1
Tried the 'ice and hammer' trick on a seized brake rotor and got a surprise
Had a 2007 Silverado in the bay with a rear rotor that would not come off. The usual heat and hammer routine did nothing. Saw an old timer at the parts store in Springfield say to pack the center hub with ice for an hour, then hit it. Figured why not. Got a bag of ice, packed it around the hub, waited. Hit it with my 3 pound hammer and the rotor popped right off... along with a perfect ring of ice shards that shot out and hit my assistant square in the chest. He yelped and dropped his socket set. We both just stood there laughing. Learned that thermal shock really works, but maybe warn your coworker first. Anyone have a less messy method for a truly stuck rotor?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
flores.tessa1mo ago
Back in my shop days, we kept a big bottle of penetrating oil and a 5 pound sledge for that job. Soak the hub-to-rotor seam overnight, then use the sledge on the rotor hat, not the edge, hitting in a star pattern. It’s less fun than the ice trick but keeps your tools, and your assistant like matthewp52 mentioned, dry. A few solid whacks usually does it.
7