I am in the process of replacing the ball joints on my 1996 2500 4x4 and i cant seem to get the rotor off and i have never worked on this truck before any help would be great

 

The rotor should just slide off once you have the caliper off. But, if it has never been removed before it could just be rusted on, might just need to muscle it a bit or soak it in some penetrating oil. As far as the ball joints go...they're not that hard to do, it can look intimidating at first, especially when it is your first time, but it all goes by easy and the only difficulty you might have is getting rusted parts off.

 

check and make sure there isnt little small star like clips on the studs .. might be two or three on each rotor.. they are prolly gone b/c they are usually taken off and never put back on during the first pad/rotor change

anyway.. if they are gone.. then you just gotta wack the snot out of it with a hammer on the ridge where the viens are... NOT ON THE FACE! unless you plan on replacing them... they get siezed onto the face of the hub easly.. when you do get it off .. slap a nice coat of never/anit siez on it .. make it easier for next time.

might have to use heat but thats last resort..

 

I thank u guys for the help I am going to see if i can get it to work now. thanks again!

 

if i remember correctly some of the 2500's have the rotors pressed onto the hub or something extemely stupid like that

 

The early ones were all 1 piece, also the hubs are usually rusted in tight. If you can get a couple of spare hub bolts, some times you can get an air hammer and beat the hub out that way.

 

Hold on and be careful or you will ruin something. Tani was right. The early Rams made the rotor and integral part of the hub bearing. Why, who knows. It is a real PITA to get off. Off Roadster is correct spare hub bolts or bolts to fit in the hub bolt holes are the way to go. If you don't try to tap the hub bearing/rotor assembly out from the bearing bolt side and just try to pry or pull, heat or whatever from the rotor side, you will pull the hub bearing apart. That's when a brake, ball joint or universal job starts to get expensive. I believe each bearing is around $250. I'm not saying that if you do pull the bearing apart you necessarily have to replace the bearing but you might. I speak from experience while doing my universals. I did not know that it was one piece, put a wheel puller on the "stubborn"rotor and became an instant hero in my mind when the rotor came off. Unfortunately, half of the bearing came with it, the other half stayed with the truck.

What I did on the other side after a couple of loud oh ***** was fairly easy. I got out the PB and sprayed up the square four hole block the hub bolts came out of. That's the block the bearing is pressed into. When I say pressed it is more like pushed into until it has been on for years and rust forms around the bearing and block and it becomes one. It will come off but be patient. Soak it and have breakfast. Get some old hub bolts or something similar with the same threads. (I used my hub bolts - Carefully. I'm not recommending it to you as you might damage the bolt. Mine were fine after use.) With the bolts loosely in the hub, get a hammer and tap each bolt and try to take the hub bearing out evenly so as not to **** it in the block. As it comes out a little more PB does not hurt. Keep tapping and its out in one piece. It isn't that hard once you understand it.

Napa will turn the rotor with the hub bearing attached. If you are changing the rotor you have to press or beat the lugs out of the rotor/hub flange. When you reassemble the hub bearing make sure you clean the block and hub bearing surfaces and Never Seize it. This is very important to make it a lot easier when you decide to do the universals. With that being said, Do The Universals Now, if you got the time and bucks.The are not that expensive and fairly easy to do at this point. I also did the ball joints when I took my hub bearing out. If you NS it though and now that you know how to take it apart. It will be a piece of cake the next time.

If this didn't get to you in time and you separated the rotor, carefully put it back together. Its like an outer axle bearing in a waterproof case. Someone said some guys take these apart regularly to grease them. Perhaps, as it isn't too hard to get back together. If youare a mudder, watch the bearing for water intrusion. Sometime around '99 they went back to the slip on rotor. Not sure about the date they went back.

Another method to get the hub bearing assembly out is toleave thehubbolts loose and use the power steering and a block against the bolts and frame to push the hub out. I think the tapping with the hammer evenly is the way to go.

Hope this helps. Todd