99 camry brake disc removal

[2olforthis]

Would appreciate any feedback on removal of front brake rotor. Never done it but have researched it here and elsewhere. Looks will there is a retaining pin and screw assembly that holds the rotor on. When I remove that pin and screw-type thing, is there anything that I need to watch out for or disassemble? It looks fairly straigntforward but since I've never done it I don't want anything falling apart or disengaging that I'm not familiar with.

[Tercel GTS]

I haven't done a 99 camry yet, however most toyotas you remove the tire, the brake caliper, then the brake caliper bracket, rotor slips off. The clip/nut you are describing sounds like the cv axle nut.

[500KCamry]

Originally Posted by Tercel GTS

I haven't done a 99 camry yet, however most toyotas you remove the tire, the brake caliper, then the brake caliper bracket, rotor slips off. The clip/nut you are describing sounds like the cv axle nut.

Yep, that's how it is for a gen 1 and gen 3. The rotor is held in place by the wheel and wheel nuts. When the wheel is off, the rotor will be loose, but can't come off until the caliper is removed. If the wheel is off and the rotor is not loose, it's just mildly corroded to the drive hub. Just tap it about drive hub and it should break free.

[Mike Gerber]

Break loose the lug nuts before raising the car off the ground. The lug nuts should be 21MM, assuming it's a 4 cylinder. Now jack up the front of the car and support it securely on jack stands. Remove the tire and wheel. Remove the 2 bolts holding the caliper to the caliper mounting bracket. Those 2 bolts should be 14MM. Now remove the 2 bolts holding the caliper mounting bracket on (Toyota calls this a "torque plate"). Those 2 bolts should be 17MM. Now remove the rotor. If the rotor won't come loose with light taps, as 500KCamry mentioned above, there are 2 threaded holes near the center hub of the rotor. Thread 2 corresponding bolts in to those holes (sorry I don't remember the thread pitch) and lever the rotor off screwing in each bolt a bit and alternating from one to the other. That's what those 2 bolt holes are for.

Good luck.

Mike

[500KCamry]

Mike,

Thanks for the tidbit about the two rotor holes, learn something new every day.

[2olforthis]

Thanks for the advice. the pin that holds in what looks like a treaded cap seems to hold the rotor on. It looks as if the rotor would not come off without this assembly being removed. However, I could be wrong and since I won't be taking the system apart for about a week, I really don't know. Appreciate the feedback. BTW, its a 99 V6.

[Riggs]

My brother-in-law is a mechanic, and the best way he's found to remove a stuck rotor is to literally smack the rotor body with an impact hammer (or a heavy hammer if you lack the pricey tool). That's what worked for me and my brake job!

Two notes of warning:

1) Do Not hit the rotor edge (the part that the brake pads press against). Hit the actual body of the rotor between the bolts.

2) Do Not hit the screw posts on the hub! The best thing to do is protect them with the tire lug nuts if you're swinging a hammer (that's why an impact hammer works best). You'll probably have to hit the rotor about 20-30 times with a decent hammer.

[CrawlingEye]

so long as you don't live near salt water, it should just come right off.
where I live, we get cold (sometimes 0 degree days) winters and hot summers (100+ degree days), but amongst all of this, my rotors still fall right off when the caliper comes off.

[Riggs]

Originally Posted by CrawlingEye

so long as you don't live near salt water, it should just come right off.

During the winter in the midwest, salt water comes to you!

[Mike Gerber]

Using the 2 threaded screw holes in the rotor is a much safer way to remove a stuck rotor. YMMV.

Mike