2016-2018 Honda Civic Rear Brake Pad and Rotor Replacement - PART 1

[@cdnpont]

Thanks for the video Frank. Just getting set to do my wife's 2016, checking to see if anything unusual has been done by Honda. One thing I've always done is to remove the rotor retaining screw first. Remove the wheel, set the parking brake and use an impact driver to remove it. I also put a little never seize on the screw when re-installing it. If it's buggered I leave it out. Cheers.

[@toddtamburino6026]

I've never replaced brake pads or rotors, so FixItFrank was very helpful. I replaced the rear rotors and brake pads on my son's 2018 Civic in about 3 hours. Some of that time was attributed to setup and a learning curve on my part. ONE BIG thing that Frank really needs to include is that the Civic's e-brake electronic cable attached to be back of the caliper is apparently extremely delicate. A month after a successful replacement (so I thought), we got 3 brake failure warnings. Took it to my local mechanic who had to replace the driver's side e-brake cable. According to his contact at the Honda dealer, this is a known problem and something their trained Honda mechanics brake all of the time. Luckily, they break the cables so often that they keep them in stock. It looks like I damaged the cable sometime during the brake job when moving the caliper around, and it took a month for the cable to fail completely. So, $350 and all of the financial savings of doing this myself ultimately went to the mechanic. Just telling everyone to be careful. I will definitely do this job again, but I will be much more watchful of the cables.

[@francisraposo9783]

To be fair he does quickly mention it at 13:49. :) But thank you for mentioning it in your comment as well, I'll be replacing the pads and rotors on my 2018 Civic this weekend and I'll make sure to be extra careful!

[@nightowl19741]

You do need to reset the EPB actuator, otherwise you can get a brake sensor error. They use a Honda scan tool at the dealer, but you can do it yourself by removing the mounting screws from the actuator and screwing it back in (I think it takes an E12 torx socket). You should replace the mounting bolts and gasket each time. Also note that the rear brakes wear faster because there are not slides for the pads. It's just rough metal on rough metal. If you live in a rough climate like the northeast, it helps to clean and lubricate them after each winter.

[@brachydios3685]

Hi bro, I am planning to replace the rotors on my 17 civic and glad to see your suggestions. Please confirm that only the rear rotors replacement required to reset the EPB actuator, right? Do the front wheel rotors replacement would also need the Honda scan tool for any purpose? Because my local dealers are expensive, for safety reason I may let them do my rear rotors, and I will find a repair shop to do the front which can save me some money, if the front rotors are not connecting to any sensitive equipments like EPB or something😢

[@Duskpup]

@@brachydios3685 Nope, only the rear rotors! Thank goodness for that. I'm gonna be doing my replacement next week for the first time so hopefully it goes well.

[@brachydios3685]

@@Duskpup thanks! Good luck to you bro!

[@MM-ig1iv]

You aren't kidding. they do wear out faster! I couldn't believe how wore down mine were. there was no sounds or anything to warn me that the pads needed changed!? for it's a 2016. but a crap load of brake dust build up i finally noticed.. and if you had to stop suddenly it was getting a little rougher.. but still smooth for the most part? then noticed scratches in the rear rotors! I just replaced them both and pads. she's good now. the fronts next even though she looks decent. but it's a must since i did the rear. I'm kind of a amature at working on cars and it's NOT getting easier these days. but I can manage these common dIY jobs. saved myself about $800 or more!?

[@Austin-cm1bv]

Thanks for the video, went to the dealership and after watching this video I totally changed my mind and did it myself. Saved almost 100$. Thanks you sir! you should really continue to upload this type of videos. Cheers.

[@arturoperez352]

Till your electronic e brake takes a shit🤣

[@davezahayko9973]

Yep mine did

[@NOTHOTlanta]

I don't miss corrosion on cars since leaving the Northeast. In Georgia, a 10 year old Honda still looks fairly new :)

[@avir5604]

I have a 2016 civic. Just changed the rear rotors today. All your advice were good except I had to use a battery to retract the mechanism of the piston via the electronic brake then use a disc brakes pad spreader to push the piston inside. Mine were not straight forward as you showed in your video but I guess the best way to do this without damaging the electronic brakes ? I guess.. am not an expert though... but thank you for the video! 🙏

[@blewis9270]

How did you use a battery to retract the mechanism?

