Service manual

 

Service manual

And if not the correct service manual, at least get a service manual for SOME Honda vehicle before you attempt this, since you sound like you've not done it before (local library may have something that will help).

Its not difficult to do but if you're not mechanical I don't recommend it. I say this because many folks on this site seem, um, less than savvy in terms of mechanics. I'm not suggesting that you are necessarily!

 

Well, I've done this myself and it's not that complicated if you're technical/mechanically oriented. Here's the stuff you'll need:

Impact wrench and air compressor (trust me, you'll want one)
1 Set of deep metric impact sockets
Large C clamp
A packet or 2 of that No-Squeal brake pad stuff (if it didn't come with your pads)
Hammer/small bar to pry with
Jack & stands
1 block of wood (2x4 scrap)
Large torque wrench can come in handy too
You'll REALLY want the service manual. Trust me.

And here's a rough set of directions (it's been a bit so don't sue me if I forgot something...)

1) SET THE PARKING BRAKE
2) Jack up the front end of the car, set on stands.
3) Jack up the rear of the car, set on stands (skip this step if only doing front pads.)
4) Remove both front wheels. This is where the impact wrench comes in real handy.
5) Remove the 2(?) bolts holding the brake caliper to the brake pad bracket.
6) Remove the old brake pads. This may take a bit of "persuasion" with the hammer and tool of prying. Don't try to force them, you don't want to damage anything down there.
7) Set in the new brake pads. Check with the directions that come with them to make sure you get the right side on the right side. There may be a spring clip that needs to be replaced, can't remember for sure right now.
8) Using the C clamp and a block of wood, push the brake caliper back in so it'll fit around your new pads. Place the block of wood flat against the caliper piston, clamp the C clamp with one pad against the block and the other pad against the back of the caliper housing. Tighten the clamp til the block's flush with the housing. Remove C clamp and block.
9) Squirt the No-Squeal stuff between the pads and pad liners (if there are any, if not see if you can use the old ones)
10) Replace the caliper over the new pads and tighten the bolts. I don't know the proper torque any more but it should probably be somewhere in the area of 30-45 ft/lbs if I remember correctly.
11) Put the front wheels back on.
12) Let the car down off the stands/jack.
13) Turn the car ignition to ON (do not start) and pump the brake pedal smoothly ALL the way to the floor 10-12 times. This should get progressively harder to do as the calipers work their way back snug with the pads. For the last couple, push the brake pedal down and leave it there for a few seconds. This should help equalize pressure across the lines.
14) TEST YOUR BRAKES WHILE GOING SLOW with one hand on the E-brake if necessary.
15) Remove everything not fastened down from the car
16) Bed your new pads: On an empty stretch of road, do 5 stops from 20-5 mph with normal acceleration between them to warm up the pads, then do a series of 10 hard stops from 60-5 mph with normal to spirited acceleration between them. Don't lock the tires up when you brake but run the edge of doing so. The goal is to get the brakes HOT so the new pads bed correctly. Towards the end of the 60-5 mph stops, you should start to smell the brakes. This is normal, as this means they're getting hot and bedded properly.
17) After doing the hard stops, drive for at least another 5 minutes to cool your brakes & pads down. NEVER EVER EVER EVER stop hard then keep the brakes pressed down while the car is not moving. This will transfer a layer of pad material to the rotors and in severe cases you'll be able to see a pad outline right on the rotors from the material transer. This will make your brakes shake and pull badly. BADBADBADBADBADBADBADBAD!
18) Congrats, you're done. Go home & get a beer!

That's a fairly concice list and should roughly cover everything you need. Sorry no pics, like I said it's been probably 8-9 months since I did this myself so this is the best detail I can remember. Hope it helps!

 

Thanks soo much for the advice! I feel I can do this as I am mechanically inclined for sure!

 

Thanks soo much for the advice! I feel I can do this as I am mechanically inclined for sure!

As has been stated, get a service manual for at least some recent Honda - a CR/V would be probably pretty darn close. Check at the library.

Also forgot to mention: Do NOT let the brake caliper dangle hanging by the brake line. It's awful hard on the stock brake lines. Find something to support it while you change the pads.

Best of luck to ya, tell us how it came out!

 

Also forgot to mention: Do NOT let the brake caliper dangle hanging by the brake line. It's awful hard on the stock brake lines. Find something to support it while you change the pads.

The big black spring that should be right in front of you during this job is a great place to hang the caliper from.

