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.
Showing posts with label brake warning signs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brake warning signs. Show all posts
Brakes 101–Part 1
Knowing when your brakes need to be repaired can be confusing, which is why each Budget Brakes store has posters with brake warning signs and explanations of what brake terms mean.
We believe that the better educated our customers are about brake repair and maintenance, the better they will understand our recommendations and the more they will want to be Budget Brakes customers!
Budget Brakes has a brake-inspection process that is much more thorough and detailed than most of our competitors. We also follow industry specifications for parts replacement, which not all places do.
Here are the brake warning signs you will find displayed at our stores. In the next post, I’ll list common brake terms and explain what they mean.
Brake Warning Signs:
PULL: Vehicle pulls to one side when brakes are applied.
GRAB: “Touchy” brakes that grab with the least amount of pressure.
DRAG: Sticking brakes, hot wheels or engine which seems to have lost power.
SQUEAL: Some brake noise is normal; however, constant groaning, grinding or squealing is not.
LOW PEDAL: Pedal nearly touches the floorboard before brakes function.
HARD PEDAL: Requires an extreme amount of pressure to make brakes function.
VIBRATION: Brake pedal, steering wheel or entire vehicle shakes, vibrates or pulses when brake is applied.
MILAGE: Brakes are “out of sight, out of mind.” Remember yours at least once a year, even if none of the above symptoms are present.
BRAKE WARNING LIGHT: Emergency brake is on, low brake fluid or a drop in Hydraulic pressure.
We believe that the better educated our customers are about brake repair and maintenance, the better they will understand our recommendations and the more they will want to be Budget Brakes customers!
Budget Brakes has a brake-inspection process that is much more thorough and detailed than most of our competitors. We also follow industry specifications for parts replacement, which not all places do.
Here are the brake warning signs you will find displayed at our stores. In the next post, I’ll list common brake terms and explain what they mean.
Brake Warning Signs:
PULL: Vehicle pulls to one side when brakes are applied.
GRAB: “Touchy” brakes that grab with the least amount of pressure.
DRAG: Sticking brakes, hot wheels or engine which seems to have lost power.
SQUEAL: Some brake noise is normal; however, constant groaning, grinding or squealing is not.
LOW PEDAL: Pedal nearly touches the floorboard before brakes function.
HARD PEDAL: Requires an extreme amount of pressure to make brakes function.
VIBRATION: Brake pedal, steering wheel or entire vehicle shakes, vibrates or pulses when brake is applied.
MILAGE: Brakes are “out of sight, out of mind.” Remember yours at least once a year, even if none of the above symptoms are present.
BRAKE WARNING LIGHT: Emergency brake is on, low brake fluid or a drop in Hydraulic pressure.
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