The front calipers on the Honda Civic EX are known as sliding calipers. The two bolts holding the calipers in are screwed into pins that are designed to allow the caliper to slide, slightly, back and forth. Over time, these pins can become rusty or just covered in debris, which prevents them from sliding as freely. This lack of movement can cause one brake pad to constantly rub against the rotor and wear out faster. Fortunately, these pins can be removed and reconditioned with relative ease.

Instructions

1

Loosen the lug nuts from the Civics front wheels.

2

Place the floor jack beneath the Civic and raise the front end.

3

Put jack stands beneath the vehicle to secure it.

4

Remove the front wheels by removing the lug nuts and pulling the wheel off.

5

Look on the rear of the brake caliper and locate the upper and lower bolts, known as caliper bolts.

6

Loosen and remove the caliper bolts, using the ratchet and socket. If the pin that the bolts screw into spins, use the open end of a combination wrench to hold, keeping it from turning.

7

Pull the caliper from the brake assembly and attach it to a suspension component using a bungee strap.

8

Look on the caliper bracket, the metal object that the caliper was bolted to. Locate the two caliper pins, the two objects that the caliper bolts were screwed into.

9

Remove the caliper pins by grabbing them with the channel-lock pliers and pulling them outward. A light twisting motion may help. Notice the rubber boots will remain attached to the caliper bracket, pull these rubber boots from the bracket.

10

Insert the metal pipe cleaner into the holes in the caliper bracket where the caliper pins were inserted. Clean the entire bore of these holes with an in-and-out motion of the metal pipe cleaner.

11

Place the rubber boots back on the caliper bracket until they properly sit on the grooves provided.

12

Remove any rust or debris from the caliper pins, using the wire brush. Never use sandpaper, as this creates a rough surface and limits the pins ability to slide.

13

Spray the pins with the brake parts cleaner and wipe them with a shop rag.

14

Repeat steps 10 and 11 until the pins are completely clean and smooth.

15

Apply a generous coat of an anti-seize chemical to the length of both pins and reinsert them into the caliper bracket. Make certain the rubber boots sit in the grooves on the pins.

16

Remove the caliper from the bungee strap and place it over the brake pads.

17

Hand-tighten the upper and lower caliper bolts.

18

Hold the caliper pins with the open end of a combination wrench, and tighten the caliper bolts, using a ratchet and socket.

19

Repeat steps 5 through 18 for any other caliper pins needing repair.

20

Place the wheels back on the Civic and hand-tighten the lugs.

21

Remove the jack stands from under the vehicle, and slowly lower it to the ground.

22

Tighten the lugs to 80 foot-pounds, using the torque wrench and a socket.

23

Press and release the brake pedal to ensure the brakes are working properly.

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Virtually all vehicles manufactured up to the mid-1970s used drum brakes on all four wheels. However, most modern vehicles use disc brakes on the front of the vehicle and drum brakes on the rear only. Drum brakes operate when the internal brake shoes press out against a drum that rotates with the wheel. The brake shoes on your drum brakes will eventually wear out and will need to be replaced.

Instructions

1

Raise the rear of the vehicle with a hydraulic jack. Place jack stands under each side of the rear axle. Lower the hydraulic jack so that the rear of the vehicle is supported by the jack stands.

2

Remove the lug nuts from the rear wheels with a lug wrench turned in a counterclockwise direction. Remove the rear wheels from the vehicle and set them aside. Slide the brake drums off of the rear wheel hubs and set them aside.

3

Work on one side of the vehicle at a time. Locate both brake shoes on the right and left side of the wheel hub. Locate the brake shoe return spring which connects the two brake shoes at the top of the wheel hub. Remove the brake shoe return spring by placing a pair of brake spring pliers over the end of the spring. Pull on the pliers to stretch the spring until it can be unhooked from the brake shoes. Remove the spring and set it aside.