- Use the money saved from doing the job yourself to get the nicer ceramic NAPA pads

- Get a $1 packet of brake pad lubricant to wipe onto the BACK of the pads

- Clean up the rotors with some CRC (? maybe CBC?) brake dust cleaner while you're in there

- Use the blue sealant stuff on the caliper screws

- Try your best not to touch the rotors or the front of the brake pads with your fingers/hands due to the oil in your skin

- A 4 inch C clamp should suffice - I used a 6 inch one. I didn't use a block of wood or anything - just the clamp and I didn't have any problems

- If you can take both wheels off at the same time then do so - leave one together so you can use it as a reference. The front pads have a retainer clip - the rear pads do not. Make sure you put the retainer clip back on and make sure you do so correctly.

I didn't torque the caliper screws. I just hand tightened them. This may not be advisable though. I just don't torque things ever since I had an oil sensor break when I torqued it by the book.

This was my first ever brake job that I did myself and I was surprised by how easy it was (didn't have any help). I may have fudged something up, but if I did then I haven't noticed yet (about 2k miles since).

 

Gratz on the successful brake job Damien! Yeah the clip is easy to forget!

I didn't say put the lube on the front of the pads did I? :sad:

I wouldn't worry about the oil on your skin/hands...once you bed the pads, that oil will be LONG gone and burned/rubbed off.

For the caliper bolts, you CAN hand tighten them, just be sure they're plenty tight. I'd still reccommend torquing them. If you torque it to the book and it breaks, it's not your fault!

 

The rear brakes can hang by the lines since they have e-brake cables..

Just an fyi i was taught in manufacturers school about cars with small rear calipers

i recommend getting some wire to hang the front brake lines to the springs for work

 

Hello All

On previous cars I have always replaced the various retainer clips and other hardware bits when doing brakes. Previous shop manuals have always considered this a necessity since these parts tend to rust and/or lose their tension with all the heating and stretching. Usually there are combi-kits for this purpose, or sometimes the clips come with the break pads. Is this also a recommended step on the E?
Thanks,
Jeremy

 

Hello All

On previous cars I have always replaced the various retainer clips and other hardware bits when doing brakes. Previous shop manuals have always considered this a necessity since these parts tend to rust and/or lose their tension with all the heating and stretching. Usually there are combi-kits for this purpose, or sometimes the clips come with the break pads. Is this also a recommended step on the E?
Thanks,
Jeremy

Only bits that are there are the clips (on the front only I believe?), the backing pads, and the brake pads themselves. Fairly basic system. I'd probably reccommend replacing the clips if you can find new ones easily, and the backing pads. You can probably get away with using both old sets, but it doesn't hurt to replace them either.

 

Thanks Twilightzero for the info! Seems pretty much like a " standard " brake change. I will be doing the first one on the fronts tomorrow! Thanks again!

 

Thanks Twilightzero for the info! Seems pretty much like a " standard " brake change. I will be doing the first one on the fronts tomorrow! Thanks again!

NP, and the scary part is I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination ;-) Welcome to the club btw, great to see new faces around here!

 

Instead of using a block of wood, you can just compress the piston using the c-clamp and the old brake pad first, then put on the new pads.

 

Instead of using a block of wood, you can just compress the piston using the c-clamp and the old brake pad first, then put on the new pads.

Indeed you can - but being a carpenter kind of guy I have tons of blocks of wood from ends of boards so I gotta use 'em somehow

 

bravo

Well done on your first 'real' monkey-wrenching, bullit71. You'll be tearing down your transmission to put in that 6th gear any day now. Seriously, get a manual (book, not gearbox); it has pictures and details and all kinds of stuff that you really want to know if you're going to keep up this mechanick-ing thing.

One little niggle, for the poster who advised use of an impact wrench. I've found that by leaving the wheels on the ground I can 'break' the lugnuts loose just fine with a 1/2-drive socket on a standard 18-inch breaker-bar. (I have never tried the actual E spare tire wrench.) I gather it's best to do your heavy-wrenching when the car's flat on the ground, I guess so you don't knock it off the jackstands.

 

Well done on your first 'real' monkey-wrenching, bullit71. You'll be tearing down your transmission to put in that 6th gear any day now. Seriously, get a manual (book, not gearbox); it has pictures and details and all kinds of stuff that you really want to know if you're going to keep up this mechanick-ing thing.

