DIY: How To Replace Rear Brake Pads ('07 Accord)

zro26t · Feb 16, 2008

How To Replace Rear Brake Pads On ‘06/’07 Honda Accords

This write-up is intended to assist the average DIY’er attempt to save ~$100 in labor costs for a dealership to replace worn brake pads on the latter 7th Gen model Accords. I would assume there’s not much difference b/t the ’03 – ’05 & ’06 – ’07 model Accords, but this write-up was written based on servicing the ’07 model Accord depicted.

Needless to say, one will need the following parts before attempting to service brakes:

Replacement Pads (local parts store = $40, or dealer = much more $$$)
Floor Jack (not the emergency jack in the trunk)
Jack Stands (safer support than the hydraulic jack)
¾” Socket & Impact or Lug Wrench (impact guns make life easy)
12mm open/box-in wrench
17mm open/box-in wrench
Wide-blade flathead screwdriver (pry bar or crow bar may suffice)

As you can see, these are BASIC hand tools to get you through this DIY task. I’m sure Honda technicians have the “special” tools for the trade, but no high-dollar items needed. If you’re going to replace the OEM pads with aftermarket pads, do yourself a favor by not buying the cheapest past on the market. Duralast Golds have the same average lifespan as the OEM pads (personal experience of writer only… individual results may vary). This write-up is not a debate on which is superior. Yet, aftermarket items that last just as well for less money out-of-pocket deserve a shot at proving themselves. Agreed? Now, let’s move on. Shall we?

With the vehicle sitting on jack stands, use an impact wrench to break loose the lug nuts. If an impact wrench is not a part of your tool collection, remember to loosen the lug nuts before lifting the vehicle onto jack stands. Otherwise, it’ll be tough to break the lug nuts loose while the wheel free-spins. Once the wheel is off, you should see this:

Inspect the pads for wear, and ensure that the rotor is not scorned or has grooves etched into the surface.

(Driver Side)

(Passenger Side)

Now that you’ve confirmed that the brake pads are worn (assuming the rotor is in good shape), look for two bolts on the inward side of the caliper. You’ll need the 12mm box-in side of the wrench to loosen these two bolts. The 17mm open end wrench is used on the nut with the rubber boot on it that the bolt screws into. The picture below shows the caliper removed with the bolts screwed into the nuts with the rubber boot on them.

At this point, the pads just slide out, and you can insert the new pads in place.

Below are a few shots of the worn pads that were removed.

Here’s a shot of old vs. new.

Now that the new pads are in place, the caliper piston must be retracted into the caliper to allow fitment over the new, thick pads. On older model domestic vehicles, this was done by using “C” clamps to force the piston into the housing. Other methods of achieving this was by using a pry bar (or cheater bar) to leverage the piston into the caliper. Well, here’s where foreign manufacturers have thought to engineer something superior. In the picture below, notice the piston surface is made into four (4) quadrants. The grooves are large enough to use a wide-blade screw driver, pry bar end, or crow bar end. The tool of preference is a Caliper Piston Wind Back Compressor Tool (long name to call it, huh?). You can find such a tool on eBay for an inexpensive price of $60 (shipped). Expect to pay more at a retailer (if you can find one selling them). For old-time sake, the brake fluid reservoir cap was removed to allow anticipated back-flow of fluid during compression of caliper piston (see picture below).

The above picture shows the caliper fully retracted. This is accomplished by turning the piston in a clockwise direction. You’ll also notice that a component was removed unnecessarily (see picture below).

This is not necessary to remove, and is easy to reattach in case you removed it (see next picture).

Now that you’ve successfully retracted the caliper, reinstall the caliper onto the caliper bracket, and secure it. You’ll want to ensure that it is just as tight as before it was removed. Check with your local service dealer regarding torque specs. Once you’ve completely secured the caliper with new pads, you’ll be proud to know you’ve saved your valuable time & money. This job should only take up to an hour (max), start-to-finish, if you're mechanically inclined. Take the $100 in labor, and treat yourself (and/or family) to a nice sit-down dinner. Hope this is useful to DIY'ers!!!

