baldy74

I am getting ready (parts, tools, etc.) to replace my front rotors and I am having difficulty understanding part of the process. When you go to remove the rotor and use the two bolts (8 x 1.25 I believe) to push the rotor back from the hub, where do you get those from? I thought I read somewhere that you can take these two bolts from somewhere else on the car in that general wheel area, but I don't know where that is. Can someone show me where those two bolts are located? TIA folks!

J Schmidt

You dont need any bolts. Knock them loose with the palm of you hand after you remove the two retaining screws, which you'll probably end up drilling out if you dont have an impact wrench.

s2000maniac

Tap them with a rubber hammer and they will get loose.

Jaids

If you do decide you want/need the bolts any reasonable hardware store will have them. If you need help there is usually a man in a smock that can direct you.

spets

Honda rotors don't really have a place to put the bolts in. it's in GM and other vehicles where the rotors have bolt holes specifically for bolts to push the rotor off.

Just remove the rotor screws and use a mallet to knock the rotor loose if its stuck.

gptoyz

those are just indexing bolts, totally useless - also PB blaster works great

if it's really stock, grab a standard screwdriver and place it perpendicular to one of the heads and give it a wack with a mallet to loosen it up

preludepatrick

HF sells a1/2" drive screwdriver socket set. Use the large Phillips socket with an impact wrench and the rotor locator screws are a piece of cake. All you need to do is remove the caliper and hang it from the spring with a piece of string/rope/metal hanger and pull the rotor off.

slalom44

The two bolts you're talking about go in the two small holes on the front of the rotor. Here is a photo of a rotor that I got from the for sale forum. Click on it to enlarge:



The two beveled holes are for the screws that hold the rotor in place (actually they can be left off). The other two holes are the holes that you can put two bolts in to help pull the rotor off. I can't remember if the stock rotors have these holes, but I think they do.

You can "borrow" the screws from your exhaust manifold heat shield (right next to the heat shield by the battery) to screw into these holes. By screwing in these bolts and tapping on the outside of the rotor, you can get the most difficult rotors removed. Keep in mind that the manifold bolts aren't high strength, so they can be easily stripped if you try torquing them down too much. Make sure you spray some PB blaster or light oil in the holes before screwing in the bolts.

baldy74

Just to be clear, I am not talking about the retaining bolts that hold the rotor in place on the assembly line. I am referring to the two bolts you can screw into the rotor to push it off the hub if it is stuck. I believe slalom44 is referring to the correct type of bolt. But I am pretty sure they are located somewhere in the wheel well area, and you can borrow them from there. I also believe they are stronger than the one's slalom44 is referring to because I believe they are intended to be "used/borrow" for this purpose and are therefore strong enough to push the rotor off. Anyone know where these are located in the wheel area?

Utah S2K

Lot's of misinformation here as you have noted. I understand completely what you are asking. First the are screws holding the rotor to the hub (can't remember how many). They can be a bitch but the right tool will make the job a breeze. Go to Lowes or HD and ask the tool guy for an "impact screw driver". Put in the appropriate Phillips insert. Read the directions to make sure when you hit it it is loosening. Insert the driver and whack with hammer (I like a dead low mallet for this). Remove the now loosened countersunk screws. Now to your bolts. You shouldn't need them for the S. If the rotor doesn't pop right off under hand pressure ( most do), use the dead blow mallet and firmly tap the rotor, rotate tap, rotate tap. Strike the rotor on the flat just above the mounting lugs. Should pop off.

Utah

P.S. In rare cases you can use the bolts system you refer to, never needed it on an S. The technique requires a bolt and two nuts. You use a shank (smooth) bolt with threaded end. Slip the shank from the inside going out toward the hub (brake caliper mounting flange). The bolt can now be slipped in and out loosely with the threaded part of the bolt touching the backside of the rotor. Pull the bolt back a bit and thread the first nut onto the threads. Spin it down a bit. Slide the bolt out more and put the second nut on halfway. The second nut is only used to increase the surface area pushing on the rotor. You now tighten the first nut down to the caliper mount. So the bolt is taught between the second nut in contact with the rotor and the first nut on the rotor side of the rotor mounting bracket. You now hold the first nut with a box end end wrench and drive the bolt head with a ratchet. Go a 1/2 turn, rotate rotor repeat.

Sorry for this long explanation but it is a very powerful piece of knowledge most mechanics don't have. I watched a guy at Master Muffler pound on a rotor for over an hour a few years back. 5 minutes to HD and 5 in their bay got me a free clutch job. None had ever seen this technique.