Change the rear disc brakes on a Honda Accord in about 20 minutes per wheel. Prum Prim Productions
Tags: Honda, accord, disc, brakes, change, pads, prum, prim
Car Maintenance
It's an experience that everyone has had. You get to cruising along and all of a sudden you hear the squeaking sound as you go to stop. At first you probably don't give it a second thought, after all was that really your car that was making that awful sound or was that the car next to you? Stopping a moving car is extremely important and you don't want to take that squealing sound lightly. There are some key warnings that will let you know when brake repair is necessary.
Your first indication that brake repair is necessary is that scraping or squealing sound. This sound is made by a soft metal tab located on the pads themselves. These tabs are usually concealed by the pads but because of the high friction the pads wear down. As they wear down the tabs begin rubbing on the rotor which is a much thicker metal disc that is connected to the driving axles. If you are hearing a grinding, scraping or squealing every time you stop or slow down it's time to take your car to a mechanic.
Another good sign that brake repair is imminent is anytime you feel like the car is pulling when you slow. If you are trying to stop and you feel like the car has a mind of its own the pads might be suspect. If these components are so far gone that you feel like you are fighting for control then you are actually in a dangerous situation. By feeling like control is being yanked away from you might lead you to overcorrect and cause an accident.
Also the sudden pull of the wheel under your hand can cause an accident as well. Brake repair is mainly taking care of the pads. If you let them stay worn for too long you may be looking at replacing rotors as well which can cost hundreds of dollars to do. To ensure that the rotors stay in the best shape you should have the pads inspected frequently. Because the lifespan of these parts vary you really should take extra care to ensure that they are checked regularly. The more often you use them the quicker they will wear out.
Brake repair is important. If you can't stop your car at the appropriate time you can be putting your life, your passengers' lives, and other people's lives at risk. It's important to ensure that these components are part of your regularly scheduled maintenance.
Time: 45mins approx
Difficulty: ***
Tools Required
-Axle Stands (EUR20 approx per set of two)
-Socket Set (EUR50 for an adequate set)
-Wheelbrace (Should be included in your cars repair kit though investing in a Metal cross would be worthwhile).
-Fresh brake Pads EUR30+
-Hydraulic Jack (you will need a proper main jack in conjunction with some axle stands
Pad removal checklist
-Procedure -Check?
Loosen wheel nuts
Jack car up
Remove wheel
Examine braking system
Remove Caliper, Slide away from wheel
Open caliper pins, release brake pads
Check Brake disc for damage
Prior Preparation:
-Always park your car in a suitable area with adequate workspace when attempting a brake pad change. Secure the Handbrake and disengage gear to neutral, prior to jacking the car up.
-Now block the cars rear wheels so it won't roll once you jack it up onto the axle stands!
-Spread your tools out and select a wheelbrace, moving to one of the front wheels. The wheelbrace is a metal bar with a socket on the end for removing wheelnuts. It will usually come with your cars toolkit, however if you don't have one, a socket set purchase will be necessary!
-Its always a good idea before jacking the car up, to loosen the wheel nuts first, whilst the car still rests on the ground. Usually the nuts will be tight, so trying to loosen them whilst the wheel is in the air will create some problems, (i.e. the wheel will keep spinning around!). Grab your wheel brace and proceed to loosen the nuts, however don't take them off fully, loosen them just enough until they can later be removed by hand.
-Jack the car up in a suitable, supported area of the cars chassis. Recommended areas to jack the car up will be detailed in your cars, owners manual. Make sure you use the chassis as a jack point for trying to lift the car! Never work on a car which has been elevated by only a hydraulic jack. Place both axle stands under each end of the main front axle, lowering the car onto the stands
Removing old brakes:
-Now that the car is supported firmly on the stands, you can progress to remove the wheel! The already loosened wheel nuts can be removed by hand, and when taken off make sure to place them in a cardboard box or in a drawer so you can find them at a later stage!
-Remove the wheel slowly and place it under the cars door nearest the wheel you are working on. You can never be careful enough when working on a suspended car, in addition to the axle stands and jack you are using, its always a good idea to have that wheel there, in case a faulty axle stand, broken jack etc lets you down and could result in the car falling! Taking these small yet extremely relevant safety steps are extremely necessary.
