brake job done!

I just replaced the front pads and the brake fluid on my 2001 Civic! It
took 3 hours, making sure I do all things right, but now the car runs
fine, it doesn't squeak, no weird sound, the brake pedal is firm (not
mushy). The only "problem" was that the new pads barely fit in the
calipers, there was very little clearance.

Also, the Honda OEM pad set came with 6 shims, but when I opened the
calipers I found shim only on the back of the outer pads, no shim on
the inner pads. So I just used shims on the outer pads as well. I have
some shims letr, I guess the same "kit" is used in other cars (Acords,
Acuras?) and maybe the put all the shims there to make it an universal
kit.

why are the shims needed at all?

The kit came with some brape pads greas, which I applied to the back of
the pads and the shims.

All in all, I saved 180 bucks. The mechanic wasted 180 for brakes and
40 for the fluis, and I paid 40 for all the parts (pads and fluid). So
not a bad deal after all.

 

Gee, now I re-read my post and my spelling is terrible! I am still
cleaning my hands; my fingers are slippery, that could explain it

 

All the parts in the kit should be installed.
they are to prevent squeals while braking.
Maybe the last time the brakes were replaced, someone forgot to move the
parts over to the new pads.
Some after market pads do not come with the shims/clips, so you need to
transfer them over.
But the honda pads come with all the parts, so you can discard the old
parts.
Get a hold of a factory service manual for details on the brake pads
installation.

 

well, these were the original (yes, OEM) pads that I removed. They
laster 60k miles, and may have lasted another 5k but I didn't want to
push it and be forced to change them in the middle of the winter. I
figure out I should change the pads now, make sure the brakes are OK
before the snow comes (yes, it's 3 month away, but why wait?).

So, I found a shim on the back of the outer pads, no shim at all on the
inner pads. If I were to install all the shims, they wouldn't fit!

and no squeals yet.

 

Was the piston pushed back ALL the way?

Was any rust sanded off the piston lip and the hooks of the caliper body?

No, those shims are ALL supposed to fit on EVERY CAR. If you can't put them
on, that suggests two things:
1) The rotors are aftermarket, and are too thick, or
2) you've done something wrong.

Get a mike and check those rotors.

To prevent noise, especially once a bit of dust and rust has built up.