How to Change Brakes on a Honda Accord
Follow this picture guide to change the front brake pads on a Honda Accord. This is a pretty straight-forward repair. This article includes lots of pictures to help in getting all of the brake components back into the correct positions. The vehicle shown here is a 2004 Honda Accord 4-cyl, and the procedure is very similar for most other year Honda Accords.
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This guide covers replacing front brake pads on a Honda Accord.
Supplies needed:
- Brake Pads (#BE914) – for Honda Accord
- Caliper Grease
- brake cleaner spray
- anti-seize lubricant
- Rotors (1998-2012 Honda Accord) – Optional (if current rotors are warped and you experience vibration when braking)
Tools used:
- Car Jack
- Jack Stands
- 3/4″ Lug Nut Socket (19mm)
- Socket Wrench with 12 mm Socket
- Caliper Holder Hooks
- Brake Compression Tool
- Impact Wrench with Ear Mufflers (optional)
Torque Wrench
Alright, let’s get started!
Step by Step Procedure for Honda Accord Brake Replacement
The first step is to jack up the vehicle. Always use jack stands as well for purposes of safety.
Use a 3/4″ lug nut socket (19mm) to remove the tire and set it aside, exposing the brake rotor and caliper.
Use a 12mm socket to remove the upper caliper bolt.
Use the same 12mm socket to remove the lower caliper bolt.
With both caliper bolts removed, slide the caliper off of the brake pads. Use a caliper holder to safely hang the caliper out of the way without damaging the brake line.
With the caliper out of the way, remove the old brake pad from the front of the rotor. If it is tight, pry it out with a screwdriver being careful not to mar the front surface of the rotor.
Reach around the back of the rotor and remove the rear brake pad.
If your brake kit came with new slide clips, remove the old ones and put in the new ones. If not, scrape out the old grease and grime from the existing slides, we will need to reuse them.
Apply fresh caliper grease to the slide tabs being careful not to get grease on the rotor surface.
We’re now ready to install the new brake pads. Start with the one with the squeal tab. This tab will contact the rotor and ‘squeak’ when the brake pads get too thin and they need to be replaced.
Put this brake pad on the rear side of the rotor with the tab at the bottom. Slide the bottom tab into the slide clip first, then slide in the top tab.
Put the other brake pad on the front of the rotor, sliding the two tabs into the slide clips starting at the bottom. This brake pad won’t have a squeal tab, save that one for the other side of the vehicle.
Press the two brake pads against the rotor evenly.
Next, we need to compress the brake caliper cylinder. Use a large C-clamp (4 inches or larger) or a brake compression tool. Put one of the old brake pads onto the cylinder so that the edges do not get damaged.
Slowly compress the cylinder until it is fully recessed into the housing.
Next, apply some brake caliper grease to the rubbing points on the caliper, both the 2 tabs as shown, as well as to the edges of the caliper cylinder that will rub against the back sides of the brake pads. This is to reduce the chances of squeaking when the brakes are actuated.
Slide the caliper back onto the new brake pads and line up the holes where the mounting bolts attach.
Also, make sure that the flat sides of the caliper pins (where the mounting bolts go in) are aligned with the caliper.
I recommend putting a little bit of anti-seize on the mounting bolts. This is not strictly necessary but will help the next time you do the brakes.
If you have a torque wrench, tighten the caliper bolts to 26 lb⋅ft.
Inspect your work and remove the caliper holder hook from the wheel strut. As a final step, clean the rotor by spraying some brake cleaner spray onto the rotor surface to remove grease and dirt.
You can now put the wheel back on and re-install the lug nuts to the appropriate torque (80 lb-ft).
And that’s about it, thanks for reading!
Supplies needed:
- Brake Pads (#BE914) – for Honda Accord
- Caliper Grease
- brake cleaner spray
- anti-seize lubricant
- Rotors (1998-2012 Honda Accord) – Optional (if current rotors are warped and you experience vibration when braking)
This guide was straight forward and easy to use. Grade A standard for how all how-to guides should be.
BTW… Brake swap went smoothly. THANK YOU!
That’s terrific! Glad to hear it and thank you, kind sir!