Replacing Brake Pads

[jforget1]

Originally Posted by RustyH

Doing you own brakes is something I would highly recommend. It's not hard, you get to go out and buy some new tools, it's way cheaper than paying someone else and you get a sense of accomplishment. Even if you don't buy the parts from Honda, IMHO way to expensive, you can get excellent quality brakes from your local auto parts store. With only 6,600 miles on my Ridgeline, I'm a long way from a brake job, but I've got to add my two cents experience with my other vehilces. On my 98 Ford Expedition, lifted with 35" tires, I put 250,000 miles on it, with 10 front brake jobs and four rear brake jobs. At the time, I purchased lifetime "free replacement" warranty pads from my local checker. They've since stopped doing this, but I can still get free replacement pads if I wanted. The orginal pads cost me about 50 bucks, but I've never pad for a replacement. About the same for the rears. I've replaced my rotors (all four) three times. The first time I replaced them with stock, the second and third with drilled and got much better braking. Forget slotted unless you want your pads to wear out faster. I only turned my rotors one time, when the brakes wore in on a road trip and I couldn't get them changed in time. Otherwise, I left them alone, did a cross sanding with 220 grit to remove any obvious burs, oil or grease and installed new pads. I didn't notice any difference in braking performance between having the rotors turned or not. I also replaced both front and rear calipers with new ones purchased on ebay at the 200,000 mile mark. Nothing was really wrong with the old ones, but the ones for sale had such a great price, I couldn't pass it up. One tool I would suggest is getting a compressor, it doesn't have to be big, one of those 100 dollars ones if fine and getting a power flusher for the brake fluid. Makes doing a brake rebuiled a lot easier.
So grab your floor jack and jackstands, or go buy them if you don't have them, and get busy.

PS...When you're doing the brakes, do front, then back and don't forget to chock your front tires and release the emergency brake when doing the back brakes. Nothing is more fun than spending an hour trying to remove a rear rotor only to find out the brake was left on and you beat the rotor to death before discovering your mistake.

Whoa....way to much soda for me today. See you on the road.

Good info, appreciate it.

[jforget1]

Got the brakes in and will be attempting this experiment this weekend. Have a question in the boxes there is a packet of what appears to be graphite, where would this be applied in the process and any other tips to keep me sane, the one on the emergency brake is a good one, as I would not have thought of that and driven myself crazy.

[CUinaRidge]

The graphite is your lubricant for the brakes
Not on the brakes but .... how to expain???

The slides that move the brake....

As HT and others pointed out... if they don't slide.. they lock up..
Regular maintenance should include lubricating the slides...

[jforget1]

Originally Posted by CUinaRidge

The graphite is your lubricant for the brakes
Not on the brakes but .... how to expain???

The slides that move the brake....

As HT and others pointed out... if they don't slide.. they lock up..
Regular maintenance should include lubricating the slides...

Thanks annoying countdown guy

[jforget1]

Well I have completed my first brake job, overall not bad, the fronts were a breeze, getting the calipers off the back was not as simple. Much harder to get at everything and I needed 2 wrenches to get it off. But I still think it is a reasonable item for most people to complete and beats the $800 the dealer wanted. Thanks for all the advice on this one, it definitely helped.

[OwnerCS]

When my brakes are due to be changed, I am thinking about doing it myself as I changed my own brakes back in the 70s when I owned GM products.

Here's what I am considering.

1) Purchasing some new rotors and pads to keep in reserve. I'll take any recommenations for rotors and pads.

2) Once the existing pads wear out, replace bith rotors and pads. I will do my own work.

3) Find a machine shop that will turn the rotors. Keep the re-turned rotors in reserve until the next time it needs brakes. Buy more pads to keep in reserve with the rotors until replacement time arrives again.

Is there a difference between front and rear rotors?

[beerkat]

I do all my own work because I do not trust dealers other than for warranty work. If your going to do you own work get a real Honda shop manual from Helms Inc, Helm Incorporated: Product It is the same one that your dealer uses.

Honda is all metric tools, bolts, nuts, and anything else on the car.

I go through lots of rotors during a season of track. I have yet to WARP a rotor due to heat, I have cracked them and grooved them. What most people think is Warpage is more likely pad build up and can be eliminated by braking harder. You can do a couple of hard stops from 50mph to 5mph and it should help with the feel of the brake.

Torque on the lug nuts on your car/truck is more for the wheel than the rotor.

Unless you can see stress cracks, a lip around the out side edge, or grooves I would not replace rotor. Most of us do not brake hard enough on normal use to do much if any damage to the rotors.

Front pads normally wear out at the rate of 2 to 1, front to rear.

Brake fluid should be change about every two years.

[CUinaRidge]

Originally Posted by beerkat

IFront pads normally wear out at the rate of 2 to 1, front to rear.

Agreed on Most vehicles, although with the RL watch the Rears!!
A few have had the rears going out first.

And by popular request from jforget1.... 22 days to go...

[beerkat]

My guess is that with more vehicles coming out with VSA or some other type of traction control that uses the rear brakes to keep the driver out of trouble they will wear quicker.