5inn
Senior Member
- Thread starter
- #1
At about 40k miles I noticed some pedal vibration and a consistent ring of rust around one of the rear rotors. I tried first just lubing the rear slide pins, but the rotor was too far past it. So, time to replace pads and rotors. Both were ordered cheaply from Rock Auto for about $70 delivered. It is a pretty easy DIY job with no crazy tools required for the e-brake.
I also found a great YT video showing the process here:
Tools (& parts) used:
Jack
Wheel Chocks x 4
Jack stands x 2
Breaker bar
19mm socket
Torque Wrench
#3 Phillips screw driver (for rotor screws)
Flat head screwdriver
3/8" ratchet
7mm hex socket
7mm hex key
17mm wrench
17mm socket
Caliper service kit (rentable from your favorite autoparts store. Or cheap via amazon/HF)
Brake Cleaner
Brake lubricant
Shop towels
New pads
New rotors
The process:
Assuming you know how to safely jack the car (I used the rear center jack point) and remove the rear wheels. The only thing different is to disengage the e-Brake before jacking the car up. USE WHEEL CHOCKS. I chocked both front wheels each way. Better to be safe.
Looking at my problem rotor here, you can see the ring of rust on the outer edge. The whole thing is a little rusty from sitting for a day, but the outer ring is more noticeable:
First thing is to remove the Phillips rotor screw. Hondas are pretty notorious for these being difficult to remove, but mine came out easily. I did order an impact screwdriver in case they were difficult to remove but didn't need to use the impact portion.
Next, remove the caliper slide pins and their plastic covers. I used a flat head screw driver to pop off the covers and a combination of a 7mm socket and a 7mm hex key to remove them. The top one is slightly difficult to access because of the positioning of the brake line.
Next remove the caliper spring, seen here. Just use a flat head screw driver to pop it off. My brake pads came with new springs.
With the slide pins and caliper spring removed, there's nothing holding the brake caliper on except for the pads and whatever pressure is in the brake lines. Before you remove the caliper figure out what to do with it when it comes off. It should not just dangle as that will put pressure on the brake line, and the e-brake cable/connector. I built a shelf to hold it using a bucket and toolbox.
Next just pull the caliper off. Brake pads came off with it for me. I set the caliper on my 'shelf'
Next, remove the caliper bracket bolts. They are both 17mm. Mine were put on by the hulk (probably), so I used a breaker bar to remove them. Unfortunately they're in a kind of crap position to remove them with a breaker bar.
Now you'll be left with just the rotor and some neatly arranged parts (notice that I forgot to remove the rotor screw, don't be like me):
With the rotor screw removed, the rotor should just come off. You may need to use a hammer (or something that can be used as a hammer to help it off).
Clean the new rotor using brake cleaner and shop towels.
Put the rotor on and the caliper bracket. The philiips rotor screw can go in the trash, where it belongs. They're not necessary and could be a pain to remove later.
Before putting the caliper on, we'll need to compress the piston. Some people will do this with a C-Clamp and wood, but it's better to use the proper tool as these pistons twist in. The tool is freely rented from your favorite autoparts store, but I bought mine at HF for $30. On my kit, the #6 adapter plate fit the Civic caliper piston perfectly. You want to twist the piston in, until it doesn't twist anymore. It's fairly obvious when it is fully compressed. It looks like this: (I also cleaned the rust off my piston after this photo).
Now it's time to lube the pads (in the correct places) and load them in the caliper bracket. I lube the points where the pads meet the bracket and where the pads meet the caliper. For the pads, the one with the spring goes behind the rotor. Once they're lubed and in, pull the caliper over them. Here's what it looks like together. Arrows denote spots to lube.
Next, re-install caliper slide pins. Lube them thoroughly but avoid getting lube on the threads. Install the slide pin covers/caps. Install the caliper spring, using the flat head screwdriver to help maneuver it into place.
Double check torque of the caliper bracket bolts (really tight) and slide pins (tight) and re-attach the wheel.
Repeat and reverse for the other side. Don't forget to torque the wheels once the car is on the ground.
Before putting all the tools away, I always go for a test drive to make sure nothing is amiss. Also a good time to bed the pads in. The pads I used called for 30 30mph-5mph decelerations.
In total it took me about 1.5 hours to do both sides. It was straight forward, with the only 'gotcha' being the super tight caliper bracket bolts. Thankfully I was just able to squeeze my breaker bar in.
