Brakes 101–Part 3 Brake Terms Continued

We continue with our discussion of brake terminology, which will help you better understand how your vehicle’s braking system works:

Drums
Function: A friction surface for the brake shoes to stop the vehicle; dissipates heat build up with its thickness.
Signs of Wear: Measured thickness, out of round, cracked, hard spots or groves.
Can Cause: Noise, pulsating, vibration and low brake pedal.

Drum Hardware
Function: Holds brake shoes in position and prevents shoes from dragging on brake drums after braking.
Signs of Wear: Dirty, rusty, broken, distorted or corroded.
Can Cause: Noise, excessive brake shoe and drum wear, pulling and grabbing.

Grease Seals
Function: Keeps grease on the wheel bearings.
Signs of Wear: Leaks, seals torn or damaged.
Can Cause: Noise, spindle and rotor damage.

Master Cylinder
Function: Holds and transfers brake fluid to the front and rear brakes.
Signs of Wear: Leaks, brake warning light.
Can Cause: Low brake pedal, unreliable stopping or fading brake pedal.

Rotors
Function: A friction surface for the brake pads to stop the vehicle; dissipates heat build up with its thickness.
Signs of Wear: Measured thickness, cracks, warped, grooves or hard spots.
Can Cause: Noise, heat build up, pulsating and vibration.

Wheel Bearings
Function: Allows wheels to rotate smoothly.
Signs of Wear: Noise, cracks, pits or blurring.
Can Cause: Vibration, noise, spindle and rotor damage.

Wheel Cylinders
Function: Pushes the brake shoes on the drum.
Signs of Wear: Leaks, corroded pistons or brake warning light.
Can Cause: Noise, grabbing, pulling to the side, premature brake shoe wear and brake drum damage.

Brakes 101–Part 2 Brake Terms

At each Budget Brakes store, we display common brake terms and explain what they mean so that our customers have a better understanding of each part’s function, as well as the signs of wear and symptoms that indicate when a part may need to be repaired or replaced.

We’ve broken our list of terms into two posts. Here’s the first one:

Anti-lock Brake Module
Function: Electronically assists stopping vehicle in shortest distance.
Signs of Wear: ABS warning light on or noise.
Can Cause: Longer stopping distance and brake pedal vibration.

Brake Hoses
Function: A flexible link between the vehicle’s frame and the front wheels.
Signs of Wear: Cracking, ballooning, leaking or restriction of brake fluid flow.
Can Cause: Pulling to the side, premature brake pad wear, and caliper and brake rotor damage.

Brake Pads
Function: Material that wears against brake rotors and stops the vehicle.
Signs of Wear: Thickness, cracks, separation from backing plate.
Can Cause: Noise, brake rotor and caliper damage.

Brake Shoes
Function: Material that wears against brake drums and stops the vehicle.
Signs of Wear: Thickness, cracks, separation from backing plate.
Can Cause: Noise, brake drum and wheel cylinder damage.

Calipers
Function: Push and retract brake pads from the rotor.
Signs of Wear: Leaks, torn dust boot or uneven brake pad wear.
Can Cause: Noise, grabbing, pulling to the side, premature brake pad wear and brake rotor damage.

Discharge Hardware
Function: Holds brake pads in position and prevents pads from dragging on brake rotors after braking.
Signs of Wear: Dirty, rusty, broken, distorted or corroded.
Can Cause: Noise, excessive brake pad and rotor wear, pulling and grabbing.