[@avir5604]

@@blewis9270 Apology in advance for my poor English as it is not my first language. Tools needed: 9 Volt Battery (use Duracell as the other dies halfway through the procedure), 2 non-flexible wire (strip all ends), a 6 inches C or G Clamp, a piece of scrap wood. Removed the electric parking brake actuator from the brake disk then unplug the electric plug/connector that feeds power to the electric parking brake actuator. You will see 2 short pins exposed inside. Then Mark the position of the Piston as you will need to compare it position later to determine if it is retracting or moving forward. Connect the end of the 2 wires to the 9V battery. Make sure you note the polarity (+ or -) of each wire. While still connected to the 9V battery, connect or touch each wire to a respective pin (need a little bit of patience here lol). You will start to hear the actuator working. At this point PLEASE DO NO GO TOO FAR as you will need to find if the piston is either retracting or pushing forward; use the mark that you put earlier to determine that. If the piston is not retracting and is pushing forward instead, change the position/ polarity of the wires at the pin. Changing the polarity will reverse the mechanisms for the actuator and it will cause the piston to retract (you may not see it moving but the mechanism has retracted). Put a piece of wood scrap on the “face’ of the piston then use the Clamp to apply pressure and you should see the piston moving into the housing/ retracting. You do not need to go all the way in; just enough to fit in your new brake pads. Hope this helps! Thank you. Avinash.

[@RandomYoutuber1023]

Those Honda rotor screws look like Phillip's head however they are actually not. They are instead JIS or Japanese Industrial Standard screws which have a slight shoulder between the plus sign. If you have a JIS bit on the impact screwdriver it will take it off no problem. If you use a Phillip's head bit, you risk twisting off the face.

[@BuyYourBuild]

ive noticed that the rear brakes on these cars go so much faster than the front. 21k miles on my 16, fronts look like new and the rears are scored like crazy

[@proz71ful19]

Same.. my front rotors almost look new, same with pads. But the rear is ☠️☠️

[@TheZythum999]

@@proz71ful19 Me too!

[@bettyguzman7130]

Same on my 2016 civic

[@appalachiangunman9589]

My 18 is the same way, 104K miles and the front is probably 3/4 gone and the rears are horrible. My brakes last longer as my car has a manual transmission.

[@isaiabundis5641]

The tool is called impact screwdriver set.

[@randygauna4243]

I used the cube, found the one with the two furthest apart and ground off two caddy corner and worked pretty good. Just an FYI if yo

[@oliviabradford8544]

Great video! Boyfriend goals! Would you kindly give some advise on my situation: I’m able to follow your tutor and get everything off UNTIL I can’t make the two bolts (holding the anchor to hut, passenger rear )to budge. What should I do now? I’ve sprayed them with WD40 multiple times and tried a breaker bar(very small clearance) I am kind of stuck here. Thank you in advance.

[@fixitfrank412]

Longer breaker bar if possible. Leverage is very important, so I use a 3 foot pipe and slide it over the wrench. Good luck!!

[@oliviabradford8544]

Thank you for responding. Just want to say I followed your advise with success! First time brake job, this video helps tremendously! You rock!

[@jacintocortes7923]

So I’m a Honda Tech and I find this video very interesting because Honda has designed these vehicles where when you finally do need to service your brakes an important thing that must be done is the vehicle has to be connected to a Honda scan tool either an MVC-I or DST-I and you must put the vehicle in brake pad maintenance mode. If you don’t you will damage the E-Brake. And not everyone damages the E-Brake but the reason why some people have those lights on after servicing they’re vehicle is because you can take the e-brake off but once the the car off your e-brake automatically engages again because of the vehicle settings that the consumer has it set to once you park the car and turn it off. But that’s why we must put it on brake pad maintenance mode with our Honda scan tools because it bypasses the settings so the vehicle E-Brake doesn’t engage. Once you take that caliper off there’s that chance that your E-Brake actually gets messed up and now a simple $229 brake job because we resurface the rotors not replace them, will now turn to a $1000 job.

