Rotor is stuck yay.

[dubber09]

I had a very stuck rotor once and hammering on the hut loosened it up. If it's hanging then the most likely reason is inside parking shoes are stuck and need to be compressed to get past the ridge that gets created due to surface wear.

 

[JTK]

I've replaced brakes and rotors more times than I can count and have beaten this to death with a metal Sledge for about 30 minutes now and the bastard rotor just won't pop off. No jokes about the lug nuts. I placed them at the end of the lug so I didn't accidentally hit them with the sledge and destroy the threads. Any ideas?

2017 QX60

Video
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gp6zARUN8Fxf2dWv6

A few weeks back I gave away a brand new, still in the box set of Detroit Axle rear rotors and pads for a 2013-2020 Pathfinder/QX60. Had them on the FB marketplace for basically nothing for over a year. Someone finally came and picked them up when I offered them for free. Fella was super nice and very grateful which was cool.

I had bought a 4-wheel kit for my 2019 Pathfinder for cheap when I owned it and only needed the fronts at the time. Never used the rears on that round of brakes.

Like the others have said, your only options are to back off the star wheel adjuster, cut, then split the rotor with a good sawzall blade, or button everything back up and drive it with the parking brake on to burn enough P-brake shoe so it clears the ridge. With all the beating you described, you are going to probably need all new parking brake hardware anyway.

I went through this with my 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe years ago. There is no access hole for the starwheel on that vintage Santa Fe. I broke most of the pins and clips on the P-brakes getting those rear rotors off. Each individual part could only be had at a Hyundai parts counter at the time. That was fun and expensive for what it was. Had I known better at the time, I would have cut/split the rotors or ran it with the P-brake on as mentioned above.

 

[Donald]

I live in rust country. I have come to hate top hat parking brakes because even if you are lucky enough to get them retracted, there’s usually a big enough rust ridge that forms on the back side of the hat. It hooks on the brake shoes and there’s no way to clean it up. Your only option is to rip it off and replace all of the parking brake parts.

I moved from Albany to DE beach area. I know all about rust country. Had my vehicles sprayed with NH Coatings. Highly advisable

Do you make it a habit to use parking brake once a month? I try and use it on the 1st of each month.

Some in the rust country take apart the brakes and clean off the rust and lube once a year. Thats the only way you will get full life of brake pads. Otherwise something rusts up and you don't realize and one pad gets all the braking action and no braking action for the other pad.

While you may think the top hat rotors with parking brake inside are a PIA, the parking brake integrated with the caliper has its issues also.

Maybe go back to parking brake as a strap around drive shaft. (Never saw one, but Dad told me about them.)

 

[IndyIan]

If you can't access the nut to back the shoes off, use both hands and rotate the rotor back and forth as you pull, or pry one side out with a bar and rotate the rotor, there is a bit of a lip on the drum and the shoes are sticking. I've never been able to back off the shoes on the Focus rear brakes but with a bit of rotation the drums come off.

 

[D60]

Can you access however the shoes are held down? Is it nails or something else??

If so, cut the heads off the nails to free the shoes from the backing plate. Maybe grind them down w a carbide bur or 2" pneumatic grinder.

Actually, freeing only one shoe would likely get you there.....

 

[slacktide_bitog]

I live in rust country. I have come to hate top hat parking brakes because even if you are lucky enough to get them retracted, there’s usually a big enough rust ridge that forms on the back side of the hat. It hooks on the brake shoes and there’s no way to clean it up. Your only option is to rip it off and replace all of the parking brake parts.

The other kind is even worse, if you don't actually use the parking brake

Rear caliper failure is so common when the parking brake is run off the rear pads/calipers. Not using the parking brake makes it worse, but even if you, you're still not immune

And of course, rust makes that failure even more common!

 

[Elkins45]

I once had to hammer off front rotors that wouldn't budge. They were rusted fast onto the hub and hammering from the inside could not get them loose. They only came off in chunks.

One of the rotors on my wife's RAV was rusted to the hub and was highly hammer resistant. I found a big bolt to slip through the caliper bracket mounting hole and stuck it through the hole with the head against the back of the rotor and a nut with a large washer against the bracket mounting point. I took a pair of wrenches and held the bolt head steady while I gradually turned the nut to press the bolt harder against the rotor. At peak stress the rotor and bracket mount were both visibly deflected. I alternated tightening the bolt and whacking the rotor with a hammer, and when it finally decided to let go it came off violently. I'm glad I left a couple of lug nuts on to catch it!

 

[Brandon Gatz]

Gents, parking brake was the issue here. Thanks for your input.

However, I rounded off one of the stuck bastard caliper bolts and could not get it out after trying for several hours, alternating a torch and PB blaster for well over an hour. Nonetheless I was able to replace the rotor and brake on that side with a little bit of patience and a lot of bit of profanity, and with one immovable bolt. Jerry rigged piece of kit now. Will follow up with update on whether my brakes seize up or fall out here in the next few days.