How to Change 2002 Honda Civic Drum Brakes

Many vehicles use drum brakes and brake shoes on the rear wheels that work with the parking brake. A rear brake shoe assembly uses numerous levers and springs, and how you disassemble the shoes varies depending on the model. The process is slightly easier with a 2002 Honda Civic than with others because you can separate the shoes after removing them from the brake cylinder. This remains, however, a difficult process, and you should check with your mechanic before beginning.

Instructions

Accessing the Drum Brakes

1

Block the Civic's front wheels with wheel chocks or some form of heavy blocks that will prevent the car from moving.

2

Raise the rear end of the car with the floor jack, and support it on jack stands. Remove both of the rear wheels.

3

Pull the brake drum off of the wheel studs.

4

Clean off the brake assembly by applying a brake cleaner spray. Use a drip pan underneath the assembly to catch the brake cleaner residue.

Removing the Brake Shoes

5

Push on the retainer spring for each brake shoe by using a screwdriver, and turn its tension pin so it lines up with the vertical slot in the retainer spring; this will cause the spring to pop off.

6

Grasp onto both brake shoes, and pull them away from the backing plate as one assembly.

7

Unhook the return spring at the bottom of the shoes, and then unhook the cable connected to the parking brake lever by pulling back on the cable spring and keeping the spring compressed with diagonal cutting pliers (make sure you don't cut the spring).

8

Swing the parking brake lever away from the rear shoe; this causes the adjuster bolt clevis to come out of its groove within the rear shoe so you can separate the two shoes.

9

Disconnect the self-adjuster lever and its spring from the front brake shoe.

10

Pry the retainer clip off the brake lever with a flat screwdriver, and remove the lever from the rear shoe. Transfer the lever to the replacement rear shoe with its wave washer, and install a new clip; crimp the clip's ends together with needle nose pliers.

11

Clean the adjuster bolt with the brake cleaner, and then lubricate its ends and threads with high-temperature grease.

Installing the Brake Shoes

12

Connect the self-adjuster lever to the replacement front shoe--hook its spring onto the shoe's lower hole, and insert the lever pin into the upper hole. Connect the adjuster bolt's short clevis to the shoe's upper slot, and make sure the bolt catches the lever.

13

Connect the two shoes together using the upper return spring, and then pry the shoes' lower ends apart so you can insert the adjuster bolt's other end into the rear shoe's slot.

14

Lubricate the contact areas on the backing plate with high-temperature brake grease; there are six of these areas that are small oval bumps on the plate.

15

Compress and hold the parking brake cable spring with the cutting pliers, and connect the cable to the parking brake lever.

16

Install the brake shoes on the backing plate, making sure the shoes' upper ends engage with the pistons on the backing plate's upper wheel cylinder. Connect the shoes' lower ends together using the lower return spring.

After Installation

17

Install the brake drums back onto the hub flanges once you change the brakes for both wheels.

18

Adjust the brake shoes--remove the plug in the backing plate, insert a screwdriver into the hole and use the screwdriver to turn the star wheel. Turn it until the brake shoes drag against a spinning drum, and then back off the shoes until the dragging stops.

19

Connect the wheels back onto the car using your tire iron, and lower the car off the jack stands with the floor jack.