Success! With your help, I changed the rear brake pads on my 2010 Civic Coupe. I've never changed the brakes on any vehicle before today. I followed your directions exactly, and I ended up with a perfect result. I did install new hardware, but that was EZPZ. The only part I found a little challenging was slipping the calipers over the new pads (that required a little brute force). The whole job took me about 2 hours from set up to clean up. I did have to buy that piston tool cube ($5.50 USD) and the bleeder tool ($5.50 USD). Adding that to the price of new pads, hardware kit, and the synthetic grease, the total cost was $62.61. The average cost at a local mechanic: $120. Savings: $57. Satisfaction from doing the job myself: Priceless! Thank you for posting this valuable information.
+Making This, Making That Awesome news! Always happy to hear people saving money by watching my vids and doing the job themselves. Kudos to you for a job well done. Thank you for watching :)
I almost changed mine today until a bolt was actually rusted onto the caliper bracket and would not budge with a breaker bar or ratchet.. knew I should have gotten an impact gun lol
I plan on doing my front and rear pads on my 2013 Si next weekend...This video sure is helpful. Especially since Honda quoted me $200 for the front & $202 for the rear plus tax. Renting the piston tool for free, front brake pads $42.28, rear $45.25, sil-glyde $7.49...potential savings of over $300. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this video. It is presented in a clear and concise manner and communicates the essential information while also communicate additional content that will help prevent subsequent issues. Well done!
I changed my rear pads today and the drivers side was really tight. the brakes overheated and rotors were glowing red. I will have to tear it back down in the morning and replace the pads the correct way by aligning the piston with the tab. I also pushed the piston straight in without turning it. I used a special tool designed for brakes. I noticed it turn as I pushed it in. I wish I had watched this video first
+James Lambert well at least you managed to identify and fix the problem before it really started doing long term damage. Better than most folk who try to service their car and then don't pay attention to problems arising from improper installation.
Awesome video. Appreciate the time you took to include all the details. I didnt line my tab up with the slot in the piston and guess what, pads were shot in less than 10,000 miles precisely like you said. 🤝
Glad you liked my video. Yes the little alignment tab is super important for proper brake function and it amazes me at how many people get it wrong or don't emphasize the importance of it. At least you know now so future brake fixes will be a breeze now!
Theee # 1 video because of your great directions on confirming the caliper piston is lined up with "tab" on back of pad. That is, you are the only vid that says to put a thin screw driver in to feel the grooves in the piston. Thanks!
Using your video I successfully replaced my pads. None of it is very difficult. Getting the calipers off is a little tough, not much play there. Try with two large screwdrivers. You can rotate the piston with a large screwdriver. It doesn't have to fit across the center, over to the side is fine. Just stick it in the slot and turn. To fit that "knob" on the shoe into the piston slot, just align the slot perpendicular to the caliper, then the knob will be aligned. You can verify with a magnifying glass and flashlight (tricky to look at though). Thanks a lot.
You're very welcome. Yes MANY ppl make the mistake of mis-aligning that groove and pin and then wonder why their rear rotors and pads are all warped and unevenly worn out (not to mention the hazards of overheating brakes). It takes a bit of patience and finesse but you CAN line them up. Get a bright light to aid in the visual confirmation of re-alignment.
Very thorough. Thanks. I'm changing my aunts brakes, and I think I'll wait til Saturday morning instead of this evening. I'm going to go see if I can buy the adapter that threads the piston . Hopefully the auto store carries it.
Derek Major If the store doesn't carry the adapter you can always just use a pair of needle nose pliers and use the tips to grip the rear brake piston assembly to rotate it. Having the tool I have just makes it a tad bit easier so if you're on a budget just use pliers :) Good luck.
Thank you for making this video, not many videos on how to replace rear pads. Your instructions are very clear and concise. When the piston is pushed back in, should I open the brake reservior cap first? Many thanks again 🙏
Glad it helped. No you don't need to take the reservoir cap off when retracting the piston but it is a good idea to take it off so you can see the fluid level rising and not let it overflow by accident. Spilled brake fluid can strip painted surfaces pretty easily if left on long enough.
