Howto change front disc rotors?

[TonySS]

I'm the proud owner of a 2000 Kia Pride here in Sweden (=Ford Festiva). Unfortunately I have to replace both front disc brake rotors because they are in bad condition, rusty and warped. I would be happy for any advice or suggestion on how to to do the repair! (I don't have Haynes repair manual and I was told it was discontinued).

Regards,
Tony

[darkdan]

Not hard at all.

Jack car up. Remove wheels. You'll find (I believe) 2 bolts that hold the caliper to the hub. Remove those and tie the caliper up so it doesn't hang from the brake line (I tie it to the spring). Undo two screws that hold the rotor on. Clean new rotor. Put new rotor on. Take some large c-clamps or a large channel locks and squeeze the caliper open so it will fit over the thicker rotor. Replace everything.

Unless something horrible goes wrong....maybe an hour tops.

Might want to check your pads while you're at it. They're cheap, go ahead and replace them.

[b3 madness]

^^Dang, I wish our Festiva rotors were so easy!!!

[darkdan]

In case of extreme rust.....hit it with a hammer a few times.

[TonySS]

Hmm... bought new rotors and jacked up the car only to find that the rotors are bolted to the hub from the inside. So I suppose I have to remove the center bolt and remove both the hub and rotor as a unit to start with. How hard is it to change rotors on a Festiva as "b3 madness" mentions? Seems like my Kia Pride unfortunately have the same design :-(

[WmWatt]

You might be better off switching to the newer wheels. I think the ones off the Aspire fit (someone here can correct me on that) and do not have the pressed hubs. Actually I'd like to know about this myself as I would prefer to change front wheels if possible when the time comes, rather than mess with pressed hubs. If the Aspire wheels can be substituted is there anything else that has to change, eg tie rods, etc.?

[FestYboy]

wait, guys, he has the euro festiva... it has nothing in common with ours unfortunately. TonySS, try finding a haynes manual on hyundai accents, they have the same brake setup you do and there should be instructions on how to do it in the book.

on OUR festivas, the center nut is 29mm and the inner bolts are 12mm (back side of the hub)

[TonySS]

Yes I have the "euro Festiva" but I think the brake setup actually is the same as on the Festiva. The center nut is 29 mm so in this respect it's seems to the same as yours. Havent been able to measure the inner bolts yet ;-).

I believe the Haynes manual have been discontinued, but maybe I can find one on eBay. Does anyone know if it's possible to change the pressed on rotors at "home"?

[darkdan]

ah!

I figured it was the same as an aspire.

[FestYboy]

I believe the Haynes manual have been discontinued, but maybe I can find one on eBay. Does anyone know if it's possible to change the pressed on rotors at "home"?

yes you can do it at home, i did and there's no actuall pressing involved, you just need a large hammer.

Arty

[miami man]

hey tonyss. what city in sweden you live in. i know someone that lives in karlstad.

[TonySS]

I'm from a little village outside the town of Nykoping on the Swedish eastcoast. Think it might be about 170 miles east of Karlstad ;-). Managed to change disc rotors today. After removing the center nut (29mm, a bit odd dimension) and the brake calipers I had to use a rather heavy lead-hammer to get the hub off. Otherwise it went rather smoothly. And the best of it all; the Kia feels like a different car to drive (and brake) now. Old rotors were badly rusted on the inside making the car vibrate/pulsate during braking. Now it runs as new again ;-)

Thanks for advice and encouragement!