I'm changing the rotors and brakes on my Accord and hit a wall. I need to take the spindle nut off the hub to take off the rotors, but I don't know what size it is. I have the repair manual and it says it's 24mm, but my friend said it's 32mm. Anyone know off hand what size it is? I have the calipers and pads out, I just need to get the rotors off.

Also, is there anything I should know about doing the rear rotors/pads? Any special tools required?

 

I think it's 36mm on later cars (like the 1998 I used to own). But it changes for different years, so can you just measure it?

Rear caliper pistons can't be pressed straight in (to make room for the new pads). If you press them in with a C-clamp you'll damage the handbrake mechanism. You have to twist them clockwise. Just enough to get the new pads in. If you twist them ALL THE WAY in, it'll take forever for the handbrake auto-adjuster to take up the slack.

Front and rear, you should check the fit of the new pads in the caliper bracket. I usually have to file down the backing plates, really just scrape the paint off, so they don't wedge tightly in place. They need to fit nicely.

This is better in General Tech, so I'll move it.

 

It's a 36mm on my 2000. Get a tape measure with Mretric on it and measure it. if it looks like it is around 35 or 36 mm, it is probably 36. I first bought a 34mm, took it back and swapped for a 35mm, then finally got it right with a 36mm.

You'll probably need a decent sized breaker bar too. I have a heavy 2 foot one and it made removal of my spindle nut easy.

 

Thanks

Also, do the spindle nuts HAVE to be replaced? The local NAPA store didn't have the right ones, so I'd have to go to a Honda dealer to find them. Can they be reused?

 

I reused mine.

Only reason I could see you would need to replace it is when you unstake it you can damage the nut. Try to be careful and you can probably re-stake it.

 

I take it that these front rotors are much harder than I originally planned lol. Spindle nut is off, 4 hub bolts are out, caliper is off...am I missing something?

 

I'm not sure which hub bolts you are talking about. There are 4 bolts behind the knuckle that bolt the hub/bearing that need to be removed. You may have to push the cv joint back to get better access. The ones on the front hold the rotor to the hub.

Technically, you should be able to pull the entire hub/rotor/bearing out. A lot of times it can be stuck. There are some specialized tools to remove (see DIY writeup).

I have tried to think of creative ways to remove the hub. I think that bolting the tire back on then shaking/pulling may give you enough leverage to pull the hub/bearing out. Make sure that your car is on jack stands.

Also, the tool deserthonda mentioned in the DIY writeup, has about the same diameter has a hockey puck. You should be able to make that tool for <$5 by drilling a hole through the puck and put a long bolt, large washer, and a wing nut on there.

Let us know what you eventually did to remove that assembly.

 

Okay, rotor is off and hub unit is off. The 4 bolts behind the knuckle...what do they do exactly? We're looking at this and can't figure out wtf is going on because it seems like the 4 back bolts just do absolutely nothing...

 

The hub and bearing are pressed together. The rotor is between them.

Those four bolts in the back bolt the bearing to the knuckle. Since the bearing and hub are pressed together, you should pull them as a unit. You probably pulled the hub from the bearing, and you risk damaging the bearing. See if you pulled the inner race of the bearing along with the hub.

See how this guy removed the hub/bearing at the beginning of the post: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2027047

 

Yep, they came apart.