Had a problem on my si where caliper seized had a mechanic install a new reman caliper and problem came back where rotors are very hot and smells like burning pads. I'm not sure if he is aware of lining up the notch because he is a Toyota tech but he looked at it again re greased everything and says the caliper is fine and thinks I need to replace rotor and pads because clamping pressure is uneven? Thanks for the video though my fellow. Albertain
great advice on aligning the piston notch with the pad pin...I just replaced mine, and was unaware of this...result?...very hot disc's and the smell like a burnt clutch..
Yep, I made that same mistake almost 20 years ago and lessons learned from not aligning that pin. You're better off spending the extra 10 minutes to triple check the alignment and save yourself the aggravation of having to take everything apart again and possibly needing to replace parts you accidentally burned up b/c of a botched pad replacement job.
Hey peirce would you mind doing more tutorials on 8th Gen civics? There are videos out there, but it's just mostly directions. I prefer your types of videos as your doing it.
I try to do videos of everything humanly possible. I'm constrained by the cars that my friends and family drive. I will keep your request in mind the next time an 8th gen comes through my garage :) Consider subscribing to get the latest in my DIY vids.
An easier option is to mark the position of the "X" on the caliper piston relative to the caliper when you remove it. This insures the piston is in the same position when you reinstall the pads and caliper. Saves a bunch of time when you reinstall. Speaking from experience ...
MR2BBB lol it isn't my car that's for sure but the person that owns is is normally quite tidy. We blame our long and sometimes harsh winters for the mess....
Appreciate the very insightful and informative video. I’ve changed brakes on just about everything except a Honda. Never seen a caliper piston threaded before! Usually it’s a piston you have to squeeze back in place. Wouldn’t the threads stop it From expanding/squeezing the pads… Obviously not I’m just confused
Yes the rotating piston design is definitely neat. The reason why Honda uses this design is a simplified rear brake/parking brake configuration. Unlike many other cars that have discs on the rears but uses a drum/rear shoe assembly for the parking brake that honda uses the stopping brakes as the parking brake pads too! Genius! So when you're apply the brakes the piston comes out just like a normal piston would but the idea of why it can't be pushed back in like a traditional piston is because of the ratchet within the caliper. It is essentially the self adjusting parking brake mechanism built right into the hydraulic system. When you apply brakes and release that there is a bit of "give" in the piston so the brakes don't drag. When you apply the parking brake, b/c the ratcheting piston system is at the optimal position so the parking brake always has a consistent felt and grip strength. Not sure if my explanation is 100% accurate but it should be pretty darned close to it. This is why you have to rotate the piston to retract it - so that you can overcome the self adjusting ratcheting system for the parking brake.
No your car has to come equipped from the factory with rear discs. You could do a full rear end swap from a higher trimmed model but that's an awful lot of work just to get rear disc brakes.
+feezy243 glad you liked my video. Yep almost all civics follow the same exact replacement procedure - this is why I love the civic so much. So easy to fix!
I found it easier to take out the caliper bracket first. It is very difficult to remove once the caliper is loose. And also to set the brake pads then screw back in the caliper bracket bolts
Awesome video! I went back and checked my pads and noticed that I didn't line up that stud in the piston. The wear was a little uneven, but enough to know that if left unchecked I would be changing them soon. Great video for a do it yourself'er!
Not sure if you can help, I accidentally engaged my parking brake when the parking brake cable was detached from one of the calipers. Now that the cable is re-attached, that one wheel is locked. Do you know how I could fix this?
yikes, the parking brake is probably seized b/c normally when there is no tension on the actuator arm for the rear brakes that a spring should release the parking brake by default.
Hey thank you very much for making life easier for everyone but would you be able to advise i was checking my brake pads last night and i took it out and after all the struggle when i put it back the handbrake is loose NOTE ( the handbrake was up the whole time when i was working on the rear brake pad ) would you know what is the cause and remeedy ?
You'll have to adjust the rear brake shoes properly first with the cable/handbrake fully release. Once you've adjusted the shoes properly then if needed then you can adjust the cable accordingly but generally speaking if you adjusted the rear shoes correctly the cable will almost never need adjusting.
