2011 Honda Pilot - rear axle brake pad replacement
2011 Honda Pilot - rear axle brake pad replacement
Have the car on a level surface. Put wheel chocks on on both sides of a front wheel. Dis-engage the parking brake, and verify the car is safe to not roll.
Loosen the wheel nuts on a rear wheel until they are just finger tight. Jack up one of the rear wheels on the car's jacking point, until the wheel is about 1/2 inch to 1 inch off the ground. Place a jack stand on the frame, as close to the jacking point as you can. Remove the rear wheel.
Using a 12mm wrench, loosen the two bolts that secure the brake caliper to the car, to finger tight, but do not remove.
Using a large C-clamp, 1/4 of a turn at a time, slowly press the brake caliper piston to fully retracted.
Fully remove the two 12mm bolts. Using a bungee cord, support and secure the caliper out of the way, so that the bungee cords are supporting the weight, and the brake line is not strained or twisted.
Remove the old outside brake pad (closest to the wheel). Install a new brake pad.
Remove the old inside brake pad (that faces the middle of the car). NOTE: It has a little 'cotter pin' looking wear indicator. It is located at the bottom of an installed pad.
The new brake pads should have come with two new wear indicators. Put a new wear indicator on a new brake pad, and install that new pad to the middl-of-the-car facing side, such that the wear indicator is at the bottom of the pad, just like the removed pad + wear indicator were.
Reinstall the two 12mm bolts, finger tight. Make sure the slot on the break bolt receiver is engaged to the tab that sticks out on the caliper, such that everything is flush. Then tighten the two 12mm bolts to fully tight. Do not over-tighten.
Go into the car, and apply the brake pedal a few times, to fully seat the brakes. Verify the brake fluid level is between MIN and MAX. Adjust brake fluid if needed.
Reinstall the tire, put the five wheel nuts finger tight. Remove jack stand, lower wheel back to the ground. Using a star pattern, and three passes 1/3rd, 2/3rds, and full of torquing, secure the wheel to the car.
Being very careful and safe, apply the brake and make sure they seem to be operating normal. Drive the car, very slowly, and lightly apply the brakes to stop the car a few times, again making sure braking is behaving normal and safe. If all is well, then drive up to normal residential speed limit, and brake to a normal stop. If all is still well, done.
Now repeat the procedure on the remaining rear wheel. Done.
The odometer shows 33,665 miles.
I used the OE Ceramic pads from Kragen/O'Reilly. Their part number is SC1281.