-Now that you have removed the wheel entirely, a brake system assembly should be visible before you.(or if not your in trouble!). The braking system consists of a brake caliper, two brake pads and a brake disc.
-As the diagram illustrates, the brake caliper is attached to the brake disc. Inside the caliper are two brake pads which need changing. When you press the brake lever in your car, the caliper will squeeze the brake pads onto the brake disc, in turn slowing them down, and effectively then the wheel. Imagine a CD spinning around, where a hand then from either side clamps onto it slowly, that has the same principle as the braking system.
-There will be bolts which fix the caliper in place and prevent movement. Remove these bolts (spanner size requirements will vary on different cars, investing in a socket set is again advised!) and take the caliper away from the brake disc. You should now have the brake pads within vision through the caliper.
-Examine the caliper closely. On different cars, brake pads will be held in by contrasting methods. Clip pins usually fix the pad into place, so when you remove these pins the pad will be released and can then be removed. Follow this procedure and remove the old pads. While you are examining the brake pads, glance over the brake disc also, if it has any grooves or chips in it, it will need replacing.
Replacing with new pads:
-Now that you have removed the old brake pads and are ready to replace with new pads, firstly check you have bought the correct size and model! Compare the new with the old, and once satisfied progress to place the new pads into the brake caliper, and make sure they are put in the right way!!
o Pull quote for pic: "Brake pad wear will be significantly increased on the right-hand side front wheel, due to added weight of the driver under braking."
-In putting in new pads, you will have to push the caliper piston back in, in order to fit the new pads in. The piston is usually a round face which pushes the brake pads in when the brake lever is pressed by a cars driver. When you would have earlier took the pads out, the piston will have opened out. This can be slightly tricky, so try pushing it back in with the heel of your hand firstly. If that doesn't work you can try an flathead screw-driver to gently prise the piston down and back into original position.
-Repeat the above procedure, though in opposite motion. Ensure that the piston is back in place, fit the new pads and put the clips back on which hold them in place! Remount the caliper back on to the brake disc. When this has been completed check around the caliper and bolts to ensure everything has been completed successfully.
-Find your wheel nuts which earlier where placed in a box, and place the wheel back on. When lined correctly, place the wheel nuts on, only by hand. Remove the axle stands and release the Jack slowly until the car rests on the ground. Grab your wheel brace and tighten the wheel nuts. Hey Presto, you have a brake pad change, but wait, theres the other front wheel! Repeat the procedure on the other wheel.
When you have completely finished both wheels, before you go driving make sure to pump your brake lever inside the car or you will have no brakes! Press the brake lever up and down, this will force hydraulic oil back into the braking system, which will push your
Pad Replacement checklist
-Procedure -Check?
Push Caliper piston back in
Place pads back in and lock with pins
Remount caliper to brake disc
Check everything over
Remount wheel
Put wheel nuts back on
Pump Brake lever prior to driving!
Doing your own brake job, if done properly can save a lot of money. But if a brake job is done improperly it could very well cost more than if a professional was paid to do the job to begin with. I've done hundreds of brake jobs in the last 25 years as a Master Auto Technician and in this article I'll outline some of the basics. I also point out some common mistakes that beginners and even pros can make when doing a brake job.
Pulsating?
If the car shakes when the brakes are applied, this means that the brake rotors are warped. Excessive side to side run-out causes the car to shake especially when stopping quickly from highway speeds. The rotors can be machined or resurfaced to make them true again as long as they are thick enough. If there is no pulsation or brake shake, brake pads can be replaced without machining them. In my experience though, if machining or replacing the rotors is not done when doing a brake job, most of the time there will be excessive squeaking noises after a very short time. I recommend taking care of the rotors by having them machined or replaced when doing the brake job.
