Front brake disc (FS-III)

[Jackjack]

Hi All,

I was changing my front brakes last week after putting it off for months (Mk IV Golf). The pads were easy enough but there's a screw that holds the disc onto the hub and I rounded the head of it.
Should I just drill the head completely off and fit the new disc without using the screw?
If I were to drill the screw properly, does anyone know if it is going into a blind hole or not?

BTW, the brakes fitted are the FS-III type.

Cheers.

[mobitune]

Use a large enough bit that you only drill the head off, that way when you remove the disk you will be able to get at whats left with a pair of vice grips. If it's still tight, you could then weld a nut on and use a spanner to extract it. (The heat from welding will probably help loosen it too)

Good luck

Pete

[Jackjack]

Hi Mobitune,

Thanks for your advice. I don't weld but I see it'd be handy here.

I still don't know whether it would be safe to just leave the headless screw in place. Is the screw just to hold the disc in place while you bolt the wheel on?

I'll try to get it out though.

Thanks.

[TDiBoraSam]

The screw is just a locating screw and not really required. Your wheel bolts do the work of holding the brake disc firmly in place.

You can drill the screw head off and fit a new disc without using a new screw.

[globetrotter]

To remove the screw and possibly reuse or replace it try using an 'Easy out' tool. They're cheap to buy (http://search.ebay.co.uk/easy-outs_W...fnuZ1QQfromZR8).
If you are not familiar with this tool they usually come with a user guide and can save you a lot of time and effort, worth having if you do a lot of car DIY servicing.

[Jackjack]

Thanks, I hoped someone would say that, in case I can't get the stub out.

Just as long as it doesn't hold the wheels together and you're not just telling me what I want to hear...

Cheers.

[Jackjack]

Thanks, I'll check hat out. Do you drill a small hole then it 'taps' in on a CW thread?

[mobitune]

1) Easy-out's are bad news if you aren't very careful
2) ebay easy-out's heh.... the first word should give you a clue

[Jackjack]

They do look like they could expand the screw as it goes in, tightening its grip with the hole. They look snapable too if you're not dead axial with your wrench torque.

I'm not careful. That's how I rounded the screw in the first place!

Points taken. Ta.