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Doing front brakes and replacing the rotors on a 1993/94 geo metro; URGENT
Topic Started: Oct 23 2011, 05:15 PM (5,089 Views)
hacksandmods365
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How do you remove the rotor on a 93/94 geo metro? There is a hub nut(i believe thats what its called) that its attached directly to the axle? What do I do to get that off so I can remove and replace the rotor?
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1DCGUY
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Don't be a "Richard"

A slide hammer is your best bet after you take the axel nut off.
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Deleted User
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What 1DCGUY says. I use an impact wrench to remove the axle nut.
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Rowbear
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not sure about 93/94 but the axle nut on a 95 is keyed (in a way) so I have to take a small flat head screw driver or chisle to pry the pinched part out, then I can remove the nut with a larger breaker bar
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Coche Blanco
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Geo Glenn
Oct 23 2011, 05:50 PM
What 1DCGUY says. I use an impact wrench to remove the axle nut.
I need to find a better impact wrench...I can't get mine off for ****.
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hacksandmods365
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Thanks guys I got it off with a impact wrench, and took the rotors off with a slide hammer.... took a lil bit of time though since they were rusted.... But I just wanted to say I love my geo the parts are so easy and fairly easy to work on :)
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Alpine
1020cc G10 GOML

what size is the nut on a 95?

sorry for hijack
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Deleted User
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Do not loose or forget to reinstall the spacer that goes against the outer bearing.
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Stiffchezze
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Sir Metrologist

Glad you got it off hacksandmods365.
I've ALWAYS had success with those axle nuts with my trusty craftsman two foot 1/2" breaker bar and a 6 foot piece of pipe over the top of it. Heck, most times I don't even have to unstake the nut! :D
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GeoPete
AAS Auto Technology past ASE Master Tech

When it goes back together use anti-seize compound liberally. When you take it apart later, you won't need to use extraordinary measures.
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dealmond
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GUIDE TO 1993 GEO (and earlier) FRONT ROTOR REMOVAL (it's more than meets the eye):

I just took off the front brake rotor of my 1993 Geo XFI 2-door because the pads had worn down the rotor such that there was a lip formed at the outer and inner edge of the rotor which was making a woo-woo-woo sound when driving and this sound was really bugging me. This guide applies to 1994 and earlier models, I THINK it's a different repair after 1994.

This is not a trivial repair, and I want to summarize the removal as this nor any other thread/guide that I could find contains a single, unified guide and many leave out some key points. Perhaps I have missed something, but I read a lot of threads, guides from other sites, Chilton manual, etc. and none of them told the whole story. Caveat: I'm not going to go into removing the tire, removing the caliper and hanging it, etc. -- I'm kind of assuming you are at least an intermediate mechanic and/or can find this info elsewhere.

This is wordy, not so much due to the repair itself but because of these non-trivial steps, read on...
---------------------------

Before starting, some points on parts/tools:
--PARTS: THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT ROTORS in 1993: a slotted, robust rotor and a non-slotted smaller one (about $20 vs. $10). Check the edge of the rotor, to tell -- at O'Reily's this got confusing and they told me the CANADIAN-built model used the slotted, American unslotted. I found my Canadian made model used the latter, (again proving the adage: Always bring in the used part to match to the new one) The different rotor design may be because in 1993 they changed the model mid-year.

-- TOOLS needed, ie unusual tools, but that can be borrowed at O'Reily's (get them back w/i 2 days or you have to buy them):
1. A 30 mm 1/2" drive socket.
2. A 1/2" drive breaker bar (or 3/8" breaker w/ 1/2" converter -- I did this, but it's dicey as you might shear the converter). Most people own a BB -- you'll have to have one for this repair, or a pneumatic ($$$) or impact wrench ($$).
3. A slide hammer, (SH) as mentioned in many threads, also borrowable from O'Reily's AND you also need to borrow a "Front wheel drive hub puller" (FWDHR) and these are TWO separate tools -- some kits may have both, O'Reily's didn't.

