Okay, I got the damn bolts off. I used the tire iron that came with X. Appears to fit. For the other side, I slipped the jack handle into the tire iron for more leverage. That side came off much easier.

That said, I'm stuck on the passenger side rotor screws. I've dosed them with WD40 about 10 times in the last hour, and I've broken 2 impact screwdriver heads! Crap. I'm getting worred I'm gonna strip the screws. I'm probably going to buy new screws in the morning. That, along with new set of impact screwdriver bits.

Crap, crap, crap! So close, yet so far!

 

Woohoo! Success. With my last impact screwdriver bit, I managed to get the two f#$@'n rotor screws off. Not sure if it was the WD40 soaking for an hour or the fact that I hammered the impact screwdriver bit into the screw before I attached the handle. Then, with one good whack, it came off. Same goes for the other screw. I also found a suggestion online to whack the head of the screw a few times with hammer to loosen it. By 12:30am I was getting frustrated and desperate.

Also, I didn't even notice that the Brembo rotors came with new rotor screws until I grabbed the second rotor. I went ahead and used the new screws for both sides.

So, some common sense tips when changing rotors that I've learned...
(1) Always have a can of WD40 handy.
(2) Make sure you have breaker bar or long 18" handle for your ratchet to get the 19mm bolts off of the caliper assembly.
(3) Make sure you get the direction of the impact screwdriver correct...and maybe keep some spare bits lying around.
(4) Tap the head of the impact bit into the screw with a hammer, *then* attach the handle. Then, after (3), give it a good whack.
(5) Wear gloves.
(6) Download as many pictures, instructions, tips, resources from this site (and others) before starting.

I started 8:30pm Friday night. It's now 1:49am Saturday morning....but it's done! Test drove it around the area 8-9 miles. Feels good. No clunk. No vibration during breaking like the old warped rotors.

 

"PB Blaster" or similar works much better than WD-40 when you are trying to loosen a rusted on bolt/part. I do not understand how you are damaging the impact bit. Are you trying to use it without the impact wrench?

G

 

Yeah, those bolts are never easy. They're put on with more torque than your lug nuts, and usually left in much longer.

I've gotten them off in the past (at home) by putting a 2-foot pipe over a breaker bar (lifetime warranty, of course ) and slamming my foot down on it. When I have access to a lift, I do the same pipe trick but lift the car enough so I can hang off the pipe - that gets the bolts every time.

PB Blaster is definitely a good idea. Any real 'penetrant' will be better than WD40.

EDIT: And for those that turn up this thread searching for ways to remove a rotor that's rusted or seized to the hub - don't smack it! Put a piece of wood across your lug bolts (put your nuts partly back on so you have a larger surface to rest the wood on) and use two C-clamps. Tighten each side until the rotor pops off. In really bad cases, you'll warp the rotors and have to replace them, but that will happen with hammering as well, and you save your wheel bearings.

 

One other tip that worked for me: use a two pound sledge on the impact screwdriver instead of a regular hammer. I sprayed with WD-40, waited about 15 minutes and the screws removed easily. This worked on both the 03 mdx and 01 tl.

 

Using a large brass drift punch with a hammer directly on the rotor screw before trying to use the impact driver on them will make them break loose much easier.

And a big +1 on PB Blaster. Harder to find that WD40, but it works a lot better.

 

Now I have a lot of tools and browse a lot of toos suppliers, but do not think I have ever seen a brass drift punch. Where would you find such?

G

 

Now I have a lot of tools and browse a lot of toos suppliers, but do not think I have ever seen a brass drift punch. Where would you find such?

G

You can get them at a number of places. Sears is one: Link

 

You can get them at a number of places. Sears is one: Link

Well, Well, as many hours as I have spent browsing the Craftsman tool area I have never noticed them. Just goes to show how observant some of us are.

G

 

Or if you're lazy and can be careful not to hit the wheel studs...just forget the drift punch and use the hammer directly on the rotor screws.

 

All great advice for next time.

Note, the impact screw driver I had was from Harbor Freight. I have no idea how the bits broke/stripped, but they did. Maybe when I just tapped the screws directly with the bit, it loosened them, like SuperTech mentioned. Then, the next crack using the Impact Screwdriver got them off.

As for the caliper bolts, I think access to a breaker bar would have made my life easier. Unfortunately it was 10pm on Friday night, and I didn't have the luxury of a 24 hour Home Depot or OSH or Kragen to run to.

Thanks again for all the replies. This will be helpful for the next person that tackles this DIY.

 

Or if you're lazy and can be careful not to hit the wheel studs...just forget the drift punch and use the hammer directly on the rotor screws.

Wheel studs...that's the word. I just drew a blank for some reason trying to remember what they were called...came up with lug bolts, which are slightly different