reading all of you getting pissed off just thinking about the rough time you had getting these screws off..LOL@ them Motherfuckers


I never use any type of lubricant unless the screws are completely covered in corrosion/rust.. Other than that, i beat the head of the rotor screw with a deadblow hammer and a small ball pien hammer, then i get the impact screwdriver and tighten them up, then loosen them..

never have any problems.. i do like 5-10 sets of brakes every week..

fsttyms1

Ryons02TLTypeS

Ummmm... u do need them..... because w/o the rotors will wiggle around.... and when u step on the brakes it will vibrate... and under normal drivin they will graze the caliper i think...


Happened to my friend w/88 civic.... everybody was tellin him mad other shit, like how it was the motor mounts, the shocks, the hub, the bearing,... and in the end it was just the rotor screws....

Aint that a kick in the ass....

fsttyms1

Those screws dont hold teh rotor still. When the lugnuts are properly tightened they hold every thing in place. Those2 small brass screws do nothing other than hold teh rotor tight when installing pads so they dont move around

loud_whispers

no your wrong. those tiny screws withhold the runout of the hub. Let's see you leave both of your front screws off of both of your rotors.. let's see how much you complain of a vibration and see how fast your going to be replacing them brakes again.

loud_whispers

we do not use floating brake discs on our Acura's.

fsttyms1

Been off for 130,000 miles (2 sets of rotors) 0 vibration and warping on both. still going strong. Ive either had to drill them usless bastards out or have plain gotten rid of them in every honda ive owned without issue (and thats been over 650,000 miles worth )

FuzzyNutz

Yup. Sorry loud_whispers. You are going to loose this battle. Not only is fsttyms1 one of the most respected members (and recently appointed Moderator), but you're 108 posts compared to his 18,222 clearly shows that he's got the upper hand in the knowledge and experience category. Plus I can back up his claim that you dont need those screws as long as your lugnuts are on properly - since I've been driving with mine off for the past 6 months.

Now I suppose an argument can be made that if your wheel fell off and you didn't have your scrrews in, then your rotor could slip off as well,.. but then again,.. if your wheel fell off you'd be pretty screwed in the first place.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

A lot of other companies don't even bother putting those screws in the hats in the first place. Take off the wheel, and the rotor just dangles there. Those screws really don't serve any purpose, except hold the rotor in place while the wheel is off.

pixrob

When I replaced my stock rotors with Brembos (non-slotted) I did use the screws. The only reason was it was either use them or throw them away. So why not?

I did put a dab of anti-sieze on them to aid next time.

Agree with the thoughts about Fsttyms1. One of the most knowledgable people that I've read posts. If there was a Acura bible, he'd be one of the writers.

docrob

ya definitely don't need the screws. My '02 TLS is the second car I drilled them out of, the 1st being my '94 RX7. ZERO vibration or warping on either vehicle. For me it was just quicker and easier and less frustration to drill them out.

loud_whispers

Ok, sure.. whatever you guy's say....

loose or no rotor screws causes hub runout.. it's a proven fact..
i will win this battle, because i am ASE certified in 6 different categories( one including brakes) and i do know how vehicles work from a textbook stature and i do know that they are supposed to be on there.

I am also honda certified and i do work as an Acura Technician and i have been working for Acura for the past 5 years as a tech. I don't care how many "posts" this member has posted. It doesnt mean all 18,000 posts this member has posted has been accurate, but i do know that everything i do say is accurate and i really could care less what you guys think im just putting my 2 cents in.

you can choose to believe whoever you want to believe.
That's why Acura pays me the money i get paid to fix your cars when you don't know how to fix them or you can't find an internet DIY article on how to fix them.

good luck guys.

docrob

Since ya' know everything, you should post first on all threads, then no one will have a need to post anything else. Hell, they should rename the forums after you, the all knowing God of all that is Acura.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I can respect that, but here's another side. And I am not exaggerating.

Friend no.1 --> ASE certified in many categories (I can ask him for his credentials, if you want to know), graduated his class with top honors, currently going for another certification while working as an S2000 division manager at a tuning shop.

Friend no.2 --> Honda Technician at Capital Honda, also ASE certified.

Friend no.3 --> Honda Technician at Capital Honda, also ASE certified, as well.

Friend no.4 --> Currently enrolled at UTI in Chicago, finishing his ASE certification program, about to start working at a Honda dealership in the area.

They all told me that the screws aren't needed.

Again, I can respect the fact that you're a certified Honda Tech, but so are some of my friends and another is a division manager at a shop. We've run rotors without screws before, and our cars see EXTREME abuse on the street, track, and at the drag strip. They are all running fine.

But this doesn't mean that we purposely make the effort to ditch all the screws.

pixrob

.....I for one have the amazingly engineered Brembo rotor screws installed on my Brembo discs. I chose the Brembos solely because of the screws and not the brake themselves. The disc surface and metallurgical composition is a mere afterthought to the screws. Perhaps this is a departure from ASE standards, but it works for me.

Along with the said installation, I torqued them precisely to the factory spec. For my 1999 TL service manual quotes very precisely on page 18-10 that I should only use 6.9 lbf-ft. Neither 7.0 nor 6.8 are acceptable. Period. For those into Newton Meters it's 9.3.

You guys who refuse to place these two screws upon your fine cars are taking your lives in your own hands. From this date further, I will ask my friends before getting in the car, "Do you have brake disc screws or not?" These two screws, when properly torqued are obviously what defines right from wrong, good from evil and the men from the boys.

