Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [brakes]

Brake systems on vehicles are typically driven by either pneumatic or hydraulic systems that multiply the force applied by an operator to slow a vehicles rate of speed through the use of friction.

Brake system components

There are different types of brakes systems used in