Ive never replaced my brakes before...never had to, but now I do. Can somebody walk me through it. I have a 93 Civic HB CX. Thanks.....Trevor

 

What actual part are you replacing? The rotors, pads, hubs, calipers, etc?

Let me know what you're needing to take off/replace and I'll help you out.

 

rotors:

break front lug nuts loose
jack up front of car, support on jackstands
remove lug nuts & front wheels

if the rotor has the 2 screws holding it on the hub still, put the wheels back on, go straight to sears and get an impact driver ($25). you'll need it if those screws are still on, as using a screwdriver usually won't do anything but strip the screw heads. just hold the impact driver on the screw while trying to loosen it, and pound it with a hammer - they'll come right out.

after the screws are out, throw them right in the trash can - you don't need them, they're only used for holding the rotor on the hub while the car rolls down the assembly line. then go return the impact driver to sears.

after that, remove the 2 17mm bolts which hold the caliper to the hub. these face the inside of the car, and will probably require some leverage (breaker bar is your friend). then pull the caliper away from the rotor, and use a wire or some zipties to hang it off of the upper control arm, so the brake hose isn't supporting it

then pull the rotor off the hub (may require some persuasion) and slide the new rotor on. spray it and the hub with brake cleaner first though.

pads:

reinstall the caliper on the hub around the new rotor with the 2 17mm bolts (torque them to 80 ft lbs). the first time i did this, it was a little tricky getting the first one started, because i couldn't see ****. get your eyes under there and line the hole up so you don't swear a thousand times.

pop your hood, open the brake reservoir cover, (right on the firewall across from where your brake pedal is), and place some shop towels around it.

remove the 12mm bolt on the bottom of the caliper (surprisingly tight for a 12mm in my case), and pivot the half of the caliper up. slide the old pads and shims right out of the caliper. make careful note of where these parts were, and how they were oriented. spray the new pads, existing shims, and caliper with brake cleaner.

put a little moly grease on both sides of the shims and the back of the pads, and slide them into the caliper. make sure you put the pads in the way they're supposed to go (i.e. the wear indicators are on the top of the back pad) - just the way the old ones were.

then take a big C clamp and push the piston on the top part of the caliper back into it, so that the caliper can accommodate for the meatyness of the new pads. now the brake reservoir should be filled higher with fluid then it was before. after you're done, top the fluid level off (better yet get a friend and bleed the brakes).

pivot the caliper back down, and tighten that 12mm bolt to spec (24 ft lbs i believe).

put the wheels back on, lower the car, torque the lug nuts to 80 ft lbs, start it up, check the brake pedal, cruise around the block checking to see if they work and listening for noises. then follow the proper bed in procedure.

that's it

 

im replacing the pads on the front and drums brakes in the rear

 

i need to know what i need to have to install my rear drum brakes...shoes...i dunno never done it before...thanks

 

That write up owns... One sidenote is you'll probably want to compress the caliper before trying to remove it to get to the rotors... Usually the pressure in the lines is enough to make it a pain in the *** to take the caliper off the rotor. Other than that little tip, that was a most detailed walkthrough! As far as drum brakes... they suck much worse to do than disc. I would recommend having someone you know whos done them show you how the first time. Even a write up on drums would be of little help unless you had an understanding of the different components. Just my two cents!

 

you might not have to replace your drums. you can adjust the shoes in the drum brakes, they don't wear as much as the front brakes since discs get more braking done. braking in a front disc/rear drum is like 70%/30% usage so front rotors, pads wear out faster than the rear shoes. you don't replace the drum you replace the shoes, those things can last you a long time.

since you're doing the front brakes, might as well get new rotors.

buy a helms manual and do it up. it'll tell you all the tools you need and more accurately than some shmoe off the internet.