DIY: Rotor and Brake Pad Install
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DIY King
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From: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, US
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DIY: Rotor and Brake Pad Install
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- socket set
- No. 3 phillips head bit
- jack and jack stands
- brake pad grease
- some strong string
OPTIONAL MATERIALS:
- wrench
CLEANING MATERIALS:
- WD-40
- brake cleaner/degreaser
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Loosen the lug nuts on the front wheels.
2. Jack up the front of the car with a jack. (look for an arrow etched in the plastic to see support point)
3. Put jack stands under the sides of the car. (remember to make it so the wheels are off the ground slightly)
4. Remove the lug nuts completely and take off the wheels.
5. To do the passenger side of the car first turn the wheel all the way to the left.
SEE OPTIONAL STEP BELOW
6. Look for two big bolts that hold the caliper to the hub. (circled in blue)
7. Remove the lower bolt first. (remember which way to unscrew)
8. Suspend the caliper using some strong string to the spring. (watch out to not bend the brake line too much)
9. Remove the upper bolt and let the caliper hang from the string. (make sure it's secure)
10. Spray the two phillips head screws holding the rotor to the hub with WD-40. (circled in yellow)
11. Wait for the WD-40 to loosen the screws and use a No. 3 phillips head bit to unsrew them.
12. Tap the old rotors with a hammer if they're stubborn and won't come off the hub.
13. Now clean the rusted parts of the rotor with something that removes rust. (WD-40 is okay)
14. Take out the brake pads from the caliper. They just slip out.
15. Take out this little clip cover on one of the brake pads and clean it.
16. Clean the old pads and rotors. (save them and maybe sell them [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG])
17. Clean the caliper using a de-greaser. (dish washing liquid is okay, but specialty brake cleaner is preferable)
18. Clean everything else so that it's spic and span, greaseless, and dry.
19. Now put the brake pad grease on the back of the brake pads. (do not put any on the sides that touch the rotor)
20. Install the brake pads. (remember to include that slip cover you removed from the stock pads)
21. Make sure to clean the rotors of any grease before putting them on.
22. Put on the rotors. (these rotors are directional, remember to put the right one on the right side)
23. After putting on the rotors check again if they have any grease smears on them. (clean as necessary)
24. Put on the calipers. (do not grind any part of the caliper against the rotor)
25. Tighten everything down to specifications. (don't know what that is exactly, going on feel)
26. Before putting the wheels back on pump the brakes lightly a couple of times to seat the brake pads.
OPTIONAL STEP:
1. Look for the two smaller bolts that hold the outside part of the caliper closer to the rotor. (circled in red)
2. Try to loosen the bolts; notice that this one part spins.
3. Use a wrench to hold that part in place while you try to loosen the bolts again.
The optional step is to loosen how close the brake pads sit to the rotor's surface. You should do this if you have any difficulty removing the caliper from the rotor after unscrewing the two big bolts. The torque specification for these bolts is somewhere around 25 to 30 foot pounds. I reverse engineered this torque specification by adjusting my torque wrench until I could unscrew the bolt. Some people reccomend you break in new rotors using old pads and break in new pads using old rotors. Brembo's instructions state to replace the rotors and pads at the same time, so that is what I ended up doing.
REVIEW:
I can compare the effectiveness of the stock brake pads to the AEM/Nissin brake pads since my sister also has a 2001 Honda Civic LX. It takes less pedal effort to get the AEM/Nissin brake pads to start gripping. I also notice that the brake pads work better when they're warmed up. I don't know about the rotors since I have no way of testing them. Although, in theory they should work better than the stock ones do. The holes increase the surface area of the rotor and allow the air to flow through the rotor which increases cooling of the rotor. The slots are there to prevent the buildup of brake dust so that it doesn't form a glaze on the surface of the brake pad. This glaze forms under hard braking and has lower frictional properties than the surface of a non-glazed brake pad. In effect, you will be able to effectively brake longer than before.
- socket set
- No. 3 phillips head bit
- jack and jack stands
- brake pad grease
- some strong string
OPTIONAL MATERIALS:
- wrench
CLEANING MATERIALS:
- WD-40
- brake cleaner/degreaser
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Loosen the lug nuts on the front wheels.
