sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

So it's time to replace my rotors and I want to do it myself.

But, I have heard that the screw that holds the rotor in place is a bi*ch to get out. And most of the time it is rusted and all kinds of this and that... My car has 94k and it is four years old. I haven't looked in a while, but I imagine my situation isn't all that pretty either.

In short, I don't have an impact screwdriver, and I just don't want to deal with the screw. And since you don't need it anyways, I was just thinking to drill it out.

So my quesiton is do I need special drill bits to do so? Or can I just use the standard drill bits? Also, do I need some MEGA heavy duty industrial drill, or will my decently powerful cordless do the trick? Lastly, what size drill bit should I use?

Thanks in advance for all of the help!

flyromeo3

check this youtube video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxQk7Pz_vfc

it details the same issue and how to remove it

btw...he has a bunch of other how to videos

TeknoKing

I encourage you to get an impact screwdriver... drilling it out.. you may strip the inner threading..

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

Even if I strip the inner threading, who cares... Right?

I heard that you don't even need to put the screw back in. and that is was only there for the vehicle assembly process.

shadowkahn

I agree. The screw is superfluous. Get it out however you want. I usually use an air chisel. It's fastest

jisleyjr

I agree. impact screwdrivers are a must have and they are cheap.

I can't agree with them being completely useless. do you want the rotor moving around when you are putting the caliper back on? ya you could put a lug nut on instead, but then you have to take it off to put the tire on, you'd be making more work.

sixsixfour

nope you are wrong. without that screw, when under load under crawling (i.e. backing up) speeds, the rotor can slightly twist making all kinds of noises that will annoy the hell out of you.

i put new ones from the dealer and the noise that haunted me when i replaced my rotors (i didnt put these screws back on) were gone.

JMillerUA6

iTrader: (1)

I've owned three Hondas, and on every one, I've drilled out the retaining screws and I've never had any issues.

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Air screwdriver FTW! It has to be there for a reason.. right?

TeknoKing

Too many mechanics here...

a) liquid wrench b) impact screw driver c) last resort drilling it out.

Yes you can ride without the rotors being secured to the axle..but this is very careless.

shadowkahn

Oh come on. The rotors are secured to the axle by 5 lugnuts torqued to 80 lb/ft. If they can't hold the rotor on, a couple of flimsy screws aren't gonna help you.

sixsixfour: I suspect other issues, like not having the lugs properly torqued. 80 lb/ft is very tight. Nothing is going to be wiggling around under that unless you put extreme torque on it. Backing a car out of the driveway doesn't come close.

sixsixfour

it wasnt loose, but when you apply brake pressure and the wheels are turned at an angle, there is a creaking sound. put the screw in place and the noise went away. i torque my lugs to spec and have been doing so even on my previous cars (Evo, Evo MR).

fact of the matter is, there was noise when i put the new rotors on the fronts and did not put the screw back on the driver side. had acura inspect everything and they could not replicate the noise. drove it around and it only came up when backing/coming up at an angle with load and brake applied.

put a new screw back on and the noise went away. simple as that. unless it comes back now, that was the fix i had. plus it doesnt hurt to put everything back to spec.

nfnsquared

Hey folks, the one and only reason those screws are there are to hold the rotors on as the car moves down the assembly line (before the wheels are put on).

664, sorry to say, but your noise was not caused by not having those screws in. Pure coincidence.

I drilled out my screws and did not replace them. Zero problems. OP, drill away without worries.

sixsixfour

again, coincidence or not, it "fixed" the noise I heard that the dealer cant replicate. so as far as my experience goes, im chalking it to the screw unless the noise comes back.

OEMAcuraPartsTim

iTrader: (1)

100% true and correct.

murph145

go to a harbor freight or some tool place like that you can get a small hand held impact screwdriver set for less than $10... it will take u just a second to get those screws off... drilling them out is much more of a pain in the a$$ and takes time....

I put my screws back in regardless if they are there for no reason.

rwlundberg

I just did my brakes on my car, I had to drill out my screws cause I twisted my bit on my impact driver. Did not replace them and have had zero problems. New rotors and pads work great. The rotors don't move much when putting the caliper on if you have to hands.

pimpin-tl

Hmm The caliper will hold the rotor in place once it is on so then you can remove the lug off. Just a FYI. Nissan's have floating rotors and don't have any screws that hold them on. Just the calipers.

pimpin-tl

Ummm no. It isn't required. If it was, then why do Nissan's not have this issue with floating rotors? And another thing is the wheel once torqued down makes the rotor solid against the hub. It shouldn't move period.

pimpin-tl

Sounds to me your problem was fixed by torquing your wheels back on and not by the screws. Your screws did not fix that problem.

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

My Mazda had floating rotors...

Didn't realize the impact screw drive was that cheap.

Okay, maybe I will try to get one.

But it if doesn't work. I am drilling that crap right out!

So if I drill it out, do I need a heavy duty drill, or will my cordless work? Also, do I need special bits, or normal ones, fine? And what size bit should I use?