4

Place a brake shoe removal tool over the circular brake shoe retainer clip, located at the center of each brake shoe. Push down on the tool and rotate it counterclockwise. Remove the tool, the retainer clip, and the spring behind the clip and set them aside. Repeat this step for both brake shoes.

5

Pull the brake shoes from the wheel hub and discard them. Place new brake shoes into the same position as the old shoes, making sure the pin the retainer clip attaches to protrudes through the mounting hole at the center of the brake shoes. Place the spring and retainer clip over the pin and place the brake shoe removal tool over the clip. Push down on the tool and rotate it clockwise until the clip locks into place.

6

Position the hook on one end of the return spring into the hole at the top of one of the brake shoes. Use the brake spring pliers to stretch the spring until the hook in the other end of the spring is positioned into the hole at the top of the other brake shoe. Slide the brake drum back over the hub.

7

Repeat the above steps for the other rear wheel. Replace the wheels and tighten the lug nuts with a lug wrench in a clockwise direction. Raise the rear of the vehicle with a hydraulic jack and remove the jack stands from under the vehicle. Lower the vehicle and remove the hydraulic jack.

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(updated on Feb. 1st 2012)

Before bed-in
New brake pads and skimmed rotor were installed in place.

In order for the new brake set to work at its best, the rotors and pads should be properly bedded-in. This process can also be called as "brake conditioning", or whatever terminology.

Proper bedding improves pedal feel [no "on-off" braking feel], reduces or eliminates brake squeal, prevents and cures brake judder, reduces brake dust, and extends the life of pads and rotors.

If you Google around, you will find different procedures for brake bed-in. You may follow any of those procedures but Ive got my own way of doing it. You dont have to follow my way but you can take a peep... :)

myProcedure for Bed-in

Bed-in procedure can be annoying to other drivers so I had to perform the bed-in around 4:00am to 5:30am in two sessions during which time there is virtually no other vehicle on the road.

1st Session

Drove and accelerated the car to approximately 80kph and then applied the brake lightly until the speed dropped to around 20kph in 100m. Then accelerated back to 80kph and maintained the speed for 1 minute and then applied the brake lightly again. Repeated 10 times without completely stopping the car. After 10th braking, drove the car slowly for another 5km to cool down the pads and rotor before stopping.

Stopped the car for 30minutes to almost completely cool the brakes.

2nd Session

Repeated Session 1 at 110kph

Here is the result after the 2nd session...

... there is a slight blue tint on the rotor [disc] surface which is not in contact with the pad and a light grey film on the surface which is in direct contact with the pad.

The blue tint tells the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the grey coating is the by product of the chemical reaction between pad material and the rotor under extreme temperature and pressure. This layer enhances adherent friction hence minimizes squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life. Without which the braking force depends solely on abrasive friction.

3rd Session

For the 3rd Session, the car was driven 122km non-stop. During the first 50km the car was driven and braked normally in order to "bake-up" brake pads and rotors gradually and maintained the temperature and then performed THREE hard braking from around 120-140kph down to 20kph .

Fully baked rotor with near perfect transfer-layer* formation...
*click HERE to find out what transfer-layer is all about and its significance.

4th Session

This was the final session. The car was driven for 382km at normal speeds. Four times hard braking to dead stop was performed during the trip at approx. 50km interval. Braking performance was excellent. The best ever! Silky smooth but sure and firm. Adherent friction is superb.

Rotor condition after brake bed-in [conditioning] process was completed...

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The 1995 Buick Regal was produced as a Custom Coupe and a Gran Sport sedan. It was equipped with the choice of a 3.1-liter V-6 or a 3.8-liter V-6. The 1995 Regal came standard with four wheel anti-lock disc brakes, including ventilated front discs. The rear disc brakes on the 1995 Regal have calipers, pads, and rotors similar to the front disc brakes.

