Help me DIY my old corroded brakes!!

[Sigifrith]

Originally Posted by 1993CivicVX

My friend and I think we are going to do the whole gamut on the brakes, including replacing the wheel bearings. Can anyone give some info on how to replace them?

Spend some quality time here.
http://www.honda.co.uk/car/owner/workshop.html
Click on the 1995-1997 Civic Manual link
This should help til you get your own manual.

Take a look here too.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Danronian

For how to replace the wheel bearings, just consult a repair manual. Having a how-to by your side while working on your car is pretty priceless. Good luck with the repairs.

yes i cant stress this enough! get at least one repair book, (i recomend haynes, very good general how too book for anyhting from engien to brakes to tranny to everyhting else, lots of pics too) they give lots of helpful hints along the way in step by step instructions.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

with a car that has had the brakes neglected for as long as it looks like they have, I would sugest that you check over the rest of the car very very carfully, and would be tempted to take the car back to the mechanic that gave you the origonal quote, because unless you are willing to deal with broken parts that have to be heated and so on then you might be better off just spending the money, of course a mecanice is working on time, and if they brake something then it broke and it needs to be replaced, so it gets slaped on the bill, so it's better for them to brake stuff and charge you more then to spend more time on it and make the parts that are their work, it all depends on how able you are to deal with problems that will come up.

[1993CivicVX]

Well, I'm hoping it's just the brakes. The rest of the car really is sound. I mean, it has a lot of things needing fixing, but on the other hand... many of them aren't really needing to be fixed, they're just convenience things

like exhaust rattle, speedo/odometer not working, and slightly stuttery acceleration and uneven high speed cruising throttle response. and isolated rust spot for inspection. mechanic did do a once over of the car - looking at the bottom - dunno what tipped him off on the rear brakes, he just made a comment that they never get done enough-- and asked if i would be willing to pay him $20 to have a look - I guess part of it was that I told him I needed the ebrake fixed.

Anyway, reason for this post is my latest question.... when people work on their cars, do you drive it up on a ramp or how do you get underneath the car? I'm thinking of building a makeshift ramp that will get the car several feet off the ground so we can have better access at the brake lines and the seized ebrake cables.

[VetteOwner]

you can do that or just jack it up, and eithe ruse STURDY jackstands or stack lots of wood blocks under the frame/subframe. or yes you can drive up on ramps. whatever floats your boat. just NEVER EVER get under the car only supported by the jack or cinder blocks, only use wood or jackstands.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

if you use wood, make sure it's solid and not tippy, screwing blocks together that are stacked can help, but jack stands really are a good idea, I use a hydralic floor jack with wheels, and jack stands, I never use ramps because they normaly prevent me from removing wheels, and it's easyer to reach almost everything under the car with the wheels off, but remember to read your owners manual! it will tell you a few of the places you can jack the car up, and will remind you to dubble up your suport befor getting under the car, never just trust a jack, or just a jack stand, alwas use both together befor getting under a car.

with your speedometer, didn't you say that it stays on when you turn the key off? if that is the case then I think someone screwed with your wiring going to it, as it should turn off when you turn the key off, it sounds almost like someone was trying to set it up for engine off coasting, and screwed up the wiring.

[1993CivicVX]

No, no, I said that when you turn the key off it turns off (which surprised me). The guy I bought it from said it was a $40 part to fix the speedo/odo "speedometer sensor" I think he said. Of course I naively believed him even though I knew I shouldn't. Mechanic said he'd have to replace the whole electronic cluster or something and it'd be in the neighborhood of $200. Well, maybe it is a $40 part, but until I learn how to do things myself, it will be $200.

[SVOboy]

fuel economy forum
vegan recipes
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[GasSavers_TomO]

Just to clarify... on Hondas, when you turn the key from run to acc. the speedo is supposed to shut off. The VSS (vehicle speed sensor) only gets power when the key is in the run position as well as the tach only gets its power then.

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by theclencher

I've used concrete blocks for decades and nothing too heavy has fallen on my head. If you're not comfortable with it tho', don't do it.

I think the deal is, concrete blocks can crack. Not that often but when they do...

I cut some 2x10 lumber so I could stack two boards to make something to drive up onto. Of course I'm only stacking two layers; it's just enough for me to skinny under the car and work for a while. I think a stack of three would probably be OK too. More than that, I'd want 2x12s for more sideways stability.

If I had to get it a couple feet off the ground I don't think I'd be comfortable with anything but a full shop lift.