I didn't think anything could be easier than changing front discs and pads on a MkII Mondeo, that is until I tried it.

The disc is rusted to the hub it seems, any tips for getting it off?

I have hit it as hard as I can, with a heavy copper mallet, all around the disc and it has not budged at all. I am not sure I really want to drive it with the dents in the disc but unless I get it off, I might have to.

Any tips?

Hit it from behind with a steel hamer and keep moveing the disc it will come of

As long as there are no clippy washer things on the studs and no screws between the studs holding the disc on, then you are not hitting it hard enough

ive been there you will most likely end up with no disc left to hit go on give it another

Hit the middle of the bell with a steel hammer and it will smash eventually if it doesn't come loose then it will come off easily.

Nice to hear someone else has been there, were you as suprised as I was when it didn't come off?

I have been back out and really hit it, front and back, again and again, not a sausage.

I have put it back together in disgust.

Do you think getting it hot with a bit of a drive would help? Not that I really want to drive at all right now. of course.

quote:

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Originally posted by Peteff
Hit the middle of the bell with a steel hammer and it will smash eventually if it doesn't come loose then it will come off easily.

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I have just read this after a bit of googling.

if you are replacing the discs cut them off using an angle grinder
use a radial cut with a 9 in grinder held horizontally in line with the centre of
the disc and cut through the disc from the front
continue cutting until you reach the boss and cut 2 or 3mm into the boss
finally use a hacksaw in the slot you have cut until you have cut through
to the wheel carrier (you will see daylight at the back of the cut)
gently tap off the disc

It's only a bloody Mondeo, this is all a bit 'farmyard' for me.

Mondeo disc are well known for this. Hitting it wont help; they duild up rust behind the hud flange more than other cars and trying to knock it of just wedges it on harder.

Take a cutting disc in the angry grinder. Carefully cut accross the disc centre at a tangent to the centre, go across and behind one stud. Dont go through to the flange. Then cut around the edge of the "top hat" radially just far enough down to be behind the flange from one end of the first cut to the other. Cut right through. Now go into this slot with a big chissle and the section will break off and the disc will come free.

Sound drastic but its proved to be the quickest way. Don't cut deep enough with the first cut to go into the flange.

adrian

i wouldnt go driving it after you have beaten the crap out of the poor thing,squirt some wd40 through the wheel stud holes and have a cuppa,get a bigger hammer and continue as you were
smack it where the wheel mounts,that should break the rust

[Edited on 23/8/08 by theconrodkid]

Been there done that...

I chain drilled holes through the disc and then using the depth stop to avoid damage to the hub itself. Holes don't have to meet as once they're all drilled on one side you simly use a chisel (masonry) and a lump hammer and drive it into the slot. All the holes break through and the disc comes off.

1st one took me 4 hours of head scratching 2nd one took less than 30 minutes.

On reassembly copper grease is your friend!!!!

C

I just thrashed it with a 2lb hammer and the bell (top hat) broke, no bearing problems and the car was used for ages after. The angry grinder sounds a gentler way of achieving the same result.

It does sound drastic, but I can see why it needs to be. I stopped hitting it when I saw the what was holding it on. The rust between the outside diameter of the hub and the inside diameter of the bell, is what it looks like to me.

I cant quite follow your cutting instructons, bear with me I will do a sketch.

I cant keep up with all your replies, but they are all appreciated. I think I am grinding it Pete - it does sound gentler and I only have a 1lb hammer.

one of the granada's I took apart had sat in a field for 5 years - I had to put the hubs in a 30 ton press to get the discs off
the discs had rusted up behind the hub so there was no way they'd have come off with a hammer

[Edited on 23/8/08 by mcerd1]

First cut in red as I read your reply.


Description

Or did you mean here?


Description


[Edited on 23/8/08 by Mansfield]

Get your self a "proper" hammer . I have a 4lb long handles club hammer that I only tend to use on Mondeo discs. Have found it a waste of time trying to knock them off from behind , I tend to hit towards the center of the car at the middle of the braking surface . Keep hitting in one point until the disc breaks then keep on until the braking surface is all off . After that a few clouts will remove the part that fits over the drive flange until a small chisel can be inserted between the remaning parts. Has taken me longer to type this than it takes to remove using this method. Take care and use goggles etc. and DO NOT do this without properly supporting the car.

As in picture 2. Then around the edge below the flange so as not to go into it. Then knock out the segment. I've done dozens this way and now takes less than 10mins each.

First cut only goes across the centre, not the brake surface but not deep enough to go through to the hub flange.

adfrian

[Edited on 23/8/08 by adithorp]

Thanks for all the help.

I will post up some pictures tommorrow that hopefully wont include ones with mangled fingers.

i have had sucess using a reciprocating saw and a two legged puller.
i prefer steel saw dust to angle grinder dust and sparks.

How do you live without a 4lb long shaft block hammer?

Don't you know the saying "if at first you don't succeed use a bigger hammer"

Put the Kettle on!

Boiling water over disc and a large wack with hammer, should shift it.

Same thing happens with the late Escorts, i just kept hitting and rotating from behind.

Well I ended up using a combination of all of the suggested methods.

As it is some sort of cast iron material, it is easy to drill, brittle when hit and nice to grind.

I had every intention of grinding it off, but couldn't quite get the access I wanted. I am not a big fan of grinding in confined spaces, I always seem to lose some skin.

I started out chain drilling and beating a segment out, hacksaw down to the hub carrier and then grinding across. Several clubs with the big hammer and the 'bit' fell out. The rest of the disc yeilded but only after some heavy beating.

Thank you so much for all of your help, I had no idea it would be so awkward, but it is not too bad a job if you are prepared for it.

I only got one side done today due to domestic responsibilities, tommorrow I wont bother with the drill as it is easy enough to saw and I have already bust 2 of my favourite drill bits.


Description

[Edited on 24/8/08 by Mansfield]

[Edited on 24/8/08 by Mansfield]

Don't bother sawing or drilling just hit it with THE BIG HAMMER

My biggest hammer is 1/4 the size of yours and I dont like using that much. I have too much mechanical sympathy to use your method, but I can see how it works after doing one side. The disc just breaks if you give it enough.

Interestingly, I needed to drive the car to go and get a cold chisel to help today and all the brake judder had gone. All the bad bits on the outside of the disc had been beaten off/peined over and the car was much nicer to drive.

I have had similar probs with the Audi 80 i needed to put new disks on.

The first side came off ok with a bit of hammering. but the other took ages, we even fabricated a puller to try and get it off but no luck in the end using the biggest lump of metal and spraying wd40 on it which still didn't work, so was going to leave the WD40 on overnight before resorting to heat but luckily the red mist descended on my last go and the disk came off.

Like it was said earlier, plenty of copper grease used on reassembly.