The brakes on the Honda Civic use a combination of brake pads in the front and brake shoes in the rear. Hydraulic fluid is forced, through steel brake lines, to a caliper mechanism in the front and a hydraulic piston cylinder in the rear. The fluid pushes the brake pads or shoes against the rotor (at the front) or the battery (at the rear). Most of the work done by the Honda Civic’s brakes is done by the front brakes, due to the inertia of forward motion. Over time, the brake pads wear down, once the pad material is 1/8″ thick, you will need to replace the brake pads.
Loosen the wheel nuts by turning them 45 degrees counterclockwise.
Use the cricket and lift the front of the vehicle. To do this, put the cricket underneath the vehicle and lift the front of the Civic (which is located near the radiator, it’s an extension of the frame).
Place the cricket brackets under the front of the Civic’s frame or front drag welds and lower the car so that it is now supported by the cricket.
Remove the front wheel nuts once the Civic is supported by the cricket.
Remove the wheels from the hub.
Remove the top and bottom bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper mounting bracket.
Pull the caliper all the way onto the rotor. Make sure the coil springs are above the rotor.
Remove the brake pads.
Press the piston into the caliper assembly. Place the face of one of the pads over the piston and force the pad against the piston with a C-clamp. The piston will collapse back into the caliper housing.
Insert the new brake pads into the caliper assembly and reassemble the brake assembly.
Spray down the brake discs, pads and calipers with brake cleaner to remove any remaining dust.
Replace the wheel and tighten the nuts.
Lower the Civic to ground level and torque the nuts to 100 lb-ft.
Tips
Apply a small amount of thread sealant to the mounting caliper bolts before retightening the mounting bracket. Tighten the bolts until you feel significant resistance. Then turn the clamp bolts an additional 1/4 turn.