DIY Brake Replacement on a Honda Civic

While the Honda Civic includes six air bags, an Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, active head restraints and an anti-lock braking system, these safety features mean little if the driver is unable to safely stop the vehicle due to worn brake pads. If your Civic isn't coming to a halt as quickly as it once did, or if you hear a grinding sound every time you apply the brakes, the time to replace the brake pads is now. Fortunately, doing so won't break your bank -- providing you do the work yourself.

Instructions

1

Park your Honda Civic on a flat, preferably paved, surface.

2

Select the set of wheels you'll be working on first -- either the front or back -- and loosen each wheel's lug nuts with a tire iron or a lug nut wrench.

3

Place a floor jack under the vehicle, positioning it so it comes into contact with the frame when it's raised.

4

Jack up your Civic high enough to slide a jack stand under it. Lower the vehicle onto the jack stand and repeat on the other side.

5

Select the wheel you'll be working on first and remove its lug nuts.

6




You'll find the caliper, which houses the brake pads, clamped around an upper portion of the rotor.

Grasp the tire with both hands and pull it toward you to remove it from the rotor. Doing so will reveal the caliper, which you'll find seated around an upper portion of the rotor.

7

Remove the two bolts holding the caliper in place with a socket wrench.

8

Lift off the caliper. Because it will remain attached to your Civic by way of the brake line, you won't be able to set it down -- and letting it hang can damage the brake line. So secure it to the shock absorber or inner wheel well with a rope or bungee cord.

9

Remove the old brake pads from inside the caliper. Behind the outer brake bad, you'll find the piston, which will likely be partially extended to compensate for the worn pads.

10

Retract the piston by turning it clockwise with a piston tool or a large, flat-head screwdriver.

11

Apply a small amount of brake grease to the backs of the new pads. Be careful not to get any grease on the sides of the brake pads that come into contact with the rotor.

12

Insert the new brake pads into the caliper and return the caliper to its original position on the rotor.

13

Secure the caliper by tightening the caliper bolts with a socket wrench.

14

Return the wheel to your Civic and secure it by tightening the lug nuts with a tire iron or lug nut wrench.

15

Repeat steps 5 through 14 for the opposite side.

16

Lift your Civic off the jack stands using a floor jack, remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle to the ground.

17

Repeat the entire process for the remaining two wheels, if necessary.