DIY Brake Job

[hondaman2]

if you strip the threads on the screw you can use a punch at an angle towards the left to loosen, which will free it. try to set it close to where the screw meets the rotor.

[hondaman2]

you may have noticed two holes on the rotor with threads that have no bolts or screws. These are for removing the rotor if it is stuck from rust.

Insert a 12mm bolt and screw it in(tighten) to put pressure on the hub to seperate the rotor. Use 2 bolts or alternate one bolt evenly.

[hondaman2]

this is what the rear looks like with the rotor off. The rear rotor houses a drum brake like(brake shoe) set up for extra stopping power and it is also used as the Parking brake.

[hondaman2]

although the brake shoes are self adjusting sometimes they need a little help due to age and maybe they are stuck from brake dust.

to adjust them manually you will need to gat a flat head screwdriver and push the wheel up towards the vehicle (because the wheel is on the bottom) do not make them too tight, just enough so the rotor just starts to grab. Adjusting the shoes is also the way you adjust the parking brake (properly). do not get any grease on the shoes or the pads.

[hondaman2]

you dont have to take the rotor off to adjust the parking brake. there is a rubber boot you can insert your screwdriver in to get at the wheel while it is on the car. rotate the rotor so the boot is on the bottom.

[hondaman2]

these are the tools I used

[hondaman2]

this is the vacuum pump which is used to suck out the dirty old brake fluid from your reservoir.

[hondaman2]

now when you bleed the system it is best to have 2 people, 1 to pump the brakes while the other monitors the reservoir and the fluid and/or air coming out of the caliper and to open and close the bleed valve for each caliper.

using a criss cross pattern or X pattern is a good measure. start at the right front(passenger side) to the left rear(driver side) to the right rear to the left front. you don't have to do it this way but it is helpful in certain situations.

DOT 3 or DOT 4 is good fluid, both work.

any questions PM me and I will be happy to respond.

[zyprex]

Thank you!! this is awesome, i was wondering if i could do brake myself..and now i have a reference guide.. you rock!!

[jzw]

Hi Hondaman,

It would be great if you can shoot a video clip for the whole process. With no hesitation, I would buy it for $5 to $10. If you can make a series of the DIY instructions, I am sure you have a business of your own. If you live in North New Jersey, I will help you shoot and convert it to DVDs.

Jerry

[surferbum]

let's say that you save a net $150 by doing your own brake job rather than going to Midas. Why wouldn't you give him a reasonable tip (ala a restaurant). Let's say 15% which works out to $22. Now if 10 people were interested then maybe the $220 might start to be tempting.

[RFM]

Originally posted by surferbum
let's say that you save a net $150 by doing your own brake job rather than going to Midas. Why wouldn't you give him a reasonable tip (ala a restaurant). Let's say 15% which works out to $22. Now if 10 people were interested then maybe the $220 might start to be tempting.

Give who a tip? For doing what? What might start to become tempting? Seriously, what the heck are you referring to?

[surferbum]

Originally posted by zyprex
Thank you!! this is awesome, i was wondering if i could do brake myself..and now i have a reference guide.. you rock!!

Originally posted by RFM
Give who a tip? For doing what? What might start to become tempting? Seriously, what the heck are you referring to?

Hondaman of course

[Bugshu]

TTT for NJay !!!!

Happy Piloting All,



Bugshu

[hondaman2]

It is also a good idea to lube the brake pad retaining clips with anti-seize or moly paste. sometimes you will get an uneven brake pad wear condition which is usually a frozen caliper slide pin but it is not unusual for it to be rusty retaining clips.

If you are going to do it right, open the bleed valve on the caliper before you compress it or the dirty fluid will go back into the master cylinder and destroy the primary seals and leave you with a spongy/defective master cylinder.

dont worry about getting air in your brake system when you open the bleed valve when you collapse the caliper piston, you wont get any air in the system as long as you have your bleed hose on the bleeder valve.

its not a bad idea to lube the hub around the axle nut and the inside diameter of the rotor with moly paste so it doesnt get rusted to the hub.