Under no circumstances should you delay diagnosis or repair if your car’s braking system begins to function inadequately. The brakes should respond quickly to the driver’s actions. But a malfunction in the brake system itself is far from the only reason for their ineffective operation; there can be many side factors.
— Braking system
If air pockets form in the system, the brake pedal will stop responding to pressure and only activates after a few strokes. Air enters the system through worn lip seals of the main or working cylinders. Perhaps this is a consequence of poor quality repairs. To eliminate the malfunction, the system will have to be bled and all leaking parts replaced.
If the brake fluid boils, the pedal will simply sink to the floor and the car will not slow down. This is observed if the brake fluid is of questionable manufacture or has simply expired. You will need to completely change the fuel tank, by the way, this needs to be done once every three years.
If the car is not new, the brake system hoses must be checked periodically. When working under pressure, the rubber ages, it cracks and the hose can come off at the most inopportune moment.
When pressing the pedal becomes difficult, although the system itself is functional, you need to pay attention to the condition of the vacuum booster. If it is ok, then the problem is in the vacuum supply hose.
— Pads and discs
Worn brake pads. If they are worn down to the ground, then with each braking they will “cut” the brake discs. If the pads are substandard, they may melt, burn, or the linings may peel off from the base.
When installing new brake discs, you must be careful to subsequently avoid jerking when pressing the pedal. This is observed if there is dirt between the mating surfaces of the disk and the hub. Experts call this malfunction axial runout of the disk. Its danger is that in this case the disc can increase the pedal travel due to excessive pad spread, causing the reaction of the entire system to become slower. The same applies to drum mechanisms – the so-called “ovality”.
The disc may “lead” due to cold road water getting on its hot surface. Replacement is the ideal solution if you do not want to deal with a groove that does not always provide the expected result.
Also, a decrease in braking efficiency can be observed when the pads jam in the bracket, caliper guides, or piston in the brake cylinder. You can return the mechanism to mobility yourself by disassembling it, thoroughly cleaning it, and lubricating it. True, in some cases only a complete replacement will help.
If any ABS element fails, the system will make itself known by activating the malfunction indicator on the instrument panel. The system itself will continue to operate as normal, but during emergency braking, the car may “spin” when the wheel lock is activated. Therefore, it is better to immediately visit a repair service.
Some motorists neglect to use the parking brake, and completely in vain. First of all, it may be the last resort to stop the car in the event of an emergency failure of the service brake system. Secondly, when stopping a car on a slope, overloading the parking lock of an automatic transmission or variator is far from the best solution. Even in cars with manual transmission, cases of timing chain jumping have been observed when the car is locked in place by engaging the gear rather than the parking brake.
Avaruosad.ee – online auto parts store
Need spare parts for your car? Call for free consultation:
- +372 56 812 812
- info@avaruosad.ee