[@JELS]

Can someone explain this

[@afokproduction]

What’s a good quote for a civic 2016 touring all four wheel brake pads and rotors service?

[@jacintocortes7923]

Flyinrocketeer to replace or resurface the rotors ?

[@jacintocortes7923]

Flyinrocketeer in my dealership what we charge is $259 for the front service and $259 for the rear service but they do help customers out with coupons and some discounts. We charge that price because we use the ProCut on car brake lathe and we save the rotors so we can actually resurface the original factory rotor for possibly 3-4 brake services which can last a while. Where as compared to replacing these rotors which can be very costly unless you buy aftermarket rotors but I truly don’t recommend that because aftermarket rotors can get a lot of heat spots and cause warpage more and I personally don’t buy aftermarket braking components not even for my Honda.

[@RoldyP]

@@JELS The manual way works if you take a 5mm hex key, take off the screws holding that black, plastic housing on the caliper. Separate the housing (make sure you don't wipe off the grease) and you'll see a bit sticking out like a torque key. Use a E-11 socket and turn that spindle clockwise until it wont turn. Do not try to force it, that will damage the EPS and then you'll pay the $1000 repair. THEN you can depress the piston, once you turn the car on, since the actuator or w.e. its called has been moved to the lowest position, the car's computer will reset it (pump the breaks) and then you'll be good! Heres a good link shorturl.at/nuGT4

[@RajPatel-di2qw]

Thank You Man for making this video.

[@williamb1926]

Turns out there are some special precautions to be taken. I have a 2018 CTR and after doing my rear brakes I had issues with my EPB sensor.

[@basscoverchanneldenisleduc]

yes set the computer on service mode for rear brake

[@MM-ig1iv]

I couldn't get that screw out.. I just drilled it out with a 1/4 inch drill bit and off she came. everything worked out just fine. after I put everything together and went to calibrate and forgot to plug in the passenger side EBM cable! lol. it kept saying brake issue, and press and hold to release. but wouldn't... until I remembered i didn't plug in that cable. but once i did, i recalibrated it again and everything worked out fine. I thought I fucked up for a minute? The driver side rear stayed locked when that happened.

[@markleone5578]

How come the rotors are going before the pads? I’m not much of a mechanic by any means but I want to start learning so I can fix my car on my own. I have a 2017 Civic that just hit 42,000 miles. I visited my dad in Florida from NY. The car sat a while. He thinks I may need rotors, but I’m thinking the car sat too long and maybe sand as well. It’s been storming down here most the week. As I’ve driven it today, the loud sound is gone but it does seem like there’s a quiet run in the back. I was under the impression you only changed rotors once every 3-4 times with pads. Anyone know anything about this?

[@fixitfrank412]

Here is the "Rust Belt" in Pennsylvania often times rotors need changed with each brake pad change due to the rotors rusting. Older rotors on older cars were made from a better metal, hence why my 1986 Bronco still has the original front rotors with 175,000 miles. The newer rotors are made of cheaper metal and are more prone to rusting, especially the rotors on the rear of vehicles that aren't always vented rotors.

[@jacobmecrob5185]

you can keep the caliper on when hammering on the rotor screw. just line it up

[@SuperCyril2]

Thanks for the info. Gotta do this job soon. I may try it myself.

[@polatalemdar9731]

Caliper tool used to push the electric parking brake did this cause any issues. Many people are talking about putting the vehicle in “maintenance mode” via a fancy scan tool or spinning the EPB spindal by removing the rear part of the EPB. But the tool you have is much easier.

[@fixitfrank412]

I didn't have any issues, but I also didn't force anything. I'd say if you try this and it doesn't fight you, you should be fine. If it feels like its fighting back, then maybe you'll need the scan tool.

[@Tyranasaurex18]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I’m currently working on all 4 brakes and 2 rotors for the back wheels. I just wanna say that Honda is so stupid for putting a screw to hold the rotors in place. I just stripped that screw trying to use the hammer method

[@peteg9403]

Same here. I stripped the screw on my first diy trial until I eventually made it well the second time.

[@MegaBrownie44]

It’s not stupid actually. They do it to keep the rotors from falling off during the manufacturing process.

