2007 camry rear brake rotor removal

hi all

what's the trick to remove rear brake rotors on 2007 Camry? it's a hybrid, but should be no diff from regular model.
i think, it's because of the internal parking brake hold, that i can't remove them, but they felt pretty solid on hubs, even after few good whacks with mallet. parking brake pads usually allow some wiggle, those rotors feel bolted to the hubs. it's only 50K miles, i don't believe they rusted to hubs so badly on both sides.

thank you.

"i think, it's because of the internal parking brake hold,"

Excuse the question, but you don't have the parking brake applied, do you?

If not, there should be 2 threaded holes in the hub of the rotor. Thread 2 corresponding bolts in to those 2 holes and lever the rotor off. If it's rusted to the hub, it will come off with a popping sound. (I believe the threads are M8 X 1.25 thread pitch.)

Mike

no, parking brake was not engaged.

i know those threaded holes. unfortunately, my experience with them is - threads are so low profile that they strip right away. so, i did not even touch them.

i had similar experience with Honda and Mitsubishi rotors, they rust to the hub, but i always managed to mallet them off with few whacks. at 50K miles, it should not be that much of a trouble. i guess, i'll try 2x4 as protection and take sledge to them.

but, it a principle, there is nothing else holding them in place? hidden bolts, things of that nature?

what is rubber grommet with a rectangular slot in it for? considering both rotors spin quite freely, parking pads do not seize them, but is it a release for parking pads of some sort?

you see, there is no haynes or such for that year yet.

spray the hubs then use the bolts in hub

no, parking brake was not engaged.

i know those threaded holes. unfortunately, my experience with them is - threads are so low profile that they strip right away. so, i did not even touch them.

i had similar experience with Honda and Mitsubishi rotors, they rust to the hub, but i always managed to mallet them off with few whacks. at 50K miles, it should not be that much of a trouble. i guess, i'll try 2x4 as protection and take sledge to them.

but, it a principle, there is nothing else holding them in place? hidden bolts, things of that nature?

what is rubber grommet with a rectangular slot in it for? considering both rotors spin quite freely, parking pads do not seize them, but is it a release for parking pads of some sort?

you see, there is no haynes or such for that year yet.

once you remove that rubber grommet that should give you access (after rotating the cover, use flashlight to see) to a star wheel. you can adjust the parking brake tightness with it (using 2 flat screw drivers, one to pry up the bar and the other to turn the star wheel), one way to tighten and the other to loosen it. might be that your parking brake pads (they are really tiny) are set too snug.

with 2007 car it should not be any rust or so (yet), so probably that's what holding the rotor tight.

solaras are beautiful vehicles,

rotor spins freely on the hub, so unless there is an inner ridge that locks on parking brake pads, that should not be holding it. plus, shouldn't there be at least some play on parking pads? and there should not be any ridge for 07 anyway. unless it's designed to be held in place by parking pads.
this rotor feels solid. basically, like as if there's a bolt or something holding it in place.
indeed, for 07 there should be no rust. but let me think... i had 04 CRV that i had to turn rotors way too often, every 30-40K miles, and i had to hammer rotors off the hubs every time. RUST.

i'll get them off one way or the other. i do not want to break something though. it seriously feels very solid on the hub.

solaras are beautiful vehicles,

rotor spins freely on the hub, so unless there is an inner ridge that locks on parking brake pads, that should not be holding it. plus, shouldn't there be at least some play on parking pads? and there should not be any ridge for 07 anyway. unless it's designed to be held in place by parking pads.
this rotor feels solid. basically, like as if there's a bolt or something holding it in place.
indeed, for 07 there should be no rust. but let me think... i had 04 CRV that i had to turn rotors way too often, every 30-40K miles, and i had to hammer rotors off the hubs every time. RUST.

i'll get them off one way or the other. i do not want to break something though. it seriously feels very solid on the hub.


thank you :) My wife and I fell in love with Solaras some time ago, amazingly comfy cars too :)

I am not familiar with 07 camry rear brake setup, but I would think it doesn't really differ much from earlier generation. I can't see anything in 07 camry diagrams except for 2 bolts holding caliper mounting bracket to the dust shield... so maybe the rotor got rusted badly to the hub after all ?

try giving it a few bangs with a rubber mallet ... or get those bolts as mentioned above to fit the service holes. not sure what they are but most likely M6x1.0 should do.

yeah, it's pretty. and they have solara based lexus, that one is even more curvatious. and you can get them with zippy V6 manual.

mallet did not do much. i seriously recall taking sledge to those CRV rotors, and it was only about 6 mth in use (I did 54K miles year one on it). there was a film of rust between hub and rotor. worked just like a super glue.

i don't even want to bother with those threaded holes. they are a joke. threads are maybe .5mm profile, there is no way that will work. if mallet did not do the trick, it's 4x4 and sledge hammer time.

but it's not so much a burning issue now. rotors were heavily glazed, and i sanded it off without removing them. access to the rear side was quite ok through the dust shield cutout. front was a breeze. i'll sit on this till spring time, and then check with buddy, he has alldata access, to make sure there is not a hidden bolt or something, then will simply whack them off.

thank you.

I agree the holes don't look like much but it's just enough to break the bond between hub and rotor...and once you get it off you can coat the faces with anti-seize.

Before you thread in the bolts, remove the very edge of the end thead with a file or sandpaper. This is because as you tighten down the bolts, the end of the bolt can deform slightly against the hub face and make bolt extraction more difficult or damage the rotor's threads. Using Class 8.8 bolts might prevent this.

After spraying the hub face down with penetrant, thread the two bolts in, and tighten them slowly one at a time. Eventually the force will be enough to pop it loose.

Once you get it loose, take a rust removal wheel or wire brush to the faces and then apply some antiseize.

oh, yeah, bay! anti-seize - and A LOT of it - that's what CRV had.

i have perfect bolts for the job.i have 8mm hex head bolts that we use to attach prosthetic componentry to the socket. leading edge is already beveled, and they are made out of some hosh posh heat treated metal.

SHINY. i know it'll fail, i'll give it a shot just for JDM's satisfaction.

Yes, your sacrifice woiuld please me.

Ah, last thought...try to wire brush the hub part that sticks out in the center. Rust can form around that and also prevent the rotor from coming off.

yes, Master Rustbuster, dust at your feet here is to please you.

just kidding. why would i use wire brush? i have power tools. i have accumulated enough tools to run a repair shop easy. all i need is a nice lift, knees start giving on me.

Agreed, power is always better. But with the wheel studs in the way, I find it's hard to maneuver a power wheel in between to get the flange and the side of the cental nub that sticks out (dunno what it is really called). I've had wheels and drums get hung up on that center part due to rust. That's why I suggested the wire brush.

And I 100% agree on a lift...knees or no knees, I'd take one in a heartbeat to get off the cold garage floor!

Good luck!