2006 Honda Civic Si Rear Brakes

I have a 2006 Honda Civic Si with about 55,000 Miles on it.

The time has come for a brake job.

I have never had a car with rear discs before, so before I dig into
them (did the fronts today), is there anything I should be aware of
before I start that is significantly different from the fronts?

The rotors are fine, so I'll just be replacing pads and de-glazing the
rotors. I know the parking brake is connected, but I haven't looked
to see how.

Also, I do NOT have a service manual for the car yet, as they are
reasonably hard to find still. The couple times I have seen them, I
didn't buy, and they were gone when I went back.

I have done front discs and rear drums tons of times on several
different cars, so I am not completely ignorant, just need to know if
there's any special gotcha i should watch for...

Thanks in advance...

 

I had a vehicle before with disc all around but in the rears the
piston rotated in and out. So in order to compress them for new pads I
had to screw them in. I think I used some kind of vise grip jobby to
grab the piston. A special tool is available for it as well. Just a
thought.

 

Many just use a large blade flathead screwdriver. I got a block tool that
fits on a ratchet and has a different pattern on each of it's 6 sides to fit
the various different screw-in calipers.

 

They corrode something awful unless you live in Arizona.

The pistons SCREW in, so do NOT be tempted to use a C-clamp to force
them back.

Rear discs are sexy, so they're good for marketing, but in practice are
a dumb idea for FWD road-going cars.

Usually just a cable and clevis on an arm on the top of the caliper.

Don't get those crappy aftermarket ones. Spend a couple of hundred bucks
and get the REAL THING from Honda. It's expensive, but you'll never
regret it, believe me.

As an alternative, you can (only if an American resident) go to Honda's
Techinfo site:
https://techinfo.honda.com
There you can subscribe for ten bucks a day, and download the necessary
pages from the genuine Honda service manual. I STRONGLY recommend this
option if you are able to access it.

Try here:
<http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/rustybrakes/brakes1.html>
and here for rear-specific items:
<http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/rustybrakes/brakes3.html>

Note: I haven't updated these pages in a /long/ time, so if you have any
questions, ask here.

I'm gonna be rebuilding my own rear calipers as soon as I get around to
finding a set of snap-ring pliers that go deep enough. I picked up a
scrap caliper at the wreckers and pulled that apart to see how it
worked: Pretty cool, and /really/ complex inside, like an ABS brake
master cylinder.

 

I'll let you know how they are when I'm done. I'm in Buffalo, and
last winter was likely THE last winter the car will see while I own
it. Picked up a used 4WD Dodge pickup for the Winters. The car is
just too low, and bottoms out in the snow a lot, since the damned city
plows side streets on odd-numbered storms if I'm lucky... ;-)

Gotcha. Bought the tool for it. Set me back about $4...

Maybe, but I always hated changing drums. They work fine, but too
many fine details with all the damned springs... ;-) Besides, with
nice rims, discs look a lot better... ;-)

I may do this for other jobs, as your pages are pretty excellent for
this task. BTW: It's $10 for 3 days. Now THERE'S value!

Will do. I have everything I need now, and will be tackling it in the
next couple of days, when weather permits. Stuck driving the 13MPG
(mixed driving, on good days) pickup until I get the brakes done on
the car, so there's some incentive...

Way beyond my scope. I'm a computer geek. I like doing brakes, but I
leave most of the complex automotive things to trained
professionals... ;-)

 

I was able to order my service manual for my 2008 Fit within about 48
hours of taking delivery, and paid less than "list", from a Honda
dealer.
--

- dillon I am not invalid

"Jimmy, I'm sorry your girlfriend turned out
to be a cylon."
-Special Agent Tim McGee, "NCIS"

 

I haven't checked the site lately, but for the first year after the 06
Si was released, the service manual was still not available. I'm sure
it's there now, but so far I haven't needed it.

BTW, Tegger, I did the rears today, and they were easy as pie. They
weren't very rusty at all, so there was minimal effort. The worst
part was that I broke 2 cheap-assed 12 MM sockets. Went and bought a
good set of 6 pointers, and all was fine.

With any luck, she'll be good for another 50,000...

Thanks for all the help. Your guide was a life saver!