Here are a few more shots taken after completion:

RTexasF · Feb 16, 2008

What was the mileage on the car when this was completed? Well done, it's a hassle to do the work and get pics also.

abmn · Feb 16, 2008

excelente!

saved my butt a minute ago

zro26t · Feb 17, 2008

RTexasF said:
What was the mileage on the car when this was completed? Well done, it's a hassle to do the work and get pics also.

Just over 28.5K The fronts were replaced at 20K. I expected different wear depth, but not that much. I remember the fronts wore out more on the driver's side too. Dunno what the deal is there, but oh well. This is a really simple DIY job. Air tools are great with removing lug nuts! :yes: Think I'll continue rotating my own tires. Fun & it saves cash.

Now to save up, and research new tires. 2 of 4 are nearly worn 90%. Saw a few nearly bald areas. I (personally) didn't expect more than 30K miles from OEM Michellins. Maybe I'm a pesimist (sp?) when it comes to low-profile tires. :dunno:

As for brake pads, I went with Duralast Golds since I've always had them on my regular cab Chevy Silverado ('86). Those have only been replaced four (4) times since dad bought it new in '86. Truck's chasis has nearly 206K miles. Not bad for a truck that's always driven like it's stolen! :lmao: BTW, that's my rice-burner hotrod. Love to see teenagers' faces after they've been beaten down the 1320 by an "ole beater". :banana:

RTexasF · Feb 17, 2008

Wow! I generally get 40K out of pads & tires! Those definitely needed replacing though.

Aviography · Feb 17, 2008

One thing that should be noted, you need to make sure the slots on the piston are more or less lined up in the original orientation, which yours doesn't look like in picture #12.

This is critical because there are pins on the back of the inboard rear brake pad (the one with the wear indicator tab) that sit in the slots, if the slot doesn't line up with the pins, the inside pad will not sit properly and WILL cause a severly uneven wear of the pad, and will likely cause one side of the steel backing plate to contact the rotor in short time.

I would strongly suggest you recheck this before you grind the inside pad backing plate into the rotor disc.

alpha · Feb 17, 2008

Aviography: What is the original orientation? Would it be obvious if you looked at it?

To the OP: You should really have opened up the bleeder screw on the caliper when you pushed the piston back. There is a lot of dirty fluid that could get pushed back into the system and cause damage to the ABS system.

MJL · Feb 17, 2008

One thing I like to do when changing rear brake pads is only remove the bottom caliper bolt and loosen the top one. Once you remove the bottom bolt, you should be able to swing the caliper up and let it support itself while you change the pads.

Aviography · Feb 17, 2008

alpha said:
Aviography: What is the original orientation? Would it be obvious if you looked at it?

Yes, somewhat, see pic 6 before the OP turned the piston, the two perpendicular slots should be orthogonal to the bracket, it's easier to look at the pins on the back of the inboard brake pad backing plate to see this, in short the pins HAVE to line up with the slot, else there WILL be trouble in short time. Another way to describe this is if you draw a line between the two mounting holes of the caliper piston bracket, then one of the slot on the piston face should be parallel to this line, and the second slot which is perpendicular to the first slot should then also be perpendicular to the, guess what? the line drawn between the two caliper bracket mounting bolts.

To the OP: You should really have opened up the bleeder screw on the caliper when you pushed the piston back. There is a lot of dirty fluid that could get pushed back into the system and cause damage to the ABS system.

I wouldn't necessarily agree, the brake fluid in th caliper is no less dirty than the rest of the fluid if the seal on the piston is not compromised, if there is no signs of leakage, then I wouldn't worry about this at all, in fact you might actually introduce moisture and air into the caliper if this is not done carefully and correctly.

zro26t · Feb 18, 2008

Aviography said:
One thing that should be noted, you need to make sure the slots on the piston are more or less lined up in the original orientation, which yours doesn't look like in picture #12.