You can get an idea of how to adjust the rear shoes by looking at my toyota tundra parking brake video. Just follow the section about the star wheel and to turn it enough times such that your rear drum just barely drags when you rotate the drum by hand. Tiny turns on the star wheel is all that is needed. If you can slide the drum on and off the rear shoes keep adjusting the star wheel until it doesn't allow you to put the drum back on and then back it off a few notches and then play with the adjustment. At that point the shoes are in the properly "ready" position. Don't mess with ANY cable adjustments until you get the shoes in the properly position.
What is side centric, is it like radial tires. If so i have my rear brakes pad tab on the outside of the rim. And i guess it should be on the inside downward.
You are right in the the little squeaker tab should be on the backside of the rotor and downward for the rears since the rotors enters the caliper’s bottom first.
Great vid. Thanks. I’ve seen multiple other 8th gen rear civic brake replacement videos and none really mention the part where you talk about the back of the inside pad lining up with the cross mark on the piston. Why would you say that is?
My only explanation is that Honda uses a dual purpose caliper that uses hydraulics to actuate the brakes and in the same caliper uses cable to actuate the parking brake using the same pads used to stop the car. More conventional designs would use caliper in a hydraulic system to stop the car while driving and use a cable actuated brake shoe inside the rotor (essentially acting a brake drum) for the parking brake. The pin in the Honda Civic's brake system prevents the piston from rotating inside the caliper and as the pads wear that the piston essentially "ratchets out" but can't "ratchet in". The only way to retract the piston is to turn the piston counter clockwise and "screw" it back into the caliper body. Hope that somewhat makes sense b/c that is the only logical explanation I have for it.
Hi i just changed my rear brake pads and rotors. I ran into a issue where the e brake isn’t working properly is there something I missed when taking apart the calipers?
did you ensure that you didn't dislodge the parking brake cable retaining clip? It has to be secured properly to the rear knuckle. Also did you ensure the pin was lined up on the pads as I had emphasized multiple times in the video?
so, because of the dual use design of the rears, initially separating the pads a bit by leveraging into the piston, so caliper comes off past ridge, is ineffective? I'm intrigued by the internals of the caliper. Trying to picture the screw it back in, vs the common push the piston in. On one hand it screws in, but that begs the question how it got "screwed out" in the first place during wear. Obviously it can't spin in the same manner during use, so it's internal, in some way. I gotta drink a few beers and think about this. I've got an intermittent sound, and getting ready to dig in on diagnosis. last rotation of tires it looked like I have lots of pad left, while driving if I hear it, engaging parking brake it keeps noise, but upon release it goes away, until next time. I can go 3 days and hear nothing, then it is back, comes on irrespective of applying brake, Or left or right turning load. I suspect it might be hard to figure this one out, unless a grain of something got where it does not belong Great video !!!
How the heck can I possibly try to explain this. Yes it is odd that you have to "screw" the piston in to get it to retract yet the piston doesn't "screw" out when you're using the brakes and the pads progressively wear. Think of it this way. The rear pistons is like a 1-way ratchet. One the piston moves out (when applying brakes and as pads wear) that it can only retract back a few mm. As the pad wears out the piston travels further out that the 1-way ratcheting process repeats and won't go back in by more than a few mm. This is akin to self adjusting rear brake shoes on rear drums that many cars still have. The reason why Honda and a few other car manufacturers have adopted this design of a rear caliper is because there is no secondary braking system to use for the parking brake. What this means is that the brake pads used for the primary braking are also the same pads used as the parking brake. With the self "ratcheting" 1-way piston it means that the parking brake performance is also consistent (b/c parking brake cable travel can only move xxx amount distance when activated). By having a pre-determined "allowance gap" for the piston to extend (when braking) and retract (not braking) that the brake pedal feel and parking brake travel remains the same regardless of how much wear the rear pads have. Not sure if that explanation helps but its the best I can do at the moment. Hope that sort of helps.
Do you know the size of those rear caliper mounting bolts? Need to replace mine bc they are rounded off. Not sure how I'll get them off. -_- vice grips didn't work, not did those grizzly sockets.
The rear caliber mounting bolts (the ones that hold the caliper to the caliper bracket for the rears should be 12mm bolt. If you want a perfect fit then get them at the honda dealership. They're not too expensive. Worst case scenario is if they're seized that badly then it might not be a bad idea to just install a remanufactured caliper onto the car instead.
