Help needed: Removing driver rear rotor on 6MT

[jfritz27]

Hey all, trying to replace my rear rotors (first time doing it) on my F80, and having trouble getting the rear driver rotor off. All required hardware is off. I have 6MT and parking brake is disengaged. The rotor appears loose in that there's inducible play and it can wiggle about the studs a small amount, but I can't pull it away from the hub, it feels like something is still tethering it somehow. Is there anything that has to be done with the parking brake to get it off?

Any help appreciated, thanks

[DocL]

Give it a little tap from behind with a hammer. Sometimes rotors need a little motivation.

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by DocL

Give it a little tap from behind with a hammer. Sometimes rotors need a little motivation.

Thanks -- yeah, I tried that. It really feels quite loose, there's a decent amount of play (in CW/CCW direction, as well as slightly inward/outward), it just won't come forward off the studs. It does not feel seized due to rust.

In looking behind, is there something about the parking brake apparatus that requires the rotor to come off with a partial motion in fore/aft direction? It looks like there's a piece that hooks over the inward lip of the rotor, but it's kind of hard to see. My thought is that because of the studs being installed, they're preventing the rotor from moving in that direction and coming off. Or am I way off?

[SYT_Shadow]

It's pretty hard to pull off a rear rotor without being able to rotate it off.
I'd remove the studs if it's that stuck. The handbrake/parking brake assembly is very close to the inside rotor surface and it's never easy to get off.

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

It's pretty hard to pull off a rear rotor without being able to rotate it off.
I'd remove the studs if it's that stuck. The handbrake/parking brake assembly is very close to the inside rotor surface and it's never easy to get off.

Thanks Shadow, i was thinking this should be my next move. Will give it a try when back in the garage tomorrow morning

[DocL]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

Thanks...

I haven't removed the rotors from my M3, I was just using my experience in the past with previous cars I've done brakes on.

Sorry I can't be of any further assistance. However I'm sure there's a YouTube video out there that you can reference for it.

Good luck.

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by DocL

I haven't removed the rotors from my M3, I was just using my experience in the past with previous cars I've done brakes on.

Sorry I can't be of any further assistance. However I'm sure there's a YouTube video out there that you can reference for it.

Good luck.

Thx… did a fair amount of searching, most vids are of the same variety: generally seized/rusted, so just bang the crap out of it

Hopefully pulling the studs does the trick

[SYT_Shadow]

The handbrake is a sensitive setup, I think if you remove the studs it'll be fine without needing any hammering

[jfritz27]

OK, studs out, it's still hung up. With the studs out, I can freely get the rotor to rotate/slip about the hub, but just can't get it to detach. Here's a vid showing what the play looks like.... any ideas? I presume it has to do with the parking brake, just not sure what the fix is.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BNy...ew?usp=sharing

Edit: Can anyone confirm that the parking brake adjustment is the same as what is shown in below vid:; if so, should I try to loosen it?

[MaX PL]

I'd recommend watching Farkles video on swapping to AP BBK. He shows the OEM brake removal procedure including parking brake disassembly which you don't have to do here, and based on the video you posted, it definitely does seem like the parking brake is the culprit.

That's all I can recommend as I swapped by rotors a few months and they came right off.

@ 15:25 in this video:

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

I'd recommend watching Farkles video on swapping to AP BBK. He shows the OEM brake removal procedure including parking brake disassembly which you don't have to do here, and based on the video you posted, it definitely does seem like the parking brake is the culprit.

That's all I can recommend as I swapped by rotors a few months and they came right off.

@ 15:25 in this video:

Thanks much, problem is I'm not sure how to finagle anything related to the parking brake without getting the rotor off first. It's also weird, it seems that if it's loose enough that I can rotate the rotor around the hub, it's unclear how the parking brake is actually the thing that's still holding it on (since it exerts pressure centrifugally, right?).
I took this screen grab from Farkle's video; if anyone has any ideas where the rotor could be getting hung up, and if you're so inclined, please take this shot and circle anything that might seem like the culprit. Though not sure what I'll be able to do while the rotor is still on there -- I've resisted the temptation to really bang the shit out of it, as I'm worried that it won't solve the issue, then I damage the rotor/something else and dig myself in deeper (and car is daily driver).



Might as well officially throw up the FaRKle! signal: Oh wise one, any words of wisdom (see google video I posted above)???

Thanks again

[MaX PL]

Can you try to loosen the Allen bolts holding the parking brake assembly on through the rotor hat openings?

If you could get to that point it would push the entire assembly forward giving you the ability to see what's holding the rotor on the left and right sides.
edit: nvm this likely wouldn't push the assembly forward enough due to how much the hat is offset forward.