2. Jack up the front of the car with a jack. (look for an arrow etched in the plastic to see support point)
3. Put jack stands under the sides of the car. (remember to make it so the wheels are off the ground slightly)
4. Remove the lug nuts completely and take off the wheels.
5. To do the passenger side of the car first turn the wheel all the way to the left.
SEE OPTIONAL STEP BELOW
6. Look for two big bolts that hold the caliper to the hub. (circled in blue)
7. Remove the lower bolt first. (remember which way to unscrew)
8. Suspend the caliper using some strong string to the spring. (watch out to not bend the brake line too much)
9. Remove the upper bolt and let the caliper hang from the string. (make sure it's secure)
10. Spray the two phillips head screws holding the rotor to the hub with WD-40. (circled in yellow)
11. Wait for the WD-40 to loosen the screws and use a No. 3 phillips head bit to unsrew them.
12. Tap the old rotors with a hammer if they're stubborn and won't come off the hub.
13. Now clean the rusted parts of the rotor with something that removes rust. (WD-40 is okay)
14. Take out the brake pads from the caliper. They just slip out.
15. Take out this little clip cover on one of the brake pads and clean it.
16. Clean the old pads and rotors. (save them and maybe sell them [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG])
17. Clean the caliper using a de-greaser. (dish washing liquid is okay, but specialty brake cleaner is preferable)
18. Clean everything else so that it's spic and span, greaseless, and dry.
19. Now put the brake pad grease on the back of the brake pads. (do not put any on the sides that touch the rotor)
20. Install the brake pads. (remember to include that slip cover you removed from the stock pads)
21. Make sure to clean the rotors of any grease before putting them on.
22. Put on the rotors. (these rotors are directional, remember to put the right one on the right side)
23. After putting on the rotors check again if they have any grease smears on them. (clean as necessary)
24. Put on the calipers. (do not grind any part of the caliper against the rotor)
25. Tighten everything down to specifications. (don't know what that is exactly, going on feel)
26. Before putting the wheels back on pump the brakes lightly a couple of times to seat the brake pads.
OPTIONAL STEP:
1. Look for the two smaller bolts that hold the outside part of the caliper closer to the rotor. (circled in red)
2. Try to loosen the bolts; notice that this one part spins.
3. Use a wrench to hold that part in place while you try to loosen the bolts again.
The optional step is to loosen how close the brake pads sit to the rotor's surface. You should do this if you have any difficulty removing the caliper from the rotor after unscrewing the two big bolts. The torque specification for these bolts is somewhere around 25 to 30 foot pounds. I reverse engineered this torque specification by adjusting my torque wrench until I could unscrew the bolt. Some people reccomend you break in new rotors using old pads and break in new pads using old rotors. Brembo's instructions state to replace the rotors and pads at the same time, so that is what I ended up doing.
REVIEW:
I can compare the effectiveness of the stock brake pads to the AEM/Nissin brake pads since my sister also has a 2001 Honda Civic LX. It takes less pedal effort to get the AEM/Nissin brake pads to start gripping. I also notice that the brake pads work better when they're warmed up. I don't know about the rotors since I have no way of testing them. Although, in theory they should work better than the stock ones do. The holes increase the surface area of the rotor and allow the air to flow through the rotor which increases cooling of the rotor. The slots are there to prevent the buildup of brake dust so that it doesn't form a glaze on the surface of the brake pad. This glaze forms under hard braking and has lower frictional properties than the surface of a non-glazed brake pad. In effect, you will be able to effectively brake longer than before.