@@piercedasian thank you for the quick response. Both the bottom bolts on each side are badly seized. Managed to get one side completed but the other won't bulge at all. Guess I'll purchase new calipers. Thank you again.
Sorry for my late reply but if you removed the caliper without releasing the parking brake I'm not sure how you got it off the rotors! In any case, not to fret - just release the parking brake in the car and then proceed to work on your brakes. When screwing in the piston apply some inward pressure while turning. I've noticed THAT some Honda rear brakes doesn't need twisting at all and can be retracted by simply using a c-clamp to press it back into the caliper body. Did you try that? It shouldn't require a ton of force. Nice and gentle ought to do it.
Nice video man i wish I would of watched this before changing me rear brake pads, but o well I learned by having to do everything over again lol how do I get mine to stop squeaking
You gotta "bed" the brake pads. Do so by driving on an isolated road and get the car up to about 70km/h and then double check that it is safe to slam on the brakes. The idea of doing this is to even spread brake material onto the rotors. Repeat this step several more times when it is safe to do so and that should resolve the squeaky brakes. You may never completely be able to get rid of the squeak if you did not bother machining the old rotors. If it really drives you crazy then I suggest you buy new rotors (or machine the old ones) before putting in the new pads.
Not without doing a bunch of mod work. You need a new hub assembly and calipers and so on. Some folks have done it but it isn’t worth the trouble to convert them.
no b/c the pin on the pad prevents the piston from rotating and that is important since the rear brakes calipers are a dual function caliper as it uses hydraulics for brake actuation yet it uses a cable for the parking brake. More traditional rear disc designs use the caliper strictly for braking and the parking brake is a separate braking system that uses brake shoes inside the rear rotors. Honda opted to simply the parking brake system and keep costs down by using a dual purpose caliper. Pin alignment is crucial for safe and proper operation.
Do you think the 06-07 Honda Fit Acceleration Pedal work on the 06-11 Civic as a hanging pedal conversion? Reason why I want to this is because of my ankle being hurt.
+Abad perez I don't think Honda pads are the cheapest option but likely the best middle of the road brake pads that offer reasonable performance, exact factory performance and low dust and most importantly no noise. Generally speaking you don't need anti seizing grease on the parts other than the slide pins which is what the permatex ultra lube is for. Thanks for watching!
Wayne what you do mean by the upper pin is stuck? As in it won't slide out at all? If that is the case can you get some penetrating lube or WD40 in behind the boot to free things up? If you really can't get the pin out then it may be time to replace the calliper assembly with a rebuilt unit OR to buy a new mounting bracket and pin assembly from the dealership or local autowrecker.
it is an alignment pin to prevent the caliper piston from rotating because of how the parking brake is integrated into the disc brake system instead of using a dual disc/internal drum design like other cars use. To retract the piston into the caliper you must rotate the piston so I would assume that the pin prevents that rotation so that the hydraulic and cable based parking brake system work in harmony with whatever magical Honda design inside of the caliper.
piercedasian So this pin is important? Because I bought a pads and they dont have those pins and seller confirm that it doesnt affect brake system and performance.
I have the shop changed my one today. However, I have to gas more than normal around 5mph. It is very hard for me to keep stable speed on free way even the break is fine. I feel like something against the gas pedal after getting the new break pad. Before changing it, the gas pedal was light not heavy. I take it back to the shop and they told me the break is fine. Does anyone have this bad experience after changing the rear break pad? I got my knee hurt since I have to push the gas pedal harder which I have never got it before.
Chances are the brakes were not installed properly. You can always take a peek on your own to see if the alignment pin is lined up in the piston groove. You don't have to take anything apart. Just need to remove the wheel and take a flashlight to shine into the inspection hole. If you see the little pin line in the groove then its good. Do the rear wheels feel really warm after a drive? If a brake was sticking or seized you'd smell it and you'd definitely feel a LOT more heat coming from the back wheels. The other thing that could be causing this is a stuck piston. Cars in the rust belt, that are really old or have high miles CAN have pistons that operate erratically and sometimes they really misbehave after being serviced. I personally hate it when brakes jam up but it DOES happen and your mechanic isn't necessarily to blame. Just take the wheel off (support the car properly for safety!) and look first.