Furthermore, the five lug nuts are not structural to the wheel assembly as many might think - they are 100% cosmetic. I know people are having trouble with this but let me explain what my research has shown me. What people have failed to mention heretofore is the magnetic properties of the brake rotor screws. Your wheels are actually held onto the car by the rotor screws. Now when we measure the magnetic force of the screws we find that aftermarket screws have a higher degree of residual magnetism.

In my testing, using the Residumeter II model EMUD2K (your run of the mill gaussmeter) I measured a sampling to find the residual magnetism. Stock OEM screws measure on average 87.2 gauss where the aftermarket measure 102.2 +/- 2%. This explains why there are only two screws used as had there been four screws placed in the rotor, removal of the wheels would require a strong electromagnet source to counteract the force of the screws.

The units of magnetism are a bit confusing. And these definitions may be a bit out of date. The magnetic flux is measured in Webers, while the flux per unit area is the tesla ( 1 tesla = 1 weber/square meter). For the cgs system flux is measured in Maxwell where 1 Maxwell = 10-8 Webers, while flux per unit area is in Gauss, where 1 Gauss = 10-4 Webers/square meter = 10-4 Tesla. Now we all know this but I'm posting it for reference of those High School students out there.

Dial your torque wrenches down to 6.9 foot pounds and you'll understand the forces applied to these screws and their relative importance.

I understand that many cars will now come off the road to have the screws put back on before driving again. I sincerely apologize for the mass transit issues caused.

Just trying to set the record straight.


Rob


P.S. fsttyms1 for president....

FuzzyNutz

um,.. ok

loud_whispers

HAHA!

ok.. if you people are that confident.. really, what do i care? sometimes i do not even know why i offer you people my advice. I know what i know... and i have people that sit behind a desk and answer phones all day tell me that they think they know more than me about cars, especially ones that i work on for a living.

Pure, listen man, i never said you cannot drive your car without them. So all of your buddies with ASE certs are right. But ask them if it will cause R-U-N-O-U-T.. the point that im trying to prove.

Let's go back to the drawing board people..
What does runout do to rotors over short or long periouds of time?

Will someone have the chance of not noticing anything wrong? YES!
Will they cause runout? YES, on Honda's!
CAN they cause a vibration? YES!
Are they essential? NO.
Will your car totally break without them? NO!

Put your car on an electronic brake lathe that measures runout. That sensor will NEVER zero out with the rotor screws off.. Maybe with 1 on and 1 off..not with both off. Now this is with the brake lathe hub bolted to the rotor so it acts the same way a wheel does to precisely measure runout.

my whole point in a nutshell..
please read before trying to tell me about our cars.

loud_whispers

you wasted all that time to type that? LOL
Kind of sounds like you know what your talking about.
People here would believe it.

hayaku

please explain to us how this will cause hub runout.

the rotor is also held in place by 5 lug bolts torqued down to 80 ft-lbs. the same lug bolts hold the wheel center to the hub. the only way for the rotor to cause hub run out without the retaining screws is if the wheel itself was mounted NOT flat against the rotor hat/hub. in which case, its not the rotor causing the hub runout, but rather a improperly mounted wheel causing angular force against the bearings and would shear the bolts which are hardened...

no i'm not a mighty car tech like you... i'm involved in professional race car engineering and find this thread is absolutely absurd, although rather entertaining...

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I'm reading, but I'm just failing to see your point.

I understand what you're trying to say, but I just think that you're blowing it out of proportion. In everyday driving conditions, the absence of the rotor screws really wouldn't cause any noticeable problems.

Then what's the story with companies that do not use the rotor screws at all, where the rotors are only held on by the lug nuts?


And yeah, I asked my friend who is a division manager. He elaborated on run-out, and I really can't see your point in this case. Care to explain what YOU mean by run-out?

pixrob

Not a waste at all but thanks for your concern. Actually, I've found many rants here quite amusing..... The only person who I hoped would "get it" already did. Glad you liked it fsttyms1.

What I did fail to mention was quicker 0-60 times that can be achieved by lack of screws and now all the Acura TLs out there whose owners come out in the morning with their wheels removed and the precious screws stolen.

Come folks get those torque wrenchs out and dial in 6.9 foot pounds! Wait, I'll save you the work - it's very similar to turning the radio off.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Still waiting for a response from you, whispers.

Enlighten us as to how the absence of those screws can cause the hub to run out.

tooeagle

Make sure you have the right size phillips. No. 2 is too small. I used a craftsman 3, and I have a feeling there is a correct size out there for this, I just don't have it.

Pound your phillips screwdriver against the screw with slight twist left, then again to the right. When the screwdriver is in there really good and at a true 90 degree angle, with a pair of vice grips around the screwdriver, Yank it- i mean YANK! to the right. !) This breaks the rust seal. Then do the same going left (off). It should come right out.(BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR SCREWDRIVER AT THE CORRECT ANGLE IN RELATION TO THE ROTOR, OR YOU WILL PROBABLY STRIP THE SCREW)

(if this doesn't work, swear at me and go to another poster!)

Lubricating oil such as liquid wrench is probably useless - although it couldn't hurt except to make the screwdriver slippery!

Could someone tell me why such a high class automaker as Honda/Acura would use such a useless and frustrating means to attach these things. I can't see the reason why the screws have to be there, but I guess Honda knows best, right?

Good Luck.

LCDRChemEng

The screws are there so the rotors can be surfaced while on the hub. This way the mechanics at the dealership don't have to remove the rotors to put them on the lathe. No other reason.

3.2TLc

Hey LCDRChemEng, thanks for the solution !
That makes perfect sense for the manufacturer's intended purpose of those blasted rotor "retaining screws".