ttang

When I told this aftermarket shop that my friend owns that I was planning to change my wasted rotors for somebody's used OEM ones (used for 6000km), by myself, I was amost riducled and insulted and laughed at for even thinking of attempting to do it myself. They were saying that i'm probaby getting ripped off buying used rotors, if i dont' have air tools and an impact driver i'm screwed.

To prove them wrong, i've been doing all the research i can. The only problem is that the guys at the shop had a prelude on the lift and they showed me the socket i'd need to get the center bolt (holding the rotor in) off. It was probably a good 2 inches in diameter, but from the past posts i've read, somebody said i only need a 17mm socket to remove it.

To remove rotors, I plan to follow the instructions to change brake pads (The Reverend has a good tutorial), use a manual impact driver. Can anbody tell me the tourque specs for everything when I put it all back together? Especially the screws that i remove with teh impact driver, how tight do they have to go back on? How about the specs for everything else? do any of the bolts in the braking system have to be tourqed to a certian setting?


Lastly , with sombody's old rotors, I was advised to machine them a bit first before using them. Is that necessarry or should i just brake lightly for teh first few days after?

Elistan

I change my brake pads so often that I've given up worrying about exact torque specs for the bolts holding the caliper. I just hand tighten them until the feel "right."

As far as the axel nut - it has absolutely nothing to do with the rotors. Once you get the calipers out of the way, it's simply a matter of removing the two small screws that retain the rotor onto the hub.

They're not a load bearing fastener, but they do tend to seize up. I recommend getting an impact driver from Sears or the like - the below pictured impact driver is $25 from Craftsman. Twist it over and hit it with a heavy hammer. Otherwise you'll likely strip the screw head.

For putting the screws back on, simply hand tighten them - like I said, they're not load bearing, they simply hold the rotors in place while the wheels are off.

RedY2KS2k

Elistan gives good advice. I was skeptical at first, but those things *do* work.

ReedZ

Respectfully,

Consider some new friends. one would hope your friends would try to help you, not ridicule you.
You don't drive a Prelude. The S2000 doesn't share many components with any of Honda's other vehicles.
Please consider buying a shop manual if you are going to be wrenching on your 30k (USD) car. It just seems silly to skimp on something so inexpensive, but so necessary.
Elistan, great advice. ttang, you may notice that these little screws may have become very tight through the heat cycling your brake parts go through. Be sure to keep the above hand tool centered on the screws when striking.
When I first replaced my OEM rotors, I never replaced these screws, they really are redundant in this application.

Regards,
James

ttang

Elistan: thanks for the picture!

All you guys: sounds like good advice. yeah, i would consider them more 'aquantiences' more than friends. more like friend's friends. I go down to the shop only when my friend is back in town. They're nice people, but sometimes they just give wrong advice.

He had the gall to say that i would do better to change to aftermarket rotors, not even considering my driving style! They might be lighter, but slotted and drilled ones will wear out pads faster, and give me very little extra performance on the street.

Perhaps they will perform better on the track but i dont' track or autoX. To me, spending 300-400 (CDN) or more for that little bit of performance that i won't use, it's just not for me.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I looked into getting an impact driver from Sears or HomeDepot. About $30 (CDN), not too bad.

One last thing. Should i get them machined first or somehow sand them down ? clean them? or just don't worry about it? they dont' have a speck of rust on them

ttang

sorry guys, one more thing.... i've been reading all the caliper posts but since they are mostly about paiting or changing , they dont' answer my question:

Do you need to completely remove the calipers or just losen and leave them sitting attached to the brake line and remove those 2 phillips head screws with the impact driver?

and would an impact wrench be a better investement? since you can use driver heads on an impact wrench as well?

CoralDoc

You need to remove the calipers, but keep them attached to the brake line (hang the heavy calipers from an A-arm with a piece or coat hanger so as not to stress the rubber brake line). Also, you will need to remove the caliper bracket from the hub assembly to allow clearance for rotor removal.

If the used rotors are nearly new and were used with OEM pads, don't worry about machining them. But, if they have grooves or discolorations on the surface, a light machining may be beneficial (about $US 30 for 2 rotors).

An impact driver is the preferred tool for this application. The problem with the phillips head rotor screws is that they strip out with very little rotational torque, so an impact wrench will strip them out all the faster. An impact driver applies force directly in line with the fastener as rotational torque is applied, decreasing the likelihood of stripping the fastener.

Another tip - upon replacement put a little anti-sieze on the phillips head screws that hold the rotor in place. It will make subsequent work much easier.

And good advice above - get a Helm manual.

One final note - for the most part, cross-drilled and/or slotted rotors are more about looks than they are about performance. The OEM rotors are what most of us track-heads use. In many cases, so called "performance rotors" degrade braking performance.

slalom44

To remove the rotors, you need to remove both of the bolts which hold the caliper on. These bolts can be a bitch to remove. The easiest way to get them off is with an impact wrench, but you may be able to get them loose using a breaker bar. Be sure you do not dangle the caliper from the brake line - it's not designed to take that kind of tension. You can tie it up with a bungie cord or rest it on an inverted bucket. When replacing the bolts (as well as the phillips screws on the front face of the rotors), apply some anti-sieze compound on the threads to make it easier to remove the next time. I wouldn't worry about torquing them back on. Just get them nice and tight.

The spindle nut has to be removed to replace the rotors on many cars, but not the S2000, as Elistan stated. If that nut did have to be removed, then the guys at the shop would have a valid point. I've actually cracked a breaker bar trying to get a spindle nut off on an old car I had years ago.

Turning the rotors? That's a judgement call. If the faces aren't grooved you can probably get away with just installing them as-is, assuming they have no warp. Many people would never change rotors without turning them (but I'm not one of those people). You can always install them and if you get any brake chatter, then take them back off and have them turned. BTW: Hand-sanding the rotor faces does no good, except to remove cosmetic rust.

There are some insecure garage mechanics out there that want you to believe that changing rotors is something that has to be done by a "Pro". But just because they get paid to fix cars doesn't mean that they are experts. Changing rotors takes little more than common sense, a basic understanding of the process, and some brute force (or air tools). I wouln't say that anyone could do a brake job or a rotor change, but if you're mechanically inclined, go for it.

bazaar

ttang,
I replaced my stock rotors with Spugen drilled/slotted and it took about an hour. I used the impact driver Elistan described to remove the philip screws. The hardest part was trying not to skin your knuckles when removing the calipers. If you don't have a lift (I didn't), you've got to get into an awkward position to get enough leverage to loosen the bolts.
E