Most modern cars and pickups use disc brakes at all four wheels or disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear. Cars with disc brakes at all four wheels tend to stop a car better than vehicles with drums on the rear, and discs are also easier to replace--so changing them is a reasonable task for any do-it-yourselfer. On the 1984 Honda Civic, all four brakes are disc brakes. If your Civic's brakes are squealing or grinding, it is time to take an hour or two of your time and change them.
Tools Used: Tire iron, Wood blocks, Jack, Jack stands, Socket wrench, Twine or rope, C-clamp
Replace the Brake Pads
Loosen the lug nuts on the front or rear tires (whichever sets you're changing--front brakes tend to wear faster than rear discs, and you should always change both front brakes or both rear brakes at the same time) with the tire iron. Place wood blocks behind the rear tires if you're changing the front brakes or in front of the front tires if you're changing the rear brakes.
Place the floor jack underneath the supportive outer edge of the frame of the Civic behind the driver-side front wheel and jack up the car so that there is 2 inches of clearance between the driver-side front tire and the ground. Set a jack stand under the frame for support and safety, and lower the car onto the jack stand. Repeat the jacking and supporting process on the passenger side to raise the other side of the front of the car. Remove the lug nuts entirely and remove the front tires.
Remove the bolts attaching the brake caliper mounting bracket to the rotor using the socket wrench. The caliper mounting bracket is the half-moon-shaped metal bracket attached to the rotor--the heavy round plate that was revealed after you removed the wheel. Hang the bracket in the wheel well using the twine so that there is no strain on the brake line, which is the black tube protruding from the back of the bracket.
Remove both brake pads from the mounting bracket by pulling them out of their slots.
Compress the brake caliper cylinder, which is the cylinder in the center of the mounting bracket, with the C-clamp. Clamp the C-clamp onto the bracket so that the stationary end is against the rear of the bracket and the movable end is pressed against the cylinder. Compress the cylinder until it is flush with the bracket.
Insert the new brake pads into the slots that the old ones occupied. Use one boxed set per tire. Make sure that the black brake material is facing inward, toward the rotor.
Re-bolt the mounting bracket on to the rotor. Place the tire back onto the rotor and finger-tighten all of the lug nuts. Lower the vehicle and tighten all of the lug nuts with the tire iron. Repeat the entire process for the other set of tires if necessary.
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