Lifting the Car Safely
Sounds a little too basic doesn't it? I've seen many people under cars without having a jack stand in place for safety. Hydraulic jacks are great, but what if one slips or fails in some way while someones under the car working? I can't emphasize enough the importance of having the car safely raised with a jack stand in place, just in case the car falls for some reason. A jack stand under the car is very important for anytime work is to be done under the car, like for oil changes, starter replacement or any other job that could crush a person if the jack failed. I once worked with a mechanic that was changing his starter at home. His hydraulic jack had a slow leak and before he realized that the car was lowering gradually onto him, he was pinned under the car and couldn't get out from under it. The compressing of his chest only allowed him to take very shallow breaths of air, which limited his ability to cry for help! Luckily a friend stopped by, saw what was happening and raised the car for him. If not for luck this could have had a totally different outcome, his mistake could have cost him his life.
Removing Wheels, Calipers and Rotors
After removing the wheels find the caliper bolts and check to see what type of head the bolts have to determine what tools will be needed. Common fasteners will have either regular bolt heads, allen or torx. Typically there will be two bolts holding the caliper and two bolts holding the caliper bracket. Usually just the caliper can be removed if just replacing the brake pads. Suspend the caliper with an elastic cord or something similar to prevent the weight of the caliper from possibly damaging the brake hose. If the rotor is being removed to be machined or replaced most of the time the caliper bracket will need to be removed as well. Rotors will either just slide off or on older style setups will be held on by the wheel bearings. Most cars today will have rotors that slide off. The wheel bearings on this design are not serviceable, meaning they are lifetime greased and can only be replaced when they fail so they are not repacked with grease during a brake job like in the past.
Pushing the Piston
Pushing the brake caliper piston back in is required to install the new brake pads. The piston slowly extends out as the brake pads wear. This is why no brake adjustment is needed for the disc brake system, it's basically self adjusting. Big channel lock pliers can be used to compress the piston back into the caliper. There are also brake tools that can be used to push the piston back in. A big C-clamp used to be my favorite method for returning the piston back into the caliper. If working on rear disc brakes, a piston wind back tool like the KD 41540 (one of DenLors best sellers) is usually required to push and turn the pistons back in. It is recommended to open the brake bleeder screw when pushing the piston, this allows it to go back in easier and prevents possible damage to the master cylinder and/or ABS (Anti Lock Brakes) pump or valves from forcing old fluid back into the system. Closing the bleeder valve immediately after the caliper piston is pushed back in will insure that bleeding the brakes will not be necessary. If dust boots in the caliper are broken, caliper replacement is necessary. Broken boots will allow moisture and dirt to enter the surrounding area of the piston and will cause it to stick or seize. There are slides on some caliper brackets that can freeze up or seize also that can cause uneven pad wear. The slides should be taken apart and lubricated with silicone gel or disc brake grease. The slides must work freely for the brakes to work properly.
Installing the Brake Pads and Calipers
Take note of any possible differences in left side brake pads and right side brake pads. Also there is sometimes differences in inboard and outboard brake pads. Obviously the friction part of the brake pad goes towards the rotor. My uncle a long time ago, before I ever started working on cars did a brake job on his Cadillac. I remember hearing that he placed the brake pads in backwards! He ruined his brake rotors. It seems like an impossible mistake, but when you're not familiar with what you're doing anything is possible. With aftermarket brake pads, most of the time they will come with their own noise insulators that fit onto the back of the pads. Some will have adhesive backs that will have plastic to peel off before installing, others may have tabs built into them. Note that if these are supplied, the OE (Original Equipment) pad insulators will not be re-used. After the pads are in place, be careful not to TWIST the brake caliper hoses when putting the calipers back on. It's a common mistake to twist them and the hoses can kink on turns.
Pump the Brake Pedal!
After everything is back together, it's time for a test drive. But first pump the brake pedal before putting the car in gear! The pedal will go to the floor and you may be headed for a crash if you don't. When the pedal is pumped the pistons are pushed out and the pedal becomes firm. There was an auto technician that I worked with that forgot to pump the brakes after doing a brake job. He backed out of his service bay, when he hit the the brakes the car kept going and he drove into the car that was half way up on the rack behind him. It broke the rear window of the car he was driving, luckily there was no other damage.
There are many types of brake systems but most disc brakes are basically the same. Following the steps I've listed here should help in replacing your brake pads. But if you are not completely confident, it's always a good idea to ask a friend that has some hands on experience to help guide you through your first brake job.