This page is about doing a rear drum brake job on 1993 Honda Civic.
How To Do a Rear Brake Job on a 1993 Honda Civic Steps 1 to 4
How To Do a Rear Brake Job on a 1993 Honda Civic Steps 5 to 8
How To Do a Rear Brake Job on a 1993 Honda Civic Steps 9 to 12
The last 2 weeks I’ve been hearing a squealing and scuffing sound coming from my rear drum brakes so I was getting concerned. On the weekend it turned into a grind so I decided to park my 1993 Honda Civic till I figured out what it was. I was worried that I some how used up my rear brake shoes faster then normally possible. So today after work it wasn’t raining I decided to take a closer look.
I jacked up the car and pulled off the wheels and drums and inspected the brake shoe lining and the rest of the brake assembly. The brake shoe linings’ were in really good shape but I did notice that the bottom part of the shoes looked like they were scuffed up with something. I then checked the drum for any irregularities and smoothness on the inner braking surface but I did not find anything out of the ordinary. I was a bit confused for a second on what would of made these scuffing marks on the shoes, but then discovered this was caused by excess brake dust.
Because the rear brake assembly is basically closed off, there is very little place for the dust to go so it starts to attach it self to the brake assembly. It is trapped inside the drum and any brake dust that is loose and unattached ends up at the bottom of the drum in between the brake drum and the bottom part of the brake shoes.
I guess what was happening was that the brake dust was getting in between the brake shoes and the drums and was basically acting like sand paper between the two. Since the shoes are weaker then the steel drums, they took the blunt of the damage and the scoring begun. So basically the scuffing and squealing I was hearing when applying my brakes was the sound of the brake dust scuffing up my brake shoes.
I took some brake cleaner and applied it generously to the complete brake assembly to clean of the brake dust. I also sprayed the inside of the brake drum and then wipped off any excess brake dust that was attached to the inside. I put the drums and wheels back on, took the car for a long ride and my squealing and scuffing noise was gone. I will have to remember that in 6 months I should do the same process and clean off any excess brake dust that is inside the rear brake assembly.
I’ve been really busy the last few weeks so I’ve been neglecting to post up new information on my blog but today I figured I would finally post something.
2 Weeks ago I topped up my anti-freeze in both my Civic’s as my previous drain and fill of 50/50 mix was not good enough for Canadian winters so I had to drain some coolant out again and topped it up with pure antifreeze.
I also did a front brake job on the 95 Honda Civic but within a few days they started to pulsate again. I pulled the disks of the hubs and checked for any rust between them and there was very little there that would cause the disk to warp so I went back to the parts store and exchanged them for new ones. Just to be sure the hub was super clean I used my drill with a scratch pad attachment and cleaned both hubs to a clean metal surface. I put the new disks back on and took the car for a ride and it seems to have worked. I also checked the hub for free play and none was visible so I will have to drive it again for a few days and see if this has fixed the pulsating pedal issue.
My 1993 Honda Civic has recently been making some really odd scuffing sounds form the rear drums. I’m gonna have to look into this when I can but I did replace the whole back brake system back in august so I don’t see the brake shoes being worn this fast. I will also post up a complete front brake how-to when I get a chance, so come back soon if that’s what you might be doing in the near future and need this as a reference.
Step 9 - To assemble the brakes back together follow steps 1 to 8 backwards until its all together.
Step 1 to 4 and Step 5-8
In the image below you can see the difference between a new brake shoe, a used brake shoe and an entirely used brake shoe that has no more lining left for effective braking.
Step 10 - Top up the brake fluid reservoir with DOT 3 brake fluid and start bleeding the brakes. To bleed the brakes get your friend to pump the brakes 3-4 times and then hold the brake pedal firmly. Once your friend is holding the brake pedal, connect a clear tube or a brake bleeding kit to the bleeding nipple at the back of the wheel cylinder and then use a 8mm box end combination wrench to loosen the nipple. You should see brake fluid flow out with some air bubble along the way. Once the brake pedal reaches the floor tighten the nipple up so no fluid is able to leak out. Repeat the pedal pumping and bleeding till no more air bubble show up in the clear tube, but check on your reservoir every 3-4 sessions of bleeding. Do this about 4-6 times till your satisfied with the results and then tighten the nipple backup. Be careful when loosening and tightening the bleeding nipple as not to round the nut so make sure your using a box end combination wrench, not pliers or an open end wrench.
Step 11 - Once the brakes are bled use a flat screw driver to adjust the shoes using the self adjuster. Then put back the drum on the hub, spin it and see if it drags. Keep adjusting it till you have a slight drag on the drums. Now remember this is suppose to be a slight drag not a total stop.