[@richardfrieman]

Just wanted to put this out there you can’t/shouldn’t use a normal screw. The tool he used is an impact screw driver. The impact from the hammer applies inward pressure but the actual bit retracts into the shaft and hits a curve wall applying torque simultaneously.

[@espoca8478]

Thanks for the video it was very helpful!!!

[@rockyducnguyen]

Are you turning the calliper piston clockwise or counterclockwise?

[@fixitfrank412]

Pretty sure clockwise

[@2siktorres393]

Looks like a nice Oldsmobile on the left or is that a monte Carlo sick either way thanks for the video🤘

[@fixitfrank412]

1986 Monte Carlo, I bought it off the original owner and have had it for 15 years. I'll have to do more videos on that sometime! Good eye!

[@erikl3546]

ROCKAUTO❤️❤️❤️❤️. GREAT video thanks man.

[@mr.youknowwho4230]

You know why my brake and brake system abs is on after I change my brake pad.

[@brewcrew5854]

thats a nice video but i was wondering all the other rear epb design calipers ive seen require either onboard or scanner usage to retract piston they say do not attempt to push in piston or rotate in with out putting into epb maintenance mode. this would be very awesome if not necessary on this civic . got one on lift now -thx again

[@fixitfrank412]

I've done rear brakes on a few vehicles with EPB, and they are each different. These screwed in fine as long as the parking brake wasn't activated. On Ford's, like the Fusion, you can deactivate it yourself without a scan tool by doing a procedure with the key on and off.

[@honda6287]

The EPB must be in maintenance mode, this can be done with a proper computer or can be done manually. If this is not done you will take a chance of destroying the Caliper EPB and the VSA light will come on

[@honda6287]

Highly recommend a jack stand as well

[@hillio23]

@@honda6287 how do you put it in maintenance mode manually?

[@henrywoy6757]

⁠@@honda6287how do you put the EPB in maintenance mode manually?

[@qevviii]

If you do not have the car in brake service mode and you just press the caliper back in you will damage the motor and not have an ebrake or have an error code. Anyone figure out the proper way to do this yet? I have 2 friends who work at Honda who are trying to figure this out.

[@fixitfrank412]

It must be different on the newer models. On the 2016 I DID NOT have to put it into a "Service Mode" and the ebrake and everything still functions fine afterwards, with no error messages.

[@ramecodiesel8271]

Unplug the wire harness from the Electronic Parking Brake housing, be careful with the clip so you don't break it. You remove the Electronic Parking Brake housing/motor it is held on by two Allen screws 5 MM I believe, once you have removed the housing from the back of the housing you just turn the EPB shaft clockwise until it stops, you can do this by hand with your fingers, once you have done that put the housing/motor back on the rear of the caliber you might have to turn the EPB shaft a small amount to line up the splines with the housing to get it to slide back over them. Put the two screws back on and just tighten them lightly they do not need a lot of torque. Just a good bump once they are fully in is all you need. Now you can press in the caliber piston but when you do that crack the bleeder screw so the fluid will not be forced back through the ABS valve, that can lead to damaging the ABS valve and or a soft brake pedal and it can activate the ABS service light. Once you have the piston pushed back in and do not force it once it bottoms out you can replace the pads and put the caliber back on. Once you have the caliper and new brake pad on you want to pump the pedal without the engine running until the pedal is hard again. Now you will need to operate the Electronic Parking brake, you will hear it run for a few seconds before it stops, now you want to release the parking brake and reactivate it two or three times and that will calibrate it and you are good to go. When you have the tires back on and still up in the air activate the parking brake to make sure it is working. This is really an easy job, it just has the extra step of dealing with the electronic parking brake.

[@davidruiz3903]

How do I take off brake service light after doing this brake job? Thanks for the video btw

[@fixitfrank412]

I don't think my girlfriend's 2016 had this. Sorry!

[@qevviii]

David Ruiz did you end up damaging your parking brake?

[@henrywoy6757]

Did you have to replace your caliper?

