2017 Honda CRV Brakes drove me crazy

[Looger]

I'm a former master wrench, but have been out of the game for a long time, other than taking care of family vehicles.
I've used Akebono pads almost exclusively for decades.
Yesterday, I replaced the pads and rotors on my wife's 2017 Honda CRV.

Something that drove me crazy were those spring clips on the edges of each pad, which push the pads away from the rotor.

I used Akebono pads which came with those clips.
I didn't realize their clips were a little smaller than the stock Honda clips. The part that clamped to the pad was shorter and narrower than OEM.
The clips flew off with every attempt to seat the pad. I thought I was missing a technique or perhaps a special tool.

After suffering through the fronts, I finally decided to reuse the clips from the OEM pads on the rears.
The OEM clip springs were a bit larger, providing more metal to clamp onto the pads.

No joke, the clip issue alone added nearly 2 hours of work because every time they popped off, I had to reinstall them without contaminating the pads or rotors.
The M77 grease worsened the problem by decreasing what little friction the clips had to hold them on the pad.

I've done hundreds of brake jobs, and this was the worst.

I will be digging the other OEM clips out of the garbage for future use, as they are apparently not available separately.

Going forward, I may have to use OEM pads/hardware to avoid this problem.

Bob

 

[GSCJR]

Reminds me of what Nissan started using almost 2 decades ago, where the springs are attached to the hardware instead the pads which makes installation easier; based on the image you provided. It's a learning curve, the next time you'll do it in half the time.

 

[SHOZ]

The standard Hyundai uses a spring clip on the bottom and top of the pad. It sits in a groove on the caliper. You have to be perfectly square and the pads slide right in.

But over time the cast iron caliper rust and swells. So I now brush and file it down but still it's sometimes fight it and sometimes it slides right in.

Then there is the ebake spring on Ford '90s rear calipers.....

 

[GSCJR]

But over time the cast iron caliper rust and swells. So I now brush and file it down but still it's sometimes fight it and sometimes it slides right in.

+1, and apply anti-seize compound under the the clips too.

 

[Looger]

I posted hoping I wasn't the only guy that had trouble like this, and maybe warning others away from my mistake.

That said, there was no way to assure the hardware was identical prior to removal, without purchasing OEM (which is high quality, in the case of most Honda parts).

I sent an email to Akebono informing them of the issue.

Also, yes, cleaning up the rust from the caliper bracket and adding a little grease under the new pad clips/seats is a good idea to help prevent "rust jacking ."

Also, at the encouragement of BITOG, I used silicone paste on the pins and M77 on the contact points.
I know other products work, but those seemed to have the most universal good outcomes.
Honda has good reason to recommend and use M77 (slippery, dry-ish, and doesn't seem to wash away easily).

Oh, and the All Star Performance bleeder canister was BRILLIANT!
I added thick grease around the bleeder screw to prevent air being sucked in via the threads, just to be sure.

Bob

 

[Looger]

And...here are some pictures of the offender.
The smaller one is Akebono.
Larger is OEM Honda.

When I say the clips flew off, I wasn't kidding.
There simply wasn't enough bite for them to hold on.
Even the Honda part should probably have a longer tang, and the pad should have a more prominent divot to seat the clip.

Bob

 

[LazyDog]

In my 2004 CRV, I have always kept the original shims because of how well it kept the pads in place.

Got very frustrated the first time too.

 

[DuckRyder]

As a general rule Honda pad kits are very reasonable. No reason to use anything else unless you're doing track days or something...

 

[86cutlass307]

I'm a former master wrench, but have been out of the game for a long time, other than taking care of family vehicles.
I've used Akebono pads almost exclusively for decades.
Yesterday, I replaced the pads and rotors on my wife's 2017 Honda CRV.

Something that drove me crazy were those spring clips on the edges of each pad, which push the pads away from the rotor.

I used Akebono pads which came with those clips.
I didn't realize their clips were a little smaller than the stock Honda clips. The part that clamped to the pad was shorter and narrower than OEM.
The clips flew off with every attempt to seat the pad. I thought I was missing a technique or perhaps a special tool.

After suffering through the fronts, I finally decided to reuse the clips from the OEM pads on the rears.
The OEM clip springs were a bit larger, providing more metal to clamp onto the pads.

No joke, the clip issue alone added nearly 2 hours of work because every time they popped off, I had to reinstall them without contaminating the pads or rotors.
The M77 grease worsened the problem by decreasing what little friction the clips had to hold them on the pad.

I've done hundreds of brake jobs, and this was the worst.

I will be digging the other OEM clips out of the garbage for future use, as they are apparently not available separately.

Going forward, I may have to use OEM pads/hardware to avoid this problem.

Bob

Thank you for the post; I have a brake job on our '17 CRV most likely in the fall when it is cooler. You saved me a *** moment; I thought I had seen it all on our '14 Accord brake job a few years back. The bean counters must be working O/T at Honda R & D.

 

[Looger]

Follow up:
Contacted Akebono and provided pictures.

Their production manager checked their clips and stated that they fit securely on the pads.

I half jokingly said "Now add M77 to the ears (right where the clips are attached) and insert the pads into the bracket."

PING!

They were very accommodating. I didn't expect any response, but they took my complaint seriously.

I still like the pads, they are excellent.
Will use them in the future (probably not for the CRV), but will cautiously inspect the hardware prior to reassembly, and pray that either the new hardware is appropriate or the old hardware is in suitable condition for re-use.

Bob