Also, that's 100% no longer seized to that hub if you have that much movement so I wouldn't bang on it.

[BzsBimmer]

See if you can retract the brake pad pawl adjuster and bring your pads away from the rotor hat.
You should have a dead blow mallet or another firm malleable mallet on hand to smack the rotor with so it’s not damaged.

Having done many of these in my lifetime with several manufacturers, I don’t know what else could be holding it back.

Smack that shit

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

See if you can retract the brake pad pawl adjuster and bring your pads away from the rotor hat.
You should have a dead blow mallet or another firm malleable mallet on hand to smack the rotor with so it’s not damaged.

Having done many of these in my lifetime with several manufacturers, I don’t know what else could be holding it back.

Smack that shit

Thank you -- when you say retract the adjuster, do you mean spinning the gear (circled) in the correct direction to loosen the parking brake? Or you're referring to some other trick/motion?
If so, can you/anyone confirm if this resides in the ~9 o'clock position as shown on the pic for the F80 (taken from an M2)? Actually, this pic is from the passenger side, so maybe 3 o'clock for the driver's side? When I did the passenger rear the rotor slipped right off so wasn't paying attention.

[vrptstyly]

Can't recall what position the adjusters are in between sides, but they definitely need to be backed down all the way before trying to remove the rotor.

They can be installed in either position (flipped 180*). Get a flash light in there to get a good look. To ensure your going in the right direction first adjust them all the way until it locks the rotor, then back them out the opposite direction. Mine still needed to be motivated by hammer to come off.

Good luck! Where in NJ are you? I'm at Pocono tomorrow with MoeHPDE. LMK if you get stuck.

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by vrptstyly

Can't recall what position the adjusters are in between sides, but they definitely need to be backed down all the way before trying to remove the rotor.

They can be installed in either position (flipped 180*). Get a flash light in there to get a good look. To ensure your going in the right direction first adjust them all the way until it locks the rotor, then back them out the opposite direction. Mine still needed to be motivated by hammer to come off.

Good luck! Where in NJ are you? I'm at Pocono tomorrow with MoeHPDE. LMK if you get stuck.

Hey man good to hear from you... thanks for chiming in on this. Yeah, I had to get her buttoned back up so I can get my butt to work tomorrow, but next weekend will hopefully take another crack and hopefully this is the trick. I may PM you if I get really desperate On the plus side, the Girodiscs on the front are lookin' good

I'm in Haddonfield (South Jersey). Have fun at Pocono, still haven't made it there. When are you back at NJMP?

[vrptstyly]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

Hey man good to hear from you... thanks for chiming in on this. Yeah, I had to get her buttoned back up so I can get my butt to work tomorrow, but next weekend will hopefully take another crack and hopefully this is the trick. I may PM you if I get really desperate On the plus side, the Girodiscs on the front are lookin' good

I'm in Haddonfield (South Jersey). Have fun at Pocono, still haven't made it there. When are you back at NJMP?

Yea just reach out, it's not a problem. Right your closer to NJMP.

Girodiscs are my next move, hard to pass up lifetime OEM replacements with FCP, by the stock rotors are not up for how hard I work them.

I'm looking at the July 18th date at Tbolt, and Sept 17th at Lightning. I'd prefer a few more days at Lightning, but seems all of Moe's Lightning dates this year are a conflict for me.

Good luck this weekend!!

[jfritz27]

Originally Posted by vrptstyly

Yea just reach out, it's not a problem. Right your closer to NJMP.

Girodiscs are my next move, hard to pass up lifetime OEM replacements with FCP, by the stock rotors are not up for how hard I work them.

I'm looking at the July 18th date at Tbolt, and Sept 17th at Lightning. I'd prefer a few more days at Lightning, but seems all of Moe's Lightning dates this year are a conflict for me.

Good luck this weekend!!

Thanks -- I think it's 16th at Lightning? Good chance I'll be there.

Yeah, I opted to do Giros for the front, but stick with OEM + FCP for the rears. Honestly, I'm still on the original rear rotors after nearly 50K and a bunch of track days, and there's not even a single crack that's visible. The fronts do so much more of the work. I still need to get faster, but for now this strategy seems to make good $$ sense

[jfritz27]

A couple partial turns of that adjuster cog and she fell off like butta' You learn something new every day.

Thanks for all the help fellas.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by jfritz27

A couple partial turns of that adjuster cog and she fell off like butta' You learn something new every day.

Thanks for all the help fellas.

Glad you finally got it sorted out!