[@TheVoidMMA]

With my civic (2018) I used the tool but for some reason I couldn't get the center piece tou go fully inside the caliper, and I was not able to add the new break pads I had to use the old break pad from another caliper to have the caliper sit flush, idk why it didn't go fully in, the previous pad where completely done for some reason it was the rear left while the rear right were still pretty good which is why I used it instead of the nee pads, anyway my question is why the middle bushing didn't go inside the caliper to allow me to set the new pads in easily

[@fixitfrank412]

That sounds to me like a bad caliper. If the piston didn't fully retract, something in the caliper has gone bad.

[@TheVoidMMA]

@@fixitfrank412 by retract you mean going inside or coming out? Because it did come out completely it just didn't insert the way the other side did

[@fixitfrank412]

@@TheVoidMMA Pushing Back in not going all the way back in.

[@andrewy6527]

Bro, use a jack stand - if that hydraulic jack collapses, that is going to put you in a world of hurt.

[@Durant_X]

hey did all the same work to my Honda but i got a "brake system" error. the brakes seem to be working fine. do you think it just error just needs reset?

[@qevviii]

David Durant you damaged the motor to your parking brake.

[@gianfmm]

What can you do if you damagebthe motor to the parking brake?

[@basscoverchanneldenisleduc]

You forgot to set computer to service mode before working on the rear brakes

[@josephandrews7231]

You dont need to

[@alexrusate1544]

You missed a very important step in this. That missed step resulted in the destruction of my caliper. As mentioned in the comments, you need to either reset the EBP actuator or manually open it up and crank it back. I would recommend either editing this video or pulling it down as it is currently not accurate.

[@fixitfrank412]

That is not the case, at least not on the 2016 Civic I was working on. Maybe you have a newer .O'Dell year, or your caliper already had a pre-existing issue. I did these rear brakes when the car had about 50k on it, and it just turned 77k the other day and I've never had any issues since doing the rear brakes. 8m sorry for your situation, but it's important to never force anything, which it sounds like might have happened in your case.

[@samueljackson15]

I have heard of horror stories of e brake coming on and crushing ppls hands and fingers when changing brakes on the electrionic e brakes. Is there any way to avoid it???

[@fixitfrank412]

I've never heard of that and I've done brakes on a few different vehicles with these brakes. I assume disconnecting the battery would work.

[@paulsais1081]

Altogether front axle + back axle how much brake pad does the honda civic have 8 altogether ??

[@fixitfrank412]

Yeah, just like 99.9% of all vehicles on the road. Depends on if you have rear drum brakes or rear rotors and pads though.

[@ramecodiesel8271]

You should crack open the bleeder screw while you are screwing the piston back into the caliber, you don't want to force the old brake fluid back through the ABS valve.

[@Djevan41598]

I am trying to do this on my girlfriend’s 2018 Civic EX-T Coupe. My girlfriend’s Civic got those stupid electronic E-Brake.

[@fixitfrank412]

Best of luck. IT seems like some of the new ones you cannot do how I did this 2016 without a service mode. Might wanna take the electronic Ebrake off and reinstall after you are done.

[@Djevan41598]

@@fixitfrank412 I know. It seems impossible without a $1000 dollar scan tool. I think of your pull the sensor out it will damage the electrical components.

[@fixitfrank412]

@@Djevan41598 The biggest thing to remember is to not force anything. When I did it, i was able to get them to retract easily without forcing anything. 15-20k miles later and still no issues. Best of luck if you attempt them yourself!

[@fixitfrank412]

@@Djevan41598 These are some good instructions someone posted 1 month ago: kzbin.info?stzid=Ugz5tOYy6eaSBJ3Lv5x4AaABAg&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paulstravelpictures.com%2F2016-2019-Honda-Civic-Rear-Brake-Pads-Replacement-Guide%2F&event=comments&redir_token=NrPJxiFAgmD0RCGe9ougfs9K6v18MTU4NjM1NTE0OEAxNTg2MjY4NzQ4

[@Djevan41598]

@@fixitfrank412 I saw what you did in part 3. You had positioned the caliper where the piston part of the motor goes on first.