THE REPAIR:
1. Loosen tire lug nuts, per usual, then loosen slightly, but don't remove, giant 30mm axle nut, all this BEFORE jacking up the car. (This is precisely the kind of thing people leave out -- try loosening a 30mm staked nut AFTER you have jacked up the car and removed the tire. Yes, you could loosen the nut after removing the wheel but before removing the caliper by having a friend apply the brakes to fix the hub, so if you do it this way, add "a friend" to your tool list). Use the breaker bar/30mm socket as mentioned. It's a staked nut, but ignore the staking, the nut will loosen w/o messing with the staking.

2. Jack up the car, remove tire, caliper (don't hang the caliper up high, rather as low as the brake hose will allow, will explain in a sec.); then remove the 30mm bolt.

3. Now remove the 4 hub-retaining bolts (14mm) -- AGAIN, this is something people say like it's as easy as pie -- it's not. Just like the 30mm nut above, once you have the tire off how are going to loosen these bolts since the axle will just spin as you torque the bolts??? (You could apply the front brakes again by leaving the caliper on until step 3, I suppose, and then remove the caliper, but again you need another body to do this).
Since I was alone what I did was put a wood block (actually a stack of 2x6's) under the rotor edge and eased off the jack slowly until the rotor edge started to cut into the wood to thus fix the hub/rotor. Then it was easy to remove the bolts -- they weren't torqued too high. (n.b. This is why I had to hang the caliper low -- when the car moves down to engage the wood-to-rotor, the wheel-well, spring, or other structure, can contact the rotor and rip off the brake hose. God help you if this happens.)

3. Now comes the glorious slide hammer (SH): Mount the FWDHR to two of the wheel studs using two lug nuts -- pic would help, but once you have the FWDHR in hand you'll see how. Then thread the male end of the SH into the female center of the FWDHR. Slam away pulling off hub. (You'll notice the axle-end is splined and this is why (I think) you need the SL -- it's a tightly fitted configuration).

4. Then pull off the rotor. DONE.

(Having done all this you can also: rebuild the caliper (seals, etc.), replace the pads, pull the steering knuckle in order to do the front bearings -- but the latter is also not a trivial repair, and I might do it, except the wrecking yard owner/friend who sold me the car told me with these light cars the bearings rarely give out, and that the sound of bad bearings is much more awful than the "woo-woo" I was hearing, "grinding" was the word he used...).

Regards,
E-mail any questions:
davidalmond2@gmail.com




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Woodie
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Very nice write up, thanks

dealmond
Oct 20 2012, 05:38 PM
Before starting, some points on parts/tools:
--PARTS: THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT ROTORS in 1993: a slotted, robust rotor and a non-slotted smaller one (about $20 vs. $10). Check the edge of the rotor, to tell -- at O'Reily's this got confusing and they told me the CANADIAN-built model used the slotted, American unslotted. I found my Canadian made model used the latter, (again proving the adage: Always bring in the used part to match to the new one) The different rotor design may be because in 1993 they changed the model mid-year.
There was no American, Canadian build option, all were built in Ontario Canada except for the convertibles which were built in Japan. That's your difference, all Metros were built at CAMI with the frightening 12" wheels/tires/solid brakes. The convertibles were built in Japan and were configured like all the rest of the Swifts, 13" wheels/tires and much safer, ventilated disks.


Edited by Woodie, Oct 21 2012, 06:44 AM.
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moyermason92
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Hello, I have a question about the axle nut. Is it reverse threaded? This is giving me a really hard time.
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Good bye


Everything is right hand thread on these cars. It helps if you can knock the staked part back out before you remove the big nut. Swap sides if you have both sides off and you can stake the nut in a new spot.
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moyermason92
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Right hand as in 'lefty loosy, righty tighty'? Sorry, I'm only 22 and a very amateur mechanic.
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