maverickfhs

Hi Guys, so we did almost all front suspension work on 2003 Honda Civic with ~146k miles this weekend.

Looked at brake pads and they were looking a bit low. This is the second set of advance auto front brake pads gone in last 25-30k miles.

Also, one brake pin on each side is seized up and rubber boot seems a bit torn too. Also, noticed a lot of rust in brake caliper piston circular hole(which compresses pads against rotors for braking).

Few questions:

1- Which pads should I get which can last a bit? Also, should I replace rotors too, they seem fine though? I believe they are 'Original' ones.

2-What's the best way to unfreeze that pin - I'll use sil-glyde OR Dielectric, moving forward. Also, one of the rubber boot has cracks inside it, what's the part number for those boots?

3- Rear brakes are drum ones, do they go bad easily or no? I don't use hard braking or do any crazy driving. Under normal driving conditions, should they be looked at or replaced?

4- Is rust normal inside the piston or no?

5-PCV valve has never been replaced, can that cause engine oil buring? Have to add a quart after almost every 400-500 miles. No smoke and visible oil leaks anywhere though.


Thanks a lot for all of your inputs and help.

eddie1976

I really like using OEM pads. My current car has had 57k on the original pads and they are still going. I bought new pads from magauto for about $50 delivered. You will spend about $30 at autozone and replace them more frequently.

Aftermarket pads that I have used or head good things about are Bendix, Raybestos and there was a third that I don't remember now. It has been a while since I did pads with anything other than OEM, so not sure if these names are same quality they were.

If you are on your original rotors, definitely replace them. But I doubt they are original. Do you have enough meat on them to re-cut?

My 2001 civic had 230k miles on it and I never replaced the drum breaks. They were fine.

maverickfhs

Thanks for your response and reply.

Yeah, I plan to go OEM for the pads. I had the car since 60k and never touched the rotors. They look fine( no rough spots, pitting or rust), but can measure the thickness.

Is Magauto OEM in terms of the parts? Thanks again.

eddie1976

magauto is OEM. great site and prices.

My local dealer prices are terrible and I almost never buy anything from them.

ezone

OE are always predictable IMO.

Akebono and Nissin are two OEM brands I seem to hear a lot

When it comes to aftermarket, you usually get what you pay for.
If you increase the hardness of the brake pads for longer life, they might place more wear on the rotors.

Ceramic pads have been decent on non-Honda vehicles for our shop, but we rarely see those later to find out about how long they last.

Depends on how bad it is.
I've used vibration of the air hammer, I use heat/torch quite often (I save that as my last resort because I don't want to ruin the rubber boot if I can avoid it), and I've even resorted to drilling a hole on the blind end of the bracket in order to drive out a completely frozen pin with a punch and hammer.....(hole just big enough for a 3/16" punch, then tap out the drilled hole for 6mmx1.0 thread and screw a short bolt into the hole, sealed with RTV)

Then clean the hole out real good so the pin is free as it slides and spins. I let them soak in penetrating oil/rust buster, then use a wire brush on a drill, or wrap emery cloth strip in a cotter pin chucked in a drill and spinning.

Wire wheel for the pins themselves.
Good choice IMO. Silicone grease doesn't attack the rubber.
I prefer it over moly grease for the pins, moly seems to dry out after a few years.

Honda sells those in a kit with all the other rubber parts.

We usually keep some aftermarket pin boots on the shelf.
Take a sample to your local auto parts stores and see if they have the right boots in stock. May as well get the full set.




My dealer doesn't keep shoes in stock for anything because we never sell them.
They wear so slowly they could outlast the car for most drivers.

The only thing I can count on is shoes squeaking against the backing plate every time you pump the brake pedal. LOL


It's good to check the wheel cylinders and check that the shoe linings are adhered to the steel though. (I haven't seen any original shoe linings peel off here, but I have seen it happen to aftermarket shoes after a few years in the rust belt)
Yes. You can try it, but I doubt it will help.
Oil consumption is likely caused by sticking oil control rings.

maverickfhs

Thanks very much EZ for your detailed response.

In this one :https://www.hondapartsonline.net/aut...ont-brake-scat

Is #1 the right part for the boots? I'll take it to the local parts store and see if they can find something similar.

We are going to have a look at the rear wheels/shoes and clean out some rust.

Thanks again for all of your help.

mikey1

i got 70,000 miles out of wagner thermo quiet pads last time i did my fronts,

however the car is driven mostly by my wife, so needless to say not hard

ezone

Yes but it includes more than you need.



Dangerzone link, only the 'soft parts' for the slide pins:

http://www.autozone.com/brakes-and-t...037_0_0_161679

Jefftnew

So i just did all this, something still is not right, i did put on new struts and only changed the right side rotor my tires are bad, it drives so much better but still has me concerned maybe im paranoid!