[@3232myke]

Dude u shuld take off your brake fluid cap relieve the pressure when pushing back piston otherwise u can blow out ur pump

[@fixitfrank412]

I've never removed my cap when doing brake jobs. If it overflows, it will push it out the top even if the cap is on. Done 100s of brake jobs without an issue.

[@3232myke]

@@fixitfrank412 it won't over flow just do it slow 5hat how you remove any air bubbles trapped plus you really could blow out ur pump

[@chobenoit1]

thank you for your help

[@jacobmecrob5185]

it's not a Phillips head. and it's easier to drill out.

[@jolenedouglas3207]

I am just a girl,, But,,, the screw on the rotor why not leave everything intact put on the ebrake then twist it out,, much easier in my eyes,, yes blonde highlites

[@fixitfrank412]

Good observation, that would work too. I guess I'm used to doing it the way I did when a car is on a lift and the ebrake isn't easy to reach

[@jolenedouglas3207]

@@fixitfrank412 Frank no matter how it is done, it's not easy.. stupid design

[@arturoperez352]

Three volumes for pads and rotors? You dont even put it in service mode?

[@fixitfrank412]

I guess maybe on the newer models you don't need to. This was a 2016, and it didn't need done.

[@arturoperez352]

@@fixitfrank412 sorry not trying to be a dick, theres just lots of clowns that will brake there calipers if you dont clarify

[@mr.youknowwho4230]

Damn I use a c clamp Idk if I did any damage

[@fixitfrank412]

You'll know of your e brake gives you any issues

[@mr.youknowwho4230]

@@fixitfrank412 my brake works fine. Just that now my abs brake system and brake light is on on mt dash board any advice

[@fixitfrank412]

@@mr.youknowwho4230 I bet something is screwed up since you just used a c clamp instead of twisting them back in.

[@mr.youknowwho4230]

@@fixitfrank412 probably

[@mr.youknowwho4230]

You know what is that part call on the caliper so I can look it up.

[@Crbrinkl]

Is there a computer tool to release the piston?

[@fixitfrank412]

Nope. Just make sure the handbrake in the car is off, the piston will then retract in with no issues.

[@travyn08]

Can a regular C-clamp work to release the piston?

[@abrahammoua4748]

@@travyn08 it can, yes. Make sure to use inward force as you turn. But buying a caliper retract block is only around $6-10 bucks and its not worth the hassle to fight your rear caliper piston and possibly damage the metal.

[@fixitfrank412]

@@travyn08 Unfortunately not. This is the type you must twist in while applying pressure.

[@Crbrinkl]

Thanks Frank. I put new gear on the other day. Worked great!

[@joshuatenorio6855]

Everyone that attempted to do this brake job without putting their e-brake in service mode is screwed 😂

[@fixitfrank412]

Not true! I did it without putting in service mode. 20k miles later and no issues. I think maybe on the newer models there is a difference. Biggest thing to remember is to not force anything.

[@joshuatenorio6855]

FixItFrank412 Just because you got away with not damaging your e-brake does not mean someone who follows this video will not run into a problem. The service mode it there for a reason, not to just look pretty....

[@fixitfrank412]

@@joshuatenorio6855 I don't disagree. When i filmed this video, it was prior to the newer models which seem to need the service mode to prevent damage.

[@TheSponge945]

@@joshuatenorio6855 Where is the service mode? I have a 2016 and plan on changing the rear pads & rotors.

[@joshuatenorio6855]

TheSponge you need a special scan machine to do it or look up a video on how to do it manually. If you are not experienced I would not attempt to do it manually.

[@taylors5207]

Maybe list your fuckin tool sizes like the odd ball 7mm wrench or an alternative for caliber piston compression.

[@olgasakhnevich8319]

merci

[@Tyler-789]

You didn’t reset the emergency parking brake.

[@fixitfrank412]

Didn't need to in my application. Seems like this varies from experience to experience.

[@crankshaft007]

Please be advised this is not the correct procedure. The electronic ebrake needs to be retracted with a scan tool. Pushing the piston back is a gamble. Please do your own research and don’t follow other people’s bad advice. Obviously never read the manual ;(

[@vinnie2033]

Honda has 2 ways of doing it. One is scan tool, second is manually retracting it until it locks.

[@3232myke]

Impact screwdriver