Thanks for all the responses so far...

pimpin-tl

The cordless will probably take a while. You will need one that plugs in at least but a strong drill bit would be recommended.

nfnsquared

I used my cordless 19V drill with a standard bit. The cordless worked fine.

sixsixfour

on a floating rotor, the hat is still held on the hub with a small screw. I had 2-piece brotors on my MR. it needed two small screws to hold the rotor on the hub. i also thought your way and figured what if i didnt put the screws back since the wheel pressed against the hub would affix the rotor. but I took the safe route then and put them back. never had any issues whatsoever.

but again, you guys missed my point. mine made the noise without the screw. I rechecked everything (took the wheel off/on) before taking it to the dealer to diagnose. they didnt find anything too and everything checked out. only thing i left out when i swapped was the screw. i put it in, nose went away. period.

coincidence? probably. but again, that took the noise away so thats what I assume fixed it.


why you and a few others are making a stink out of it is beyond me. Ive replaced 2-piece rotors 3x on my MR and never had issues. so you guys can throw another theory or just let it go.

pimpin-tl

WRONG. On a floating rotor there are no screws period. (We are talking about stock/OEM floating rotors not aftermarket ones). You remove the caliper and off comes the rotor. You obviously don't have enough automotive experience. Please stop spreading mis-info man.

Here is a Nissan ROTOR/Caliper. And that bolt does nothing as I have removed these many times.

sixsixfour

that is NOT a 2-piece floating rotor.


THESE are what 2-piece floating rotors look like. notice the extra hole for the screw:

pimpin-tl

This is where your knowledge ends. We never SAID 2 PIECE. No idea where you got that from. Floating rotors are stock rotors that do not require screws to remove them like Nissan's come with. Last I checked this topic is about OEM rotors. They just float on the hub.

sixsixfour

ok let me correct you again.

floating rotors mean the hat and the rotor itself are two separate pieces. just because it is not affixed to the hub with a screw doesnt mean its a "floating" rotor. maybe by your definition but not what it is in reality.

and yes. last time i checked this was about an OEM rotor. i simply suggested i had a problem with mine when i did not put a screw in place. when i put the screw, problem went away. you came hackinaway insisting that was not the problem and i politely replied thats what fixed my problem.

then you got into this "i dont know crap" deal and made it personal.



you do the math, im done arguing with you.

pimpin-tl

LOL! Dude, rotors that do not attach with any additional hardware are called FLOATING rotors as well (like the OEM ones on Nissan's). They are only held in by the caliper. This is a common term in the mechanics world. You aren't correcting me as you just don't seem to have the knowledge of this. Others here seem they do.

Good, because we don't need you to embarrass yourself anymore.

pimpin-tl

"The term "floating" does not mean two-piece, floating rotor. It is Centric's terminology for a rotor that can be removed without also removing the vehicle's wheel bearings or hubs."

http://www.zeckhausen.com/Dodge/Viper_SRT-10.htm

pimpin-tl

http://www.topbrakes.com/brakeInstall.php

Most newer vehicles utilize 'floating rotors'. This means that the rotor is separate from the hub. Floating rotors have the advantage of being able to be installed easier and do not require replacing the hub at the same time. However, one of the disadvantages of floating rotors is that are actually held on by the wheel. It is critical that whenever wheels are mounted and dismounted that the lug nuts are torqued to the proper setting

Mug

To loosen those screws, I just use a Dremel with a cutting wheel to create a flat notch for a huge flat head screwdriver. Then I use anti-seize on the new one.

sac2006TL

iTrader: (1)

I didn't realize this would cause such a heated argument.

I was just thinking to drill out the screws because it would be easier than trying an impact screw driver, anti-seize, etc., etc.

I think I'll try the impact screw driver. If it works, then great.

If not, I will drill the screw out. I have no plans on replacing it with a new screw. I am just going to leave it out to avoid the headache in the future. Hopefully everything will be fine. If not for some reason, I'll put a new screw in.

Thanks for all the help!

TeknoKing

I don't trust Honda built in Ohio.. simple so the more screws, the merrier

Malayalee King

iTrader: (1)

i used the impact screwdriver and it ended up rounding the notches for the phillips on the screw off. FAIL.

Ended up using a metal drill bit with a corded 18V. Took about 40 seconds to pop out.

shadowkahn

So. . .you don't trust the TL, but you bought one? And you think a 10-cent screw is the only thing standing between you and a major wreck?

I hate cars

I think we need to take a step back and get the definitions straight first. None of the cars mentioned have floating rotors. I've never seen floating rotors in anything short of a full race car and even that is extremely rare.

There is the style like my GN in which the rotor houses the wheel bearings and to swap rotors you have to remove and repack the bearings.

Then there are rotors like the TL where the rim holds the rotor against the hub.

Neither style are floating rotors as the rotors are held very stationary by the rim and in some cases the rim and the wheel bearings.

Now floating calipers are a different story.....

The screws in question are aluminum phillips screws and would shear off the first time you put a load on them if the rim weren't holding things together. They honestly offer nothing from a load bearing perspective.

The fix to the squeak was probably removing and reinstalling the rims. If there was anything like a small piece of dirt between the rotor and hub or any number of things, removing and replacing them could solve the problem.

Another thing that may have happened was the screws helped make sure the rotor was perfectly true when it went on.

99.9% of the time you can get away with drilling the screws out and leaving them off but there's always that rare case.

I hate cars

I honestly wouldn't bother trying to get them out with a screwdriver. It's quicker to drill. Use a 7/16 bit and it will take the head right off in 5 seconds. No need to get the whole thing out unless you plan to reinstall screws.

pimpin-tl

Did you not READ what the links I posted? All modern cars have FLOATING rotors. They do not require the disassemble of the bearings, etc to remove. They FLOAT on the hub.

Again "FLOATING ROTORS" is the term and is what most modern cars have of today. Read the links.

I hate cars

Sorry, but those are not floating rotors. They are firmly located by the hub and rim. You can call this type of rotor whatever you want but it does not mean it's a true floating rotor. Again, I'm not aware of ANY street legal car that use a floating rotor.

It may be the popular term used to describe this type of rotor just like the TL uses a "strut tower brace" when it does not use stuts at all but it still does not make it correct.