This is critical because there are pins on the back of the inboard rear brake pad (the one with the wear indicator tab) that sit in the slots, if the slot doesn't line up with the pins, the inside pad will not sit properly and WILL cause a severly uneven wear of the pad, and will likely cause one side of the steel backing plate to contact the rotor in short time.

I would strongly suggest you recheck this before you grind the inside pad backing plate into the rotor disc.

I didn't make a note of that in the write-up, but you do make a point. For me, it was common sense, but again, good point made. The slots are lined up to allow that pertrusion on the pad to fit right in the slot for a flush mating surface. :thmsup:

alpha said:
Aviography: What is the original orientation? Would it be obvious if you looked at it?

To the OP: You should really have opened up the bleeder screw on the caliper when you pushed the piston back. There is a lot of dirty fluid that could get pushed back into the system and cause damage to the ABS system.

Valiant effort, but there's no leaks in the system that would warrant contamination of fluid. I've not seen a need in my 15+ years of vehicle maintenance as long as you're not pouring trash in the reservoir.

Seriously, the only time I've flushed a system completely is on my '86 truck. That's only when the slave cylinders on it's rear drum brakes leaked. Thanks for commenting. It's still a good point if someone sees leakage or has a problem with the braking system itself.

MJL said:
One thing I like to do when changing rear brake pads is only remove the bottom caliper bolt and loosen the top one. Once you remove the bottom bolt, you should be able to swing the caliper up and let it support itself while you change the pads.

Now, there's something I didn't think to do. Would definitely save time, but for picture purposes, it's good illustration. Thanks for the tip! Will do that next time. :yes:

ypsibird · Feb 18, 2008

Very good DIY zro26t! I've got a couple of additional suggestions that might help others.

You should use a little lubricant in assembling the pads. Honda calls for M-77 assembly paste (p/n 08798-9010) and if I recall correctly a little tube is included with the Honda pads. But I suspect most after market pads don't include any lubricant. You can also generally buy caliper grease at most auto part stores for a couple of bucks. I wouldn't use just anything due to he temperatures involved. You apply a little on the metal "tabs" on each end of the pads that slide in the caliper groove, between the pad and shims, and on the back of the shims. Of course, be sure not to get any on the pad material itself or the disk. It's not mission critical (I've done brake jobs without it) but it's a good idea to use it.

I also like to use a plastic spoon and paper cup to remove a little brake fluid out of the reservoir to be sure it doesn't overflow when you compress the caliper piston. Brake fluid is pretty corrosive. It kind of depends how far you compress the piston and how high your reservoir level is to start with.

I never thought of using a crow bar to turn in the piston in. I'm sure it works well. I've always used needle nose pliers with the jaws open. Just stick the nose of the open jaws in the pistons groove and turn. I can't imagine buying a specialty tool for the job unless you were a mechanic and did a lot of brake jobs.

zro26t · Feb 18, 2008

ypsibird said:
Very good DIY zro26t! I've got a couple of additional suggestions that might help others.

You should use a little lubricant in assembling the pads. Honda calls for M-77 assembly paste (p/n 08798-9010) and if I recall correctly a little tube is included with the Honda pads. But I suspect most after market pads don't include any lubricant. You can also generally buy caliper grease at most auto part stores for a couple of bucks. I wouldn't use just anything due to he temperatures involved. You apply a little on the metal "tabs" on each end of the pads that slide in the caliper groove, between the pad and shims, and on the back of the shims. Of course, be sure not to get any on the pad material itself or the disk. It's not mission critical (I've done brake jobs without it) but it's a good idea to use it.

I also like to use a plastic spoon and paper cup to remove a little brake fluid out of the reservoir to be sure it doesn't overflow when you compress the caliper piston. Brake fluid is pretty corrosive. It kind of depends how far you compress the piston and how high your reservoir level is to start with.

