Replacing Brake Pads and Rotors in a Honda S2000: A Step-by-Step Guide

A huge thank you to BendPak for sponsoring this video, and for providing me with a QuickJack that makes this process even easier. In this video, we'll be replacing the brake pads and rotors in my Honda S2000, and I'll be sharing all the steps involved in detail.

The first step is to loosen the wheel lug nuts. This is an important safety precaution to ensure that the car doesn't roll or move while you're working underneath it. Next, we need to lift the wheels off the ground using a hydraulic jack, making sure to locate the proper jacking points in your owner's manual before lifting the car. With the car raised, we can remove the wheels and access the brakes.

Starting at the front, our first task is to remove the brake caliper to get access to the rotor. To do this, we need to remove two bolts on the backside of the caliper, which hold in place a small pin that keeps the piston in its chamber. We'll use a wrench to hold the caliper pin in place while using a socket wrench to remove the bolts. Once these bolts are removed, we can pull the caliper free. Be sure not to let it hang from the brake line.

Now that the caliper is off, we can also remove the two brake pads. There's no need for any additional tools or special procedures for this step. Next, we'll remove the caliper bracket, which also involves removing two bolts and pulling the bracket free. With complete access to the rotor, we can start removing it.

Removing the rotor is a bit of a process, but it's doable with the right tools and techniques. There are usually two screws that hold the rotor in place, and if they're old, they'll likely be rusted at this point. Luckily, my previous owner removed mine, so I don't have to deal with that problem. Using a screwdriver and a mallet or hammer, we can give the rusted screws several hammer taps to help disturb the rust.

If the screws still won't budge, it's time to move on to the next step. With the caliper off and the rotor removed, we can now inspect the brake assembly for any signs of wear or damage. This is an important part of the process, as it ensures that our new brakes are functioning properly.

Now that we've inspected the brake assembly, we can begin installing our new rotors. When handling the new rotors, make sure to handle them by the edges and avoid touching the surface, which can cause contamination. Once installed, we need to tighten the caliper bolts to 24 lb-ft.

After installing the new rotor, we'll slide the caliper over it and torque down the two bolts to 24 lb-ft. This ensures that the caliper is securely attached to the rotor and won't come loose while driving. Next, we can put the wheel back on and tighten down the lug nuts. Because the car is lifted, we'll need to wait until it's lowered again to apply the correct torque.

The process for replacing brake pads and rotors in the rear brakes is similar to the front brakes, but with a few minor differences. First, make sure the parking brake is not engaged before starting. We also recommend removing the parking brake assembly before removing the caliper. In this case, I decided to leave it connected, but be sure the assembly does not hang from the fluid brake line or parking brake line.

The only other major difference for the rear brakes is pressing the piston back into place. The easiest way to do this is using a special tool that can be attached to a 3/8 drive and rotated clockwise to return the piston into its chamber. For this step, I used a specialized tool that can be found in my video description.

After installing the new brake pads and rotor, we'll apply lubricant to the caliper pins and ensure they're rotating freely. This is an important safety precaution, as it ensures that the brakes are functioning properly.

For assembly, the rear brakes have lower torque specs than the front brakes. The two bracket bolts are tightened to 41 lb-ft while the caliper bolts are tightened to 17 lb-ft. With the rear brake assembled, we can put the wheels back on and tighten down the lug nuts.

At this point, we're good to drive, but before taking off, we'll need to perform a few pumps on the brake pedal to get the brake caliper pistons back into place. If you bought specific brake pads that came with instructions for breaking in the pads, be sure to follow those procedures before driving regularly.

Before concluding this article, I want to geek out a bit and talk about my QuickJack. This hydraulic jack is actually pretty neat, using a combination of an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder to lift the car up, but if there's no weight on the lift, it will return to its lowered state. It also has automatic safety locks that are a fan of mine.

