EBC on Safety Measures and Neglected Brake Parts
The brake system is one important safety assembly in the car. But that only holds true if each and every part of the system is working ideally well. One aspect of the system that needs regular inspections is that which involves the car’s brake fluid. The hydraulic brake fluid, after all, must have certain important qualities for safe braking at all times. Thus, better to be equipped with a check list and see if there are any woes to consider:
The following make up a few of the cardinal rules that one must observe when watching out for brake fluid performance:
It must not boil or otherwise be affected by the high temperatures or braking.
It must lubricate the master cylinder as well as wheel cylinders
It must attack the metal and rubber parts of the system.
It must be chemically inert, in addition to being stable, under all operating conditions.
It must remain free flowing at all temperatures. This essentially means that it must not thicken or freeze at the lowest operating temperatures.
Water, mineral, oil or any fluids other tan brake fluid cannot be used in a brake system. Water would boil and rust the cylinders. Oil would destroy the rubber parts. Brake fluid will absorb water and may be contaminated, they system must be completely flushed as well as refilled with approved brake fluid. Grades of brake fluid are duly and wholly specified by the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard by the Society of Automotive engineers.
And while you are at it, you may as well know a few things on a number of neglected parts in the system to enrich your knowledge on such matters.
First, there are disc brake friction pads. The friction pads used with disc brakes do the same job as the brake shoes and linings used with drum brakes. Each pad assembly consists of a steel plate to which lining material is bonded or riveted. The lining is a composite material similar to that used on drum brakes.
Brake pads come in various shapes as well as sizes, depending on the design of the caliper. Pads are held in the caliper by clips, pins, or locating lugs. Many brakes use anti-rattle springs on the pads. Some fixed caliper brakes are designed to allow pad removal without any need to demount the caliper.
Pads on fixed caliper brakes usually wear evenly over the entire surface. However, the inboard or piston-side pad on some floating caliper designs may tend to wear more than the outboard pad. The pads on some floating caliper brakes may also end up with wears that flow into a tapered pattern. This is due to the methods used to mount the caliper and the torque generated during braking. A tapered wear pattern on floating caliper brakes, though, is no cause for concern so long as the taper does not exceed one eighth inch across the pad surface. Tapered wear on a fixed caliper pad may indicate a frozen caliper piston that needs repair.
Late model GM cars have audible wear indicators on the brake pads. These are small spring-steel tabs that rub against the rotor and make a high-pitched squeal to warn the driver when the pads have worn to their minimum safe thickness. If the driver allows the pads to continue to wear beyond the replacement point, the scrapper may wear away, and the sound may disappear.
In addition to these, when it comes to neglected parts, caliper mounting bolts, pins, clips and pad retainers top the list like no other. All disc brakes use various bolts as well as fasteners to mount the calipers and to hold the pads in the calipers securely. Fixed calipers are bolted to the caliper support. All bolts must be tight. Lockwire must be installed, if it is called for. Floating calipers move on guide pins or slide on specially designated pathways on the caliper support. Guide pins, bushings, clips, keys and other mounting hardware must be correctly installed and free from excessive wear.
So for a brake system that’s high on road performance, keep yourself keen on safety matters and learn as much as you can about the braking system of the car you have at hand.