How do you change the brake pads on a 2004 Honda accord?

Answer 1

take the old ones off and put the new ones on, but first ... Rear wheels: Jack up one rear side slightly, loosen lug nuts. Jack until tire leaves the ground then remove lugnuts and wheel. Insert jack stand to back up jack. Use 12 mm box wrench to loosen both bolts that hold wheel cylinder assembly to backing plate. The bolt heads face the midline of the car. There is a lock nut just past the cast finger of the wheel cylinder assembly. It may be necessary to hold this nut with an open end or adjustable wrench. Remove both 12 mm bolts. Remove wheel cylinder assembly by rocking back and forth and pulling it toward the rear bumper. Lay wheel cylinder assembly on rear suspension rods. Slide tip of slot head screwdriver between rotor and one brake pad. The pad fits in snugly so it may take a little muscle. Remove both old pads in this manner. Clean up stainless steel clips on which the pads ride. I pulled them out, used a scraper and then steel wool. Be sure you don't get any grease, moly lubricant, etc., on the brake pad faces when handling brake pads. Insert wide-bladed screwdriver in the X in the wheel cylinder piston. Turn piston clockwise until rubber bellows almost bulges past piston face. Reinstall stainless steel clips. Dab a little moly lubricant on the clip face where it will contact pad backing plate. Install new pads. The pads fit snugly, but finger tight. Don't try and force them with a tool. If it gets frustrating, try a break with a legal adult beverage. Reinstall the wheel cylinder assembly. If the piston is screwed back sufficiently it fits on easily. Now the tricky part. Put a drop of LocTite on each of the two 12mm bolts. Insert the upper one first. Wiggle the wheel cylinder assembly until you feel/hear the bolt fit into the nut. Tighten a few turns. Align the lower bolt receiver. This may take a little muscle. Insert 12 mm bolt and tighten firmly. Tighten upper bolt firmly. You may need to hold the lock nut with a wrench. Reinstall wheel. Snug up lug nuts. Raise car and remove jack stand. Lower car and tighten lug nuts. Repeat with opposite wheel. The service writer at my Honda dealer told me that the hand brake operates separately from the rear disk brakes. He described a separate drum assembly for the hand brake. I know my eyes ain't the same as they was 60 years ago, but I couldn't find any "drum assembly". I found the brake fluid level raised up in the master cylinder reservoir but did not spill out. I was surprised to find that the hand brake still pulled to about the same position.