Grey... You are the MAN!! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]
[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/beer_yum.gif[/IMG] You're such a good mod... hehe
[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/beer_yum.gif[/IMG] You're such a good mod... hehe 
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From: Souderton, PA, Pennsylvania, US
Rep Power: 0 << Yay! I got a reply to my D.I.Y. Hey, that rhymes. [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] >>
lol took me a minute to figure out what rhymed.. must mean its time for bed[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]
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From: Tallahassee Florida, Florida, US
Rep Power: 0 I assume this is the same DIY for what the dealer asked me to pay 60-some for... to take off the brakes and oil them up as a 10k mile service. They're squeaking a little and I figure I might just do this myself. Of course test out the brakes in a safe place before going out on the road[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/IMG]
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Joined: May 2001
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From: Plano, Texas, US
Rep Power: 0 good set of instructions, what i noticed is that grey is very careful abput his work and i like that
now for break pad changes of worn out pads, the piston pushes into the brake pad the more it wears (self adjusting system) to get the piston to push back in you loosen the bolts that grey describes in his optional step and put a c clamp around the caliper and twit it closed until the piston is all the way back in the caliper, otherwise when u install ur new pads (which have much more pad on them, the caliper will not fit back on the rotor, also becareful torquing out these "optional" nuts as they are made from buget galvenized zinc/alum. and one of mine twisted off, and broke inside the fitting, luckily id dint have to tap it, but it did cause me to take the caliper off which meant inroducing air to my brake lines, hehe so grey might need to write a new DIY called "Pressurizing your brake lines" It basically involves undoing a valve on the master brake cylinder and bleeding the valves on each of the brake assemblies to get rid of all the air in the line and refill the brake fluid. or taking into a shop and paying 40 bucks for some asswipe who uses an impact to take your wheels off and on and gets his greasy paws on your door, because hes too lazy to put on gloves and torque the wheels to spec instea dof stripping my damn bolts. (sorry rant)
now for break pad changes of worn out pads, the piston pushes into the brake pad the more it wears (self adjusting system) to get the piston to push back in you loosen the bolts that grey describes in his optional step and put a c clamp around the caliper and twit it closed until the piston is all the way back in the caliper, otherwise when u install ur new pads (which have much more pad on them, the caliper will not fit back on the rotor, also becareful torquing out these "optional" nuts as they are made from buget galvenized zinc/alum. and one of mine twisted off, and broke inside the fitting, luckily id dint have to tap it, but it did cause me to take the caliper off which meant inroducing air to my brake lines, hehe so grey might need to write a new DIY called "Pressurizing your brake lines" It basically involves undoing a valve on the master brake cylinder and bleeding the valves on each of the brake assemblies to get rid of all the air in the line and refill the brake fluid. or taking into a shop and paying 40 bucks for some asswipe who uses an impact to take your wheels off and on and gets his greasy paws on your door, because hes too lazy to put on gloves and torque the wheels to spec instea dof stripping my damn bolts. (sorry rant)
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 Grey...Good job on the instructions.
If I am reading correctly, I think the picture of the rotor and brake is your front passenger wheel. If so, I think you got the rotor the other way around.
See pic below:
http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/at...postid=1094743
If I am reading correctly, I think the picture of the rotor and brake is your front passenger wheel. If so, I think you got the rotor the other way around.
See pic below:
http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/at...postid=1094743
Last edited by HappyGilmore; May 30, 2003 at 01:02 PM.
Thread Starter
DIY King
iTrader: (61)
Joined: Apr 2001
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From: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, US
Rep Power: 419 Yeah, thanks. I posted an updated version a while back. I realized this mistake too! LOL Here it is: DIY: Brake Pads and Rotor Install *UPDATED*
SOMEONE LOCK THIS THREAD OR DELETE IT!!!
SOMEONE LOCK THIS THREAD OR DELETE IT!!!
Thread Starter
DIY King
iTrader: (61)
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 11,469
Likes: 0
From: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, US
Rep Power: 419 Post in the other thread! This one is out of date. I will reply to your reply when I see it in the other thread.
I posted an updated version a while back. Here it is: DIY: Brake Pads and Rotor Install *UPDATED*
SOMEONE LOCK THIS THREAD OR DELETE IT!!!
I posted an updated version a while back. Here it is: DIY: Brake Pads and Rotor Install *UPDATED*
SOMEONE LOCK THIS THREAD OR DELETE IT!!!
Thread Starter
DIY King
iTrader: (61)
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 11,469
Likes: 0
From: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, US
Rep Power: 419 Originally posted by Grey
Post in the other thread! This one is out of date. I will reply to your reply when I see it in the other thread.
I posted an updated version a while back. Here it is: DIY: Brake Pads and Rotor Install *UPDATED*
SOMEONE LOCK THIS THREAD OR DELETE IT!!!
Post in the other thread! This one is out of date. I will reply to your reply when I see it in the other thread.
I posted an updated version a while back. Here it is: DIY: Brake Pads and Rotor Install *UPDATED*
SOMEONE LOCK THIS THREAD OR DELETE IT!!!
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