How to Replace Front Brake Pads on a 2001 Honda Civic

Your brakes are the most important piece of safety equipment on your vehicle. It is important to take care of your brakes in order to maintain the high level of stopping performance they deliver. The Honda Civic is equipped with front disc brakes as standard equipment. Replacing the pads fitted on these brakes should take under an hour in ideal conditions.

Instructions

1

Pull the hood release lever inside of the Civic to pop the hood. Move to the hood and lift it open by pulling on the release latch underneath. Disconnect the cable to the negative terminal of the battery, using the ratchet and socket, and set the cable aside. Locate the master brake cylinder reservoir at the rear of the engine compartment on the driver's side. Remove half of the fluid in the brake master cylinder reservoir with a turkey baster. Never reuse brake fluid -- place the fluid in a sealable container and discard it properly.

2

Use the lug wrench to loosen the nuts on both wheels. Lift the front of the Civic off the ground using a floor jack. Support the front of the vehicle with jack stands placed underneath. Finish removing the lug nuts and pull the wheels off of the axle to reveal the front brake hardware.

3

Use a ratchet and socket to remove the two bolts holding the caliper to the caliper mount. Lift the caliper off of the brake rotor to reveal the brake pads. Suspend the caliper on a suspension component with mechanic's wire.

4

Remove the brake pads from the caliper mount and detach the retaining clips from the pads, if equipped. Place one of the old pads over the caliper piston and push it back inside the caliper with a C-clamp.

5

Attach the retaining clips to the new brake pads and place them on the caliper mount. Remove the mechanic's wire and slide the caliper over the pads and the rotor. Replace the retaining bolts and tighten them with the ratchet and socket. Repeat the process with the other wheel.

6

Mount the wheels on the axle and hand tighten the lug nuts. Jack up the vehicle enough to remove the jack stands, then lower the Civic onto its wheels. Finish tightening the nuts with the lug wrench.

7

Reconnect the negative battery cable. Add fresh brake fluid to the brake master cylinder reservoir until it reaches the top fill line. Pump the brakes four to five times so the new pads can set.