2002 Accent rotor removal

I need to replace pads and rotors on my 2002 Accent, can anyone tell me
if these rotors are pressed on, or can I replace them without needing
the assistance of a shop. Thanks,

 

I just replaced the rotors on my Elantra this weekend, which is similar
to your Accent. The rotors are not pressed on, but they tend to rust in
place. Generally, the only way to get them off is to cut them down to
the hub in two places and split them, which is not as difficult as it
sounds. I made hacksaw cuts that lined up with the holes for the rotor
retaining screws and split them by driving a screwdriver into the saw
cuts. It took ~10 minutes per cut with a hacksaw and a sharp 18 TPI
blade. Even after splitting them, it still took some "persuasion" with a
mallet to get them off, due to rust around the periphery of the hub. I
cleaned that up with a file once the old rotors were off and the new
ones slid right into place.

BTW, the heads of the rotor retaining screws will almost invariably
shear off when you try to remove them. It doesn't matter as they're not
structural, simply an assembly convenience. The wheels hold the rotors
tight to the hubs and the studs and hubs position them properly, so the
screws aren't necessary.

 

Wow, so you are actually sawing through the rotor and more or less
breaking it off the hub? I suppose this would be less traumatic than
pounding away with a hammer to break them free.

 

This is what i did.
Heat them up with a torch and a few light taps with a mallet and they were
off.

Just my 0.02 $
Finn

 

Sounds good. As long as they are not pressed on, I'm fairly confident I
can coax them off the hubs. I was just curious if they were pressed on
before I bought the pads and rotors and swapped them out myself. Thanks,

 

Exactly. It sounds rather draconian, but it's a lot gentler than wailing
on them with a sledge hammer.

There's no way I would ever have gotten them off without cutting them,
as they're were rusted to the hub at it's periphery. I did try using a
3# hand sledge carefully to free them, but they wouldn't budge. Rather
than wailing on them and risking trashing the bearings, I cut them off.
I had seen this same thing recommended by several people on the Elantra
Club website and it works well.

Perhaps if you have access to an oxy-acetylene torch (I don't), you
might be able to heat them enough to break them free, but I think you'd
be hard-pressed to heat something as large as a rotor enough with a
propane torch. Keep in mind that heating can also cook the grease in the
hub and/or damage the bearings. The key is to heat the rotor very
quickly, causing it to expand away from the hub, then remove it before
the hub gets too hot. That requires a lot of heat.

 

The hacksaw is total committment to the job, that is for sure.

I once had to bash a set of rotors off of a Ford F150, and I can only
remember it not being loads of fun. Lots of time, penetrating sprays,
time and hammering were involved. Needless to say that if there were
any chance of turning those rotors before, there was no chance after I
was done with them...

 

Exactly. Whether you cut them or beat them, they're trashed either way.
The question then becomes how much damage do you do to yourself and the
rest of the car. Cutting them off minimizes both.

 

I'm going to pick up pads and rotors for the weekend. Looks like a
couple of hacksaw blades as well.

So how many cuts are you making in order to get the rotor off? I'm
guessnig you are sawing through to near the hub in at least two
places?

 

If you have a compressor ( or know somone who does), an air chissel
works great. Most of them come with differrent bits and are cheep.
Putting it on the back of the rotor, it will push it off with minimum
dammage to anything including the rotor (depends on how carful you
are) and no chance of a hammer slipping out of your hand and hitting a
fender or smashing something (hand). A lot of shops use this method.
Bill

 

Correct, two cuts on opposite sides of the rotor. I made the cuts in
line with the retaining screw holes, but that leaves two studs in each
half. In retrospect, I wonder if it might have been smarter to make the
cuts in line with the studs, which would leave only one stud in each half.