2003 Civic Ex Rotor Removal Question
 

Hey All,

changing the front brake&rotors for a friend of mine this weekend and he's got a 2003 civic ex and I was wondering if there's anything in particular I might need ? Do the rotors just come off if the wheel and caliper are removed or is there a nut that holds it on ? If so would anyone know what size that nut is ?

Thanks
Jimmy

I changed the brakes on my 03 civic ex a month or so ago, and the rotor is held on by two screws. You'll need some kind of rust penetrate to get the screws out.

After removal of the caliper, there should be 2 phillips screws that hold it in place I believe. Drive around to heat up the rotor (it softens up the metal), then unbolt the caliper, spray some liquid wrench on the two phillips screws that hold the rotor and unscrew with all your might. Good luck!

^haha stinkypie beat me to it... So there are 2 screws - I guess my vague memories of changing the pads aren't so bad after all lol

hardest part is getting the two screws out. an impact driver will be your best friend. i wouldnt want to attempt the job without one. once you get those out, its pretty simple. calipers off and the disc comes off.

*i wouldnt use any penetrating sprays on the screws. its not necessary if you have the right tools

Hey Thanks for all the help and the quick response.

unfortunately I don't have an impact driver, so I'll have to strong arm those 2 screws, hopifully with everyones advice (heating up the rotors and rust penetrate) it won't be too bad.

id go to the dealer, or call them and see if they have replacement screws then.they might get chewed up when you try to remove them, and they dont cost much

part # 93600-06014-0H

Cool thank again for the advice.

I'll post again once I complete the job, share my nightmare or blissful experience, I hope the latter.

I have the proper tools, I just always assume everyone doesn't.

They serve no purpose other than to hold the rotors up during factory assembly.

You don't need them.

Agreed. You don't wanna put back those annoying screws that will cause you more pain in the future if you have to change the rotors again. Forget the screws man, just slap on a new rotor and put ur wheels on. Next time you gotta change new rotors again, just take off wheels and caliper and give it a hard blow with a rubber mallet :lol:

im not saying i dont believe you, but where did you get this information from?

It's common sense really... Don't have the actual proof, but here is something from a professional mechanic: http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl748g.htm

Anyway, there is not right or wrong way; either screw or no screw, it will still function fine. After you install your wheel and tighten the lug nuts, the wheel will securely clamp the rotor in place - not like it's going to fall off when you drive :lol: Tossing the screws away will save lots of headaches later on when you want to install a new rotor again. I've seen people who put the old screws back on and ended up stripping it later on when attempting to remove.

I did my brakes a couple of months ago...eeehhhggg. The screws holding on the rotor were stripped when I got to them. I had to use a screw extractor on all four, it will only add about 15 minutes in work time if you have an extractor. I would go and buy them from a dealer and have them on hand. The hardest part was getting the rusted rotor off. Quick tip: there are two holes with threads on the rotor next to the screws that hold the rotor on. Get two bolts (I forgot what size they are) and put them in those holes and drive them in together (turn one full turn on one and then do the same on the other) until you break the rotor loose. Replacing the screws in the rotors makes it easier to put everything back together. Have fun.

i dont think its safe to assume those screws are simply there to hold the rotor on during assembly. if it were another part of the car, i wouldnt think much of it. but leaving out part of your brakes.. just doesnt make sense to me. the screws are very, very, very easy to remove with a $20 impact driver. for all we know those screws could center the rotor on the hub, relieving pressure off the wheel studs. theres a lot of possibilities is what i mean, although i could just be overthinking this. i guess i just cant help but think that they are there for a good reason. i know the car would brake just fine without them.. but i cant help but ask why? how often do you replace your rotors that you need to leave the screws out since they make this process a pain. my oem pads/rotors lasted 70k.. and even then they couldve lasted even longer, i changed them out early because i didnt think they would last through the winter, so i wanted to get it out of the way.

http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...ht=rotor+screw
http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...ht=rotor+screw

They are only there to hold up the rotors during assembly, since wheels are almost the last thing that's bolted on.
Saves me the trouble of wrestling with a useless screw.

those screw are packed in tight, so a $24 pep boy impact driver is a good investment for that all all those other rusted bolt problems. as for keep the screws, it is no nessesary, but i keep mine on... why not? yeah but thats it those two screws and the rotor will slide off (sometimes they get suck though)

Weekend update

Hey All,
So this weekend I completed the brake job on my friends 03 Civic ex. Just to give everyone a bit of background as to why my friend asked me to help him changes his brakes.

He went to his local honda dealer and the got an estimate for changing the front pads and resurfacing the rotors. The dealer quoted $350 bucks which if you ask me is a bit much for pads. I'm in NYC and if you know NYC dealers none of them every actually resurface the rotors, they either replace them or do nothing.

None the less my friend arrives at my house bright and early all enthused to jump into his first brake job. So we block the rear wheels , throw the car on the jack stands and being to take off the wheels. We remove the pads and begin to inspect the rotors. They were super smooth, no burrs, no bumps, and straight as an arrow. Then we look as the pads, they were about 50% worn.

Personally if this were my car and I only used it on the weekends I would've put the tires back on and called it a day. But its my friends car so we ended up just changing the pads. The job was pretty simple and he learned a lot. I saw the screws that everyone mention and suprisingly they were in great shape. I never got to take off the rotor so I don't know if they would've been a problem.

Thanks Again Everyone.

Jimmy