If anyone has the actual torque specs of the caliper bracket bolts, or the caliper slide pins, please let me know!
I also found a great YT video showing the process here:
Tools (& parts) used:
Jack
Wheel Chocks x 4
Jack stands x 2
Breaker bar
19mm socket
Torque Wrench
#3 Phillips screw driver (for rotor screws)
Flat head screwdriver
3/8" ratchet
7mm hex socket
7mm hex key
17mm wrench
17mm socket
Caliper service kit (rentable from your favorite autoparts store. Or cheap via amazon/HF)
Brake Cleaner
Brake lubricant
Shop towels
New pads
New rotors
The process:
Assuming you know how to safely jack the car (I used the rear center jack point) and remove the rear wheels. The only thing different is to disengage the e-Brake before jacking the car up. USE WHEEL CHOCKS. I chocked both front wheels each way. Better to be safe.
Looking at my problem rotor here, you can see the ring of rust on the outer edge. The whole thing is a little rusty from sitting for a day, but the outer ring is more noticeable:
First thing is to remove the Phillips rotor screw. Hondas are pretty notorious for these being difficult to remove, but mine came out easily. I did order an impact screwdriver in case they were difficult to remove but didn't need to use the impact portion.
Next, remove the caliper slide pins and their plastic covers. I used a flat head screw driver to pop off the covers and a combination of a 7mm socket and a 7mm hex key to remove them. The top one is slightly difficult to access because of the positioning of the brake line.
Next remove the caliper spring, seen here. Just use a flat head screw driver to pop it off. My brake pads came with new springs.
With the slide pins and caliper spring removed, there's nothing holding the brake caliper on except for the pads and whatever pressure is in the brake lines. Before you remove the caliper figure out what to do with it when it comes off. It should not just dangle as that will put pressure on the brake line, and the e-brake cable/connector. I built a shelf to hold it using a bucket and toolbox.
Next just pull the caliper off. Brake pads came off with it for me. I set the caliper on my 'shelf'
Next, remove the caliper bracket bolts. They are both 17mm. Mine were put on by the hulk (probably), so I used a breaker bar to remove them. Unfortunately they're in a kind of crap position to remove them with a breaker bar.
Now you'll be left with just the rotor and some neatly arranged parts (notice that I forgot to remove the rotor screw, don't be like me):
With the rotor screw removed, the rotor should just come off. You may need to use a hammer (or something that can be used as a hammer to help it off).
Clean the new rotor using brake cleaner and shop towels.
Put the rotor on and the caliper bracket. The philiips rotor screw can go in the trash, where it belongs. They're not necessary and could be a pain to remove later.
Before putting the caliper on, we'll need to compress the piston. Some people will do this with a C-Clamp and wood, but it's better to use the proper tool as these pistons twist in. The tool is freely rented from your favorite autoparts store, but I bought mine at HF for $30. On my kit, the #6 adapter plate fit the Civic caliper piston perfectly. You want to twist the piston in, until it doesn't twist anymore. It's fairly obvious when it is fully compressed. It looks like this: (I also cleaned the rust off my piston after this photo).
Now it's time to lube the pads (in the correct places) and load them in the caliper bracket. I lube the points where the pads meet the bracket and where the pads meet the caliper. For the pads, the one with the spring goes behind the rotor. Once they're lubed and in, pull the caliper over them. Here's what it looks like together. Arrows denote spots to lube.
Next, re-install caliper slide pins. Lube them thoroughly but avoid getting lube on the threads. Install the slide pin covers/caps. Install the caliper spring, using the flat head screwdriver to help maneuver it into place.
Double check torque of the caliper bracket bolts (really tight) and slide pins (tight) and re-attach the wheel.
Repeat and reverse for the other side. Don't forget to torque the wheels once the car is on the ground.
Before putting all the tools away, I always go for a test drive to make sure nothing is amiss. Also a good time to bed the pads in. The pads I used called for 30 30mph-5mph decelerations.
In total it took me about 1.5 hours to do both sides. It was straight forward, with the only 'gotcha' being the super tight caliper bracket bolts. Thankfully I was just able to squeeze my breaker bar in.
If anyone has the actual torque specs of the caliper bracket bolts, or the caliper slide pins, please let me know!
