I am changing rotors and pads on my montero. Should the rotor come out when you take the caliper off. Or do you need to remove the bearing. I have removed the caliper but the rotor does not want to come out. Any help will be appreciated.

 

You will find the front different from the rear. I can only speak from my 92. The rears may have separate shoe parking brakes so the rotor is a disk and drum combined. This should be easy for you to determine by looking at the design of the rotor. If it has shoe parking brakes you will more than likely need to loosen the parking brake shoes first by the adjuster through the backing plate. You then may need to remove two machine screws that could hold the rotor/drum to the axle, they will be easliy visable on the outside of the drum. Some drums come with threaded holes that allow you to use a small bolt to turn against the axle and separate the rotor/drum from the axle. I usually tap lightly with a hammer to loosen rust as I pull the drum/rotor off.

The fronts will be much different because of the hubs. On mine I determined that the front rotors did not need service so I just hammered and did some filing on the outside edges to remove the rust which also made installing the new pads easier. If there was no metal to metal wear on the rotors you may get by just replacing pads and possibly turning the rotors. But you should use the opportunity to clean the rear parking brake shoes and assembly even if you do not need new rotors. I would not recommend cheap $40 rotors if you plan to keep the truck for some time. The cheap aftermarket ones tend to warp easily. NAPA usually has a choice. When I did my rears last I had to replace one rotor which for the good kind was about $100. I had the other turned for $15. If you had no brake shimmy in the front and the rortors are OK I would just put new pads on. I also rebuilt my calipers for 1/2 the cost of rebuilt replacements using a Mitsubishi OEM kit. It's not hard if you have some mechanical background and a manual of some sort. You will need a hone to polish the inside of the piston cylinder as well as a couple more inexpensive tools. The hard part may be getting compressed air to blow the piston out of the caliper. Get a manual and you will see. When I put everything back together I use anti-seize compound between the rotor and the hub so that removing is much easier, also between the wheel and the hub so they don't rust together. Why do you think you need new calipers?

 

Any idea if special tools are needed to turn the front? Person selling vehicle was hesitant to do more than replace shoes because did not want to run into biggger problems re buy a new tool or longer job..

 

Do you have full size Montero or Montero Sport? I can't tell you about Sport, but on the '01 full size Montero rotors come off without having to disassemble the hubs.
For the front brakes you'll need to remove the caliper (2 bolts) then the bracket holding the pads (2 more bolts). You have to remove the the bracket in order to remove the rotor (not enough clearance otherwise). Then look for a small screw on the inside part of the rotor (i believe it is a philips head). It might be rusted up and hard to remove. If you can't remove it - drill it out. If rotor does not come off easily at this point, use two bolts of the same size (metric, possibly 6(?)mm). Screw them into the two holes on the rotor. Work both bolts evenly and try to dislodge the rotor from the hub. If this is the first time rotor is coming off, it can be tough. Rotor can be pretty well "attached" to the wheel hub by rust and dirt. But it will pop off eventually.
Rear rotors are similar to this, but you do not need to remove the bracket, just the caliper.

What is the reason for you wanting to turn the rotors? Are they warped? If so, turning rotors may not be worth the effort. I had a warped rotor and had it turned in the shop. The brake pulsation came back shortly after. Apparently the rotor got heat stressed and was continuing to warp in the same spot again and again. I went ahead and replaced all rotors with the new PowerStop kit from RockAuto Parts Catalog. The kit has new rotors and pads (part #K2755) These work beautifully and my Monty stops like a dream. I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

I have a problem with my 2001 Montero XLS rear brakes. I took her to the shop - the backend was shuddering when I slowed the vehicle with the brakes. Yes, you would immediately think "warped rotor". The shop replaced brakes on all fours. A few weeks later, I felt the shuddering again. It only happens after I have been driving for about 15 minutes or more, is my guess. Never when just going to the grocery story a mile away.
I took it back to the shop, and the mechanic said he took the rear tires off and lubed up the calipers. Next week I noticed the shuddering again, and called the mechanic. He mentioned that it might be the master cyclinder. I'm wondering if it could be something simpler, such as a faulty caliper or maybe the hose?
If it was the master cylinder, would it only make one rear (drivers side rear) brake "drag"? It appears as if the caliper is always squeezing down on the disk, since the disk gets HOT... over 100 degrees hotter than the other side. I can smell the brakes after 15-20 minutes of driving. I can splash some water on the rim and it poofs away in the form of steam like a hot pancake griddle with water on it.
My question is this: Could it be the master cyclinder, or is it likely the caliper? Has anyone else had this issue?

 

It sounds like you may have some issue with the caliper. Two possibilities:
1. The cylinder in the caliper is corroded or frozen, so that it engages when you press the brakes, but does not retract sufficiently when pressure is released.
2. Corroded caliper guide pins. This would result in caliper not centering on the rotor and possibly constantly engaging the rotor.

Also, don't spray water on the hot rotor to test it. You'll heat shock the metal and weaken it as well as increase likelihood of further rotor warping.