Rotor rusted to knuckle. Advice?

Halp!

i have removed the knuckle from the truck. Obvious rust on hub to rotor mating surface. Ive whacked the soul out of this with a 5lb hammer and hosed it with penetrating oil. Whats next?

 

Nevermind! Just needed more hammer!

 

This is much easier to tackle with the knuckle still installed but still may be able to be overcome.

For future reference, in case it helps, note the rotor has slots in the ends. You can shove a couple of stout screwdrivers at opposing sides to try and work it off.

Be sure to wire brush the mating surface and use Silglyde or anti-sieze at the mating surface.

 

Oh and be sure to check for clearance on the dust shield after reinstall @allthumbs

I see it's bent in a couple places, whch can make contact with the rotor and cause godawful squealing when you roll the truck next time.

 

Another trick is to use the caliper bracket holes and push off the rotor using long screws similar to how you remove drum brakes but from the other side. BFH usually gets the most votes because if you’re replacing the rotor, you don’t care if you beat the sh!t out of the old one to get it off.

 

+1 on making sure your brake dust cover isn't bent. I dealt with that noise too.

 

For future reference, gently heating the hub of the rotor (around the lug studs) with a propane torch will expand the metal and eventually cause the rotor to separate from the hub. You can also use a very large gear puller if you have one and you don't plan to reuse the rotor.

 

I have the godawful noise from the dust shield - had my tires and shocks replaced and the idiots bent up the dust shield pretty good. I matter how much I try to bend it out of the way it still rubs. Thinking about replacing them both and being done with it. How hard is it to replace the dust shield and what’s the best one to order - oem?! Or aftermarket?

 

I too went through that, but I was the mechanic.

It's painful to replace the dust shield, at least ... if you're talking about a 1st gen, and not your 2019 truck (this is the 1st gen forum). If you've got a 1st gen, pop a tire off so you can see where contact is happening, and work at manipulating it, bending it about 50% farther than you think you need to. Steel has a memory. Heat, like the heat your truck generates while braking, will encourage the shield to at least bend back some. It took me a couple of attempts to get mine to stop sitting on the rotor just every so slightly.

 

thanks man; yes for my 2019. I will try that.

 

...

...

OR- move to the Northeast and they'll remove themselves.

 

You say this as I'm in the process of acquiring a place in Maine that may end up being where we retire