I also found that the bottom slide pin was seized in the brake caliper bracket. I had to order a new bracket and new pins, boots and grease. That's why my brakes were too tight. Problem solved.
sorry normally I would do that but these particular civic only needed new pads and the rotors still had plenty of life left in them with nearly no run out.
+sean andrews it is called a brake piston retractor tool and can be purchased from any auto parts store. The one I bought is made by a company called "Lisle".
it is hard to see but with a good light and patience you'll eventually be able to see through that tiny hole in the caliper to see if that pin lines up.
True, but sadly the dealerships don't stock these often and client that I fixed this car for said forget about doing it. I did ask but was told to not bother.
The design is actually quite smart b/c it combines both the driving and parking brakes into a single unit so the assembly has less parts overall and offers more consistent feel (for parking brake) than the more traditional dual brake setup on the rear. I personally find it a bit more finicky to work on (aligning the pin) but once you get the hang of doing them it really is super easy and there is no parking brake shoe adjustment to screw with whenever you change out your rotors.
you also did not give any guidlines on if the rotors need replaced. You reused yours without telling people why. some watching this video may not realize they need the rotor replaced as well. I'll tell you this, your pads will have a hard time seating into those rotors with the surface I saw on your rotors. The guides also needed checked or at least talked about. This video is missing so many details on how to do it right.
complaining ... about the missing parts of an instructional, DIY video? Why? What could you possibly add to better the world, not bring your own brand of misery into it. How many videos are you responsible for?/ Lets go critique yours ... This guy who made the video was doing the entire job while explaining, without a crew, storyboard, script, etc. That being done "on the fly" sure does account for his missing the points you make. Plus, who ever does DIY auto work with out checking several references is at fault for the results. Not the instructor. You blame your parents for the shit way you turned out? You teachers for the shit job you ended up working? Take responsibility for YOUSELF and no one else. Blame no other person than YOUSELF for having another point out your faults, as you are inclined to do to another. Expecting a great troll of a reply from you soon, sweetheart!
I never bleed my brakes without tightening the bleeder before the brake pedal is released or you introduce air into the brake calipers. Your not telling people that you used a special cup with a dip tube. So anyone bleeding their brakes by opening the bleeder and pumping like this guy, may have problems down the road. Plus if you have to tap the pads in with a hammer, your pads are not free enough to release on their own when the pedal is released. I would never let this guy do my brakes.
complaining ... about the missing parts of an instructional, DIY video? Why? What could you possibly add to better the world, not bring your own brand of misery into it. How many videos are you responsible for?/ Lets go critique yours ... This guy who made the video was doing the entire job while explaining, without a crew, storyboard, script, etc. That being done "on the fly" sure does account for his missing the points you make. Plus, who ever does DIY auto work with out checking several references is at fault for the results. Not the instructor. You blame your parents for the shit way you turned out? You teachers for the shit job you ended up working? Take responsibility for YOUSELF and no one else. Blame no other person than YOUSELF for having another point out your faults, as you are inclined to do to another. Expecting a great troll of a reply from you soon, sweetheart!
Had a problem on my si where caliper seized had a mechanic install a new reman caliper and problem came back where rotors are very hot and smells like burning pads. I'm not sure if he is aware of lining up the notch because he is a Toyota tech but he looked at it again re greased everything and says the caliper is fine and thinks I need to replace rotor and pads because clamping pressure is uneven? Thanks for the video though my fellow. Albertain
hmm, I am very suspect that everything is working fine. Lining up the pin on the rear brakes and the alignment pin on the pads MUST line up. No exception since the pin not sitting in the right spot would cause uneven braking pressure and it won't release properly. The rear disc pistons are like a ratchet and that is used to help facilitate the operation of the parking brake - think of it as the locking mechanism for the self adjuster ratchet. I won't get into the detailed explanation but that is basically what the pin is for - to prevent rotation of the piston. Get the mechanic to re-do his work or better yet... take it apart yourself and follow my vid again to see how to do it properly.