so last week i changed the brake pads on my 93 civic vx hatch. i just did the fronts because they started making some noise and were horribly worn upon removal.
im gunna be honest and say i opted out for some autozone duralast pads because i was broke and the noise was killing me.

anyways i replaced the pads and it was very tuff getting them back on they were almost 2 to 3 times as thick as the worn pads i just figured it was because they were worn?
anyways i start to notice my gas milage drop drasticly and my car just doesnt feel like its rolling free if im just coasting. upon further investigation its actualy making my car lean forward in between shifts.
whats the problem? i am kind of noob with breaks so im totaly lost the next thing i was going to do was bleed the brakes i need to anyways mushy pedal feel but i dont know if that will fix my problem.
any help is appreciated.

cliffs. new brakepads noticed gas milage was being affected and car is not coasting freely, like my brakes are holding me back just a bit. what do i do!?

 

afternoon bump help please

 

sounds like either the caliper is sticking, or you didn't clean the caliper bracket or re-lube it and the pads are seizing in the bracket.

Either way, I am sure the brakes are dragging. Take he brake apart again. Use a file and wire brush to clean out all the dirt and rust from the caliper bracket (you don't need to clean 100% of the bracket, just the area where the pads sit.

Once everything is clean again, apply anti seize to the caliper bracket where you cleaned to lube the pads.

Once that is done, turn your attention to the sliders. clean them very well and lubricate them with caliper slide lube. Make sure that the boots for the slider pins aren't torn or ripped. If they are replace them, or you will just have seized up on you again later.

When you go to reinstall the caliper, apply some of the caliper slide lube to the caliper piston boot to keep it moisturized so that it doesn't dry out and crack. Push the piston back with large channel locks or a big c-clamp or something similar. Feel how the piston slides back, if its really hard, then the piston bore is probably starting to rust and the piston isn't moving as free as it should.

However, I am almost positive the problem lies in either the slider pins or the caliper bracket as they are exposed to the elements more, and you said you weren't too knowledgeable about brakes, so you probably didn't clean them or lube them properly.

 

awsome man thats really helpful because i definatly didnt do that . and now i know. thanks for the response ill do that and get back about how it goes.
where can i buy that lube? just local autoparts store or?

 

its nothing special, any parts store should/will have it in stock

 

Thanks dc4 everything was cleaned and lubed and its all perfect now. I appreciate the help. I also bled them learned a fair share about brakes this week haha good thing.

 

np man, you can never learn too much about what keeps your car in control.

ETA: If you drive the car all year round, this service should be done twice a year, once before winter and once again after.

 

well heres the one before winter, ill make sure to do another when the warm weather starts rollin in, thanks for the tips man

 

Yup I have to do this fairly often on my truck or I get the brakes squeeling when I hit them. I don't like squeeking so I often clean them up and put more brake quiet lube on them. They just started squeeking slightly every once in a while again but I haven't lubed them up yet.

 

I'm having an issue with my brakes sqeaking pretty bad and I just changed my pads. Would doing all those steps help out sqeaks too?

 

i assume that lubing everything would be your only option to fixing it, this may seem obvious but make sure dust gaurd isnt rubbing the caliper, and then ya throw lube on any surface touching another one also press your pistons out and lube the walls of that and the sliders as well its fairly simple once you get into it all. funny that this thread got brought back from the dead so quick.