One little niggle, for the poster who advised use of an impact wrench. I've found that by leaving the wheels on the ground I can 'break' the lugnuts loose just fine with a 1/2-drive socket on a standard 18-inch breaker-bar. (I have never tried the actual E spare tire wrench.) I gather it's best to do your heavy-wrenching when the car's flat on the ground, I guess so you don't knock it off the jackstands.

You're correct, but I'm done with my days of breaking nuts loose with a breaker bar. You CAN do it if you need, but an impact wrench is a priceless investment. Its usefulness cannot be overstated!

 

I purchased an electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight many years ago for taking off lug nuts and minor work. This is not the 12volt dc wrench but the AC style. It will do the job nicely. I have changed the brakes on my old Nissan many times and once on my wifes Saab 9-5 wagon. It is really a pretty easy and standard job to do on most cars with four wheel disc breaks. I have never messed with drums and I am glad the E does not have them. I know I will be needing to replace my pads soon on my E but I will have to do a little research on the best compound to use.

 

I purchased an electric impact wrench from Harbor Freight many years ago for taking off lug nuts and minor work. This is not the 12volt dc wrench but the AC style. It will do the job nicely. I have changed the brakes on my old Nissan many times and once on my wifes Saab 9-5 wagon. It is really a pretty easy and standard job to do on most cars with four wheel disc breaks. I have never messed with drums and I am glad the E does not have them. I know I will be needing to replace my pads soon on my E but I will have to do a little research on the best compound to use.

I keep drooling over the Milwaukee 28 volt cordless impact wrench. I already have the drill, so the wrench would be a much smaller purchas. *twitch* *droool*

 

Just remember if you torque your lug nuts on properly, you can remove them with a breaker bar pretty easily! Don't use those impact wrenches to tighten the lug nuts! Not only does it make it hard to get the wheel off if you are on the road but you greatly risk warping your wheels and brake rotors!!!!

 

Just remember if you torque your lug nuts on properly, you can remove them with a breaker bar pretty easily! Don't use those impact wrenches to tighten the lug nuts! Not only does it make it hard to get the wheel off if you are on the road but you greatly risk warping your wheels and brake rotors!!!!

The torque setting for the Element's lug nuts is 80 ft/lbs. The lowest setting on my air torque wrench is 90 ft/lbs. I'm always careful to put the lug nuts on either with that (if I'm in a hurry) or my huge manual torque wrench (if I'm not). I can't stand shops that take their 500+ ft/lb industrial impact wrench and tighten them down to the last click then it takes 3 500 pound musclemen to get them off.

 

Twilight, I have a compressor on my 'wish list'...got the impact wrench years ago, for use when I can borrow a compressor. The new cordless models look pretty keen, and skipping the whole compressor thing would indeed be sweet.

Jeez, I'm so old-school I thought having a breaker bar was the lap of luxury...

 

Twilight, I have a compressor on my 'wish list'...got the impact wrench years ago, for use when I can borrow a compressor. The new cordless models look pretty keen, and skipping the whole compressor thing would indeed be sweet.

Jeez, I'm so old-school I thought having a breaker bar was the lap of luxury...

I have heard mixed reviews of the cordless ones. I have heard from quite a few people they are just not as powerful.

 

I have heard mixed reviews of the cordless ones. I have heard from quite a few people they are just not as powerful.

You have to get a GOOD one. 18 volts is not useful for anything except drills. I'm looking at the Milwaukee 28 volt, which is powerful enough to make the drill insanely powerful, run a good circular saw, and let a sawzall chew through anything. I'd recommend the Dewalt 36 volt but it has the exact same torque as the Milwaukee 28 and last I heard Dewalt had recalled all their 36 volt stuff for an unknown (to me) reason.

I still go for air for now, it's reliable and damn powerful

 

paulyofpa's advice on properly torquing with a hand torque wrench can not be said enough. This saves on warped rotors and remember if your wife is on the road for business purposes a lot, as mine is, 80 ftlb's is easy enough to get off if a tire goes flat!!!

 

paulyofpa's advice on properly torquing with a hand torque wrench can not be said enough. This saves on warped rotors and remember if your wife is on the road for business purposes a lot, as mine is, 80 ftlb's is easy enough to get off if a tire goes flat!!!

As much as I do prefer hand torquing, I don't think it's a huge problem to torque them on to 100 ft/lbs with an air wrench as long as you're careful with your settings. It saves a lot of time!