Step 12 - Once the drums are adjusted you can go inside the car and adjust the e-brake. To get to the e-brake adjusting screw you need to first take off the rear center console. Under the e-brake handle there is a small screw cover, grab a flat head screwdriver and pop that cover up. Then use a Philips head screwdriver to unscrew the 2 bolts. Once the bolts are out slide the whole rear center console towards the back seats to loosen it from the floor. Then take a 12mm combination wrench and adjust the e-brake adjustment screw. You can check if the e-brake is getting tighter by lifting it up. It is recommended to adjust the e-brake so it clicks 6 to 10 times. You can check this by releasing the e-brake all the way down and then slowly lift it up and count the clicks. Once the job is done check everything over and go for a slow test drive to check the brakes are working correctly. If you’ve done a proper brake bleeding process the pedal should get firm really quick, if not then you might have to repeat the brake bleeding process again.
Step 5 - Using pliers release the bottom spring carefully so it doesn’t fly away.
Step 6 - While removing the brake assembly away from the hub, use some pliers to pull off the e-brake cable.
Step 7 - Once the brake assembly is out check the wheel cylinder for any brake fluid leaks on both sides of the boots. If it’s leaking you will have to get it fixed or replaced with a new one.
Step 8 - There is a retaining clip on one side of the brake shoes, you will have to remove this before disassembling the brake parts. Clean all brake parts with a rag and assemble with new brake shoes. Then clean the self adjuster and re-grease it with an anti-seize grease.
Before doing a rear brake job order the shoes and drums and get your tools all organized. If your drums are within limits can get them turned at a machine shop and reuse them but for my brake job it cost me $10 more to just buy new ones so I went with that route as new parts are always better.
This article will show you how to do a rear brake job on a 1993 Honda Civic hatchback although this is the same on all rear drum 1992-1995 Honda Civic’s.
Before starting the brake job, secure the front wheels with some wheels stops so the car doesn’t roll. Then raise the vehicle, support it by jack stands and make sure to release the e-brake
Step 1 – Screw in 12mm bolts into the brake drum slowly and evenly, to make sure it comes out straight.
Step 2 – Spray the brake assembly with brake cleaner until all the brake dust has dripped down to the ground. You might have to repeat the process to make sure all the brake components are clean. The cleaner the brake assembly the easier it is to do the job.
Step 3 – Use needle nose pliers to push back and twist the tension pin that holds the brake assembly clip on each side.
Step 4 – Use needle nose pliers to release the spring that sits vertically in the brake assembly. This spring holds the self adjuster from slipping.
After a morning shift at work I had the munchies for something really good in the afternoon but not the usual stuff. So I picked up my friend and we headed down to the Waikiki Hawaiian Barbecue Restaurant. The service was great and the meal and dessert were awesome.
I tried the 2 Choice meal with Chicken and Beef which included 2 clumps of rice, some fries and salad. It was very tasty and filled me up really well.
For dessert we tried this Gelato made with orange, grapefruit and mango. This was again really great tasting not too sweet but with a twist of lemon.
After the meal I headed home and finished a rear brake job that I’ve been working on for a week. Now brake jobs don’t take that long to do but I originally got the wrong drums so the job was delayed by a week. I replaced the shoes and drums with new ones and made sure I bleed the brakes properly. I painted the drums with a ceramic high heat paint that should stand up well to heat and rust. I will publish a rear brake job HOW TO once I get the post done so stay tuned.
I did my brakes on my day off and everything went pretty good. I used a one man bleeding bottle that I got from Princess Auto and it worked very well. It was very easy to pump out the old overheated brake fluid and put the new DOT 3 fluid back in, I went thru about 1.5 liters of brake fluid for both sides. Although this is a stock brake setup for now, in the future I will put double or triple piston calipers and some crossed drilled and slotted rotors. Took me about 2 days to get the brakes to set in but now they grab very well.
I was driving a few days ago at lunch and suddenly I heard a squealing noise from my front passenger side of the car, it took me a few minutes but I realized that it was my front brakes making the noise. I took the wheel of the passenger side the next day and did a brake inspection and yeah i have about 2-3 weeks of pads left but till then it’s gonna squeal like a bastard. I called an auto parts store yesterday and and found out that the front rotors are only $22 a piece and pads are $33 for the set. Not bad considering that when I had my old 87 Acura Integra my rotors were $80 a piece. So hopefully sometime this upcoming week I will have time to change the pads and put on new rotors.
I finally got around to painting the front calipers and rotors red so now the car looks good all the way around. I was wondering if I should paint the rotors too but did them anyways cuz the rust was bugging me. If I don’t like it down the line I can easily wire wheel the paint off.
My next big task will be the paint job but i’m still looking for a front bumper so gotta wait till then. Once I get the custom bumper I can do a dry fit and then start preping the car for paint.