I never thought of using a crow bar to turn in the piston in. I'm sure it works well. I've always used needle nose pliers with the jaws open. Just stick the nose of the open jaws in the pistons groove and turn. I can't imagine buying a specialty tool for the job unless you were a mechanic and did a lot of brake jobs.

Parts guy gave me a couple of the lube packs. You can use 'em or not. Metal-to-metal contact is there b/t the pad and caliper, and lube will help ease of adjustment without damage, but it's minimal. I'd venture to say it's in Honda's procedure & is preference, but... to each his/her own.

Believe it or not, the reservoir level didn't increase much. Shoved the dust/debris cup back in, and screwed the cap back on, and was done.

Someone borrowed my needle nose pliers, and I recv'd them back the day after I did the job. I thought of that, and was hunting thru my workshop for 'em, but remembered I didn't have 'em. So... careful, tedious operation of the pry-end of a crow bar worked just fine.

Love the braking now. Did a HARD brake on the long service driveway entrance at a local Peterbilt (big rig) dealer. Never did this before, but stopping distance is SHORT on the Accords. Sorry I didn't do a test when the car was new to TRULY get a real world comparison. Safe to say that on dry pavement, AV6s will stop on a dime from 45mph. That's close to max speed on a surface street (non-hwy/non-interstate) in my area. :yes:

zro26t · Feb 18, 2008

BTW, thanks for the compliments on the write-up. Just figured it'd be good info for someone looking for insight on what it'd take to do a job like this. Again, I hope it's helpful. :thmsup:

The Critic · Feb 21, 2008

For safety, rotor thickness and disc thickness variation should be measured at every pad job.

I also recommend resurfacing the brake rotors for maximum protection against brake noise and to accelerate bed-in.

Synthetic caliper grease should have been applied to back of the shim, the area that contacts the caliper. It should have also been applied to both sides of the pad support plates (personal preference, not required per the service manual).

Caliper grease should not be applied to both sides of the shim on aftermarket pads. Aftermarket pads do not use the same detachable shim design as OE, and the shims are installed tightly against the pad for a reason. The shims need to have a tight, "dry" fit between the backing plate and the shim.

russiankid · Mar 3, 2008

I noticed that you did not mention to grease up the caliper pins. It is a good idea do this every brake job. Just slide the pin out clean it up with brake cleaner along with the inside of the caliper bracket and get some caliper grease and grease up the pins. This will prevent any brake noise that may or may not appear later down the road.

Aviography · Mar 3, 2008

Good point, the rear slider pins on my last car (96' Integra) seem to be very susceptable to seizing if I didn't clean/grease it at least twice a year.

russiankid · Mar 3, 2008

Aviography said:
Good point, the rear slider pins on my last car (96' Integra) seem to be very susceptable to seizing if I didn't clean/grease it at least twice a year.

I didn't have any issues with my junkyard rear disc brakes when i swapped them into my 89'. I did notice a lot of dried up grease inside the brackets and around on the pins. They do go through a lot of heat throughout the life time, so fresh grease never hurts.

P.S. The rear caliper design didn't change at all compared to the 89' setup.

wizardman · Jun 13, 2008

Thanks Zro26t! Great Post and Great Pics!

One small thing, you can buy a Disc Brake Piston Tool at Advance AutoParts to help make the caliper piston go back. The tool cost 9.00.

Thanks again for all the info.

Itool210 · Jun 16, 2008

Great post.. will try this weekend.. Thank You.

forced induxion · Oct 11, 2008

thread back from the dead but just to let you guys know: you can borrow the brake caliper tools from some auto parts stores (i borrowed one from autozone). They just ask for a $30 deposit that is returned to you when you bring the tools back. It just makes the job a little bit easier.

DIY: How To Replace Rear Brake Pads ('07 Accord)

zro26t

RTexasF

abmn

zro26t

RTexasF

Aviography

alpha

MJL

Aviography

zro26t

ypsibird

zro26t

zro26t

The Critic

russiankid

Aviography

russiankid

wizardman

Itool210

forced induxion

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