Finally, don't forget to torque down the lug nuts with 79.6 or about 80 lb-ft. This ensures that the brakes are securely attached to the wheels and won't come loose while driving. With these steps followed carefully, you should be able to replace your brake pads and rotors in a Honda S2000 like a pro.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHello everyone and welcome!in this video, we're going to be replacing the brake pads and rotors in my Honda S2000.And a huge thank you to BendPak for sponsoring this video.They've hooked me up with a QuickJack to make this an even easier process.As far as the brake rotors, I've picked out some rotors with directional veins rather than straight veinswhich supposedly offer better cooling as they help pump air through the brakes which leads to less brake fade.I'll be doing some testing to see if this is actually true in a later video.Our first step in changing out the brakes is to loosen the wheel lug nuts.Next, we need to lift the wheels off the ground.Be sure to locate the proper jacking points in your owners manual before lifting the car.With the car raised, we can remove the wheels and access the brakes.Starting at the front, first we need to remove the brake caliper to get access to the rotor.To remove the caliper piston and brake pads, there are two bolts on the backside of the caliper.Use a wrench to hold the caliper pin in place while using a socket wrench to remove the bolts.After removing these two bolts, you can pull the caliper free.Set it aside and be sure not to let it hang from the brake line. You can now also remove the two brake pads.Next we'll remove the caliper bracket. There are two bolts to remove and then it can be pulled free.With complete access, now we can start removing the brake rotor.Usually there are two screws which hold it in which if they're old, will likely be rusted at this point.Fortunately, the previous owner has removed mine.Using a screwdriver and a mallet or hammer, give the rusted screws several hammer taps to help disturb the rust.Then using a screwdriver, or perhaps an impact wrench if needed, remove the two screws.If nothing seems to get them to budge, you can simply drill out the screwsso they're no longer fastening the rotor.Once removed, these really don't need to be reinstalled as the wheel and lug nuts hold the rotor exactly in place.At this point the rotor is free to remove, but it's likely that rust will hold it in place.There are two bolts to break it free from the rust.Using the bolts from the caliper, screw them into the rotor and slowly tighten each bolt alternatingback and forth until the rotor finally breaks away.You can also try tapping the outside of the rotor with the mallet to break it free from the rust.Before installing the new rotor, spray both sides with brake cleaner to remove any protective oil or residue that may be left on the surface.On the hub where the brake rotor rests rust can build up,so I'm using a wire brush on a drill bit to remove some of the rust and clean up the hub a bit.Slide the new rotor in place, aligning the orientation with the screw holes.You can use a single lug nut to hold the rotor in place while you assemble the brake caliper.With the new brake pads, Honda recommends applying Molykote M77or Daikalub 528D to the back and sides of the backing plate as well as the back of the shims.So, if you want to go by the book, which you should, use the lubricant Honda recommends.I'm using an aluminum anti-seize compound...and que the comments section! I'll probably crash and die, so don't follow my advice.In all seriousness, aluminum anti-seize is designed for environments up to1600 degrees Fahrenheit or about 870 Celsius, and it is designed for use in brake applications.Copper anti-seize can also be used, with the added benefit of a higher temperature rangebut again, 1600 degrees Fahrenheit is quite high.Most brakes, especially on the street, will never approach these temperatures.For reference, I will include product links in the video description.If your pads came with new hardware, replace the clips in the caliper bracket and then slide the brake pads in place.Next we'll put the brake caliper back in place using the two bolts. Make sure not to get any grease on the rotors or pad face.Honda's torques touch to these bolts is 79.6 lb-ft.Now we need to push the piston back into the caliper.Before doing so, it's a good idea to wipe down the surface and exposed sides of the piston.Then place the old brake pad against the piston and using a brake pad piston compressor, press the piston back into place.It shouldn't require much effortand once the effort gets high, the piston is likely flush with the caliper and you can stop.I bought this tool for eight bucks from Harbor Freight and it works just fine.Next, be sure the brake caliper pins are lubricated and can rotate freely.It's a good idea to inspect these and apply grease as necessary.Slide the caliper over the brake pads and torque down the two bolts to 24 lb-ft.Now we can put the wheel back on and tighten down the lug nuts.Because the car is lifted, we'll need to wait until it's lowered again to apply the correct torque.For the rear brakes, the process is extremely similar, but with a few minor differences.First of all, there's a parking brake so make sure the parking brake is not engaged before starting.Honda recommends removing the parking brake assembly before removing the caliper.I decided to leave it connect, but be sure the assembly does not hang from the fluid brake line or parking brake line.Have a place to rest the caliper.It requires two bolts for removal just like the front.The only other major difference for the rear brakes is pressing the piston back into place.The easiest way to do this is using a special tool which I'll include a link for in the video description.This tool can be attached to a 3/8 drive and then by rotating the piston clockwise, it returns into the caliper.Now on the rear brake, I did actually have a screw remaining. So using a hammer and a screwdriver I tapped on the screwwhich was enough to loosen the rust and then rotate it free.Apply lubricant similarly as you did for the front brakes and caliper pins.For asselmbly, the rear does have lower torque specs.The two bracket bolts are tightened to 41 lb-ft while the caliper bolts are tightened to 17 lb-ft.With the rear break assembled, put the wheels back on and tighten down the lug nuts.Now we can lower the car.And just a geek out for a brief moment, the QuickJack is actually a pretty neat setup.Basically, it uses a hydraulic cylinder to lift the car up but if there's no weight on the lift, there's an air cylinderwhich you pressurize to 50 PSI that forces the cylinder to return to the lowered state.It also has automatic safety locks which I'm a fan of.And finally, don't forget to torque down the lug nuts. Honda recommends 79.6 or about 80 lb-ft.At this point, you're good to driveBefore taking off, the brake pedal will require a few pumps to get the brake caliper pistons back into place.And if you bought specific brake pads that came with instructions for braking in the pads,follow the break-in procedure before driving regularly.If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Thanks for watching!\n"