Instructions

1

Remove the initial torque from the rear wheel lug nuts, using a tire iron. Do not remove the lug nuts completely, but turn them so they are unstuck (3/4 turn). Lift the rear of the Buick using a 2-ton jack or a jack with greater capacity. Set jack stands beneath the rear suspension arms or the rear axle beam, just inside the rear wheel assembly. Remove the lug nuts completely with a tire iron, then remove both rear wheels from the Regal.

2

Remove the rear caliper mounting bolts on one side of the Regal. Use a 3/8-inch ratchet to turn the caliper bolts counterclockwise until they are removed. Remove the caliper from the brake assembly, using a pry bar to gently pry the caliper off. Set the caliper on the suspension arm behind the brake assembly. Do not let the caliper hang freely or you can damage the fragile rubber brake hose.

3

Remove the old brake pads from the caliper mounting bracket, using a pry bar to gently pry the pads off if necessary. Lubricate the portion of the caliper mounting bracket that touches the brake pads. This is the part of the mounting bracket that the tips of the brake pads slide into. Proper lubrication is essential in reinstalling the brakes, to ensure optimal performance and function of the new pads. Use caliper grease that is rated for disc brakes.

4

Install the new brake pads onto the caliper mounting bracket. Two of the brake pads have wear indicators. These pads go on the inside of the caliper bracket, behind the rotor. Do not place both pads with wear indicators on one side of the Regal. The wear indicators are small metal tongues on the end of the pads that have a 90-degree bend in them, and are the reason for the "squealing" noise when pads get low. Install the wear indicator-equipped pad behind the rotor, and the non-wear indicator pad on the front or outside of the caliper bracket.

5

Lubricate the backing plates or shim plates on the back side of both of the newly installed brake pads. Failure to lubricate the back of the pads can cause squeaking in the new brakes within a couple hours of installation and driving. Dab caliper grease on the back side of the pads to create a thin film on the pads.

6

Install a 6-inch extension onto a 3/8-inch drive ratchet. On the opposite end of the extension install a caliper brake tool. The caliper brake tool is a 6-sided cube that has different adapter teeth on each side for use on multiple different vehicles. The rear calipers of the Regal have oscillating or rotating pistons. As the piston expands when you hit the brake pedal, it also rotates in a screw-like motion. The brake tool is essential in working on the rear brakes of many vehicles, as there are many vehicles with rotating rear caliper pistons.

7

Insert the caliper tool onto the piston of the rear brake caliper. Hold the caliper in one hand, while holding the ratchet, extension, and tool in your other hand. Turn the ratchet clockwise while simultaneously applying pressure to the piston on the rear caliper. This turning and pushing movement will compress the rear caliper piston. Compress the piston until it is nearly flush with the inside back wall of the caliper. The piston does not compress completely flush.

8

Install the compressed rear rotor back onto the Regal with one hand. Start the caliper mounting bolts through the caliper and into the mounting bracket, by hand. Turn the bolts clockwise to start them until the caliper can stand freely without you holding it. Tighten the caliper bolts to between 60 and 80 foot-pounds of torque. You can approximate this without using a torque wrench by snugging the bolts with a 3/8-inch drive ratchet and socket, then turn the ratchet 1/2-turn farther once the bolts are snug -- but using a torque wrench is best.

9

Repeat Steps 2 through 8 to complete the second side of the rear pads on the Regal. Performing this project on one side of the vehicle at a time will provide a visual reference for how the brakes look when they are assembled. This is useful if you have any questions about how the brakes go back together.

10

Install the rear wheels on the Regal after you have installed and torqued both rear brake calipers on the vehicle. Snug the lug nuts onto the wheel studs, using a tire iron. Lift the rear of the Regal off of the jack stands, and remove the jack stands from beneath the Regal. Lower the vehicle and tighten the lug nuts between 90 and 110 foot-pounds of torque. Use a certified torque wrench and lug nut socket to properly torque the wheel nuts.

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Nissan Altima - Brake Job Part 2 Tube. Duration : 5.15 Mins.

Second part of the video. Useful if you want to paint your calipers.

Tags: Altima, calipers, caliper, brakes, brake

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