so, i'm looking at rotors, and i can't figure out what to get....i know that one of my wheels only has 4 lug nuts because one of the bolts snapped off, so now my question is why does this rotor not have bolts: these ones do:
now i know that one is a rear rotor and one is a front, does that have anything to do with it? the bolt snapped on the front passenger side, so if i order the front rotor does it always come with the bolts on it?
and last but not least how do you install these, they just bolt right in?
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04:00 PM
PFF
System Bot
Xanth Member
Posts: 6886 From: Massachusetts Registered: May 2006
Okay, I've never done them but I just bought them for my dad. One of the pairs of rotors is actually a Hub/Rotor combo, hence including the studs. The other pair is a normal rotor that slips right on.
I've never done that job though so don't know the details, I believe you want to replace the bearings along with the hub/rotor one. I don't remember if they're the front or rear.
Edit: The front ones are the combo and will include the Studs. The rears do not include studs, and just slide on in place of the old ones. I'm sure plenty of people here have done it and can be more helpful.
[This message has been edited by Xanth (edited 12-27-2007).]
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04:06 PM
luvin_my_fiero Member
Posts: 437 From: sneads ferry,nc usa Registered: Feb 2005
the one with studs is the front for 84-87,i think the fronts on the 88 have a front hub/bearing assembly similiar to the rears on 84-87. the one without studs is for the rear,once you remove the caliper,they just slide onto the hub.
From what I've found, you also should do the front bearings, and inner and outer bearing seals. Sounds like a bit of work. Do you have a Haynes or Chiltons manual?
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04:20 PM
shermdizzle Member
Posts: 375 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Aug 2007
if you are getting new front rotors, order inner and outer bearings(the should come with the races) and order the wheel bearing seals. if you have never done this before, you should get a manual. you will need to pack the bearings with grease and install them in the correct sequence. i think yout torque the hub nut to 25 ft lbs while turning then back it off and then tighten hand tight. at any rate, get a manual and go from there.
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04:25 PM
Xanth Member
Posts: 6886 From: Massachusetts Registered: May 2006
Fraid all I know is what I've read from the Forum. I've never had to deal with the bearings and seals on the earlier model rotors, the 88's are easy slide on/off. A manual will definitely help, since rotors are a common job the manual should cover it fairly well.
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04:43 PM
3.8 SC Member
Posts: 577 From: On the Great Lakes-Ohio Registered: Dec 2003
The races that everyone is talking about, are the harden, tapered sleeves that the bearings ride on. If you look inside your old hub, you will see them. BTW, you can buy, just the stud "bolt". Tap the remaining head out of the rotor and install the new one, using a few washers and the lug nut. you do not need to buy a new rotor.
Ok, the '87 and back Fieros have a different hub design in the front than the '88 Fieros. The earlier design has a rotor with the bearing hub built into it as one piece, that's why the part with the wheel studs is part of the rotor assembly. It's all one iron casting. The bearings themselves consist of the bearing rollers, the outer bearing races (the hardened parts the bearing rollers actually roll on) which are pressed into the hub/rotor casting, and the inner races which fit on the spindle. A big nut holds the entire assembly together on the spindle.
The rear bearing assembly on all Fieros is the same, it's a self-contained cartridge that bolts to the knuckle and it has a flange with the five wheel studs mounted in it. The rotor has five holes in it to clear the studs and simply fits over the studs and against the flange. The wheel, when bolted in place, sandwiches the rotor and holds it in place.
In '88 Pontiac went to the cartridge design for the front bearings and made the rotor separate like the rears. In fact, on '88 models the rotor is the same for all four corners of the car.
Broken wheel studs are routine to purchase and fairly easy to replace.
In the pictures at the top the upper picture is of a pre-'88 rear rotor (solid, no vents) and the lower picture is a front pre-88 rotor/hub assembly. BTW, normally when you purchase rotor/hub assemblies they should come with the outer bearing races already pressed in place, but if not it's not a big deal to get that done.
JazzMan
[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 12-27-2007).]
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05:34 PM
AutoTech Member
Posts: 2385 From: St. Charles, Illinois Registered: Aug 2004
I agree, if you are replacing the fronts, you will want to replace the bearings and seals as well. Make sure you pack them correctly and use enough grease. You also dont want to over-tighten the spindle nut, and having it to loose isnt a good thing either. Make sure you wipe down the rotors with some brake clean before you install them, this removes the protective film that will get soaked into your pads if not taken off.
As noted above, packing the bearings correctly is CRITICAL. Whether you replace them or not, if you pull the hub then pack the bearings. The correct way to do this - if you don't have a special tool - is to: 1) Put the grease in the palm of your hand. 2) With the other hand, drag the bearing through the grease with force, squeezing the grease up through the crack at the *ends* of the bearing. Rotate the bearing as the grease gets squeezed out of the rollers. 3) Repeat this untill the grease is squeezed into & out of the entire bearing. 4) Smear a liberal coat of grease on each race before installing. If you just coat the rollers from the outside, they will run dry & burn out the bearings. You know you've done it right if the grease is completely squeezed out of all the rollers, & the palm of your hand is sore. HTH, ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver"
[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 12-27-2007).]
