How do I replace the front brake rotors?

[VehiGAZ]

check the preload with a fishing scale.

Um, huh?

[JHarris1385]

Man this makes me love my mechanic evenmore. He only charged me $25 to repack my front bearings.

[Kenny]

Um, huh?

It shows it in the planetisuzu guide and maintenance manual.
Easy to do.

[Rooster]

Just did my brakes today. What a PITA...

Not hard, but my VX has been sitting for some time and a good coat of rust settled in..

[CowboyErik]

What are the benefits repacking bearings when swapping rotors; is it better to replace those also?

[Ldub]

What are the benefits repacking bearings when swapping rotors; is it better to replace those also?

All lubricants break down with time/use.
Examine the bearings upon disassembly/cleaning, if there is any sign of scorching (brown-almost black discoloration on the rollers), they should be replaced.(I found new @ Auto Zone)
Some replace bearings every time they are due for repacking (every 30-40k), because they aren't THAT expensive, & since you already have it all apart anyway, why not.
Any bearing that is replaced, should also have a new race, the part that the bearing contacts inside the hub, all new bearings come with a new race.

Always replace the seals.

[TheGanzman]

Pardon the dissenting opinion about replacing the wheel bearings from an "old school" wrench...

Check your "country of origin" on those shiny new wheel bearings from Auto Zone or the like - my bet is they'll be from "a country not KNOWN for their wheel bearing technology" to put it nicely. Now check the country of origin on your OEM wheel bearings - Ahhhh...

My own experience w/front wheel bearings is that as long as they've had reasonable access to proper lubrication for their life SO far, as long as the bearing seal has never been "violated", as long as they haven't seen contaminants/water intrusion, their useful life is ~200K miles with proper repacking (I personally recommend Mobil 1 synthetic grease). As previously mentioned, a proper examination is in order - evidence of rust, scoring, excessive heat, etc. is CLEARLY visible on the bearing and/or race surfaces. If they AIN'T bad, keep USIN' 'em!

I've tested the "new" bearings from Auto Zone and the like with dial indicators - they're SH*TE! I can only imagine the metallurgy of those things - can you say "recycled steel"? Sure, I knew that you could...

Just my .02, from an old geezer...

[Ldub]

Pardon the dissenting opinion about replacing the wheel bearings from an "old school" wrench...

Check your "country of origin" on those shiny new wheel bearings from Auto Zone or the like - my bet is they'll be from "a country not KNOWN for their wheel bearing technology" to put it nicely. Now check the country of origin on your OEM wheel bearings - Ahhhh...

My own experience w/front wheel bearings is that as long as they've had reasonable access to proper lubrication for their life SO far, as long as the bearing seal has never been "violated", as long as they haven't seen contaminants/water intrusion, their useful life is ~200K miles with proper repacking (I personally recommend Mobil 1 synthetic grease). As previously mentioned, a proper examination is in order - evidence of rust, scoring, excessive heat, etc. is CLEARLY visible on the bearing and/or race surfaces. If they AIN'T bad, keep USIN' 'em!

I've tested the "new" bearings from Auto Zone and the like with dial indicators - they're SH*TE! I can only imagine the metallurgy of those things - can you say "recycled steel"? Sure, I knew that you could...

Just my .02, from an old geezer...

Good point on the quality issue, last time I did mine, I found one scorched & didn't have time to wait for a new one from Merlin, so I hitched a ride to the nearest parts store...

Speaking of contaminant intrusion, I've found that "spirited" splashing through 3-4" deep puddles is enough to introduce water/mud into the hub.

Can you say "red iron range mud"? ...