So my 2001 Monte Carlo LS needed a brake job about 3 weeks ago. It has 4 wheel disc brakes that in the 4 years I’ve been driving the car have never needed replacement. One of thrse front rotors is warped fairly badly and is also worn quite a bit on the inside. As well, one of the linings has broken off the park brake shoes and when you jack that wheel off the ground and spin it, I can hear the lining bouncing around inside the drum. So being the first brake job I will be giving the car, I bought 4 new rotors, front and rear ceramic brake pads and rear park brake shoes and hardware.
Now I have done numerous brake jobs in the past, but none on a 4 wheel disc brake car, so I do have a fair bit of experience with brake work. But I have never worked on a disc brake that I was unable to remove the rotor from the hub. And not just one rotor, none of them would budge on this car. There are no set screws to remove and normally the only thing preventing the rotor from coming off is the caliper mounting bracket. Now I do have quite an assortment of hammers and mallets, but after beating on one rotor with a 2.5lb short handle maul for nearly 15 min, I decided to research some options. I could easily continue to smash on the rotor, but I do not want to damage my wheel bearing, or anything else I might slip and hit by mistake. As well, I soaked each rotor where it meets the hub a few times with penetrating fluid, knowing that this is where it is frozen, but it did not help. Nor did my air hammer, which I tried with a few different bits. Watched a few different video suggestions,one suggesting using the caliper bracket mount holes with high strength bolts and nuts, used as a sort of press, which won’t work. Another suggested loosening the wheel nuts and driving the car for a few hundred feet or so.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.