The brakes on a Honda Civic use a combination of brake pads in the front and brake shoes in the rear. Hydraulic fluid is forced through steel brake lines to a caliper mechanism in the front and a hydraulic piston cylinder in the rear. The fluid forced the brake pads or shoes against a rotor (in the front) or a drum (in the rear). Most of the work done by the brakes in a Honda Civic is done by the front brakes due to the inertia of forward movement. Over time, the brake pads will wear out; once the pad material is 1/8" thick, you'll need to replace the brake pads on your Honda Civic.
Loosen the wheel lug nuts by turning them 45 degrees counterclockwise.
Jack up the front of the vehicle. To do this, put the floor jack under the vehicle and jack up on the front jack point of the Civic (located near the radiator--it's an extension of the frame).
Put jack stands underneath the front of the frame or the front pinch welds of the Civic and lower the car onto the jack stands.
Remove the lug nuts on the front wheels once the Civic is on jack stands.
Pull the wheels off the wheel hub.
Remove the upper and lower bolts holding the caliper on the caliper mounting bracket.
Pull the caliper up off the rotor. Secure it to the coil springs above the rotor.
Remove the brake pads.
Press the caliper piston back into the caliper assembly. Place the face of one of the brake pads over the piston and force the pad against the piston with a C-clamp. The piston will collapse back into the caliper housing.
Insert the new brake pads into the caliper assembly and reassemble the brake assembly.
Spray the brake rotors and pads and calipers down with brake parts cleaner to remove any remaining brake dust.
Put the wheel back on the wheel hub and tighten the lug nuts.
Lower the Civic to the ground and torque the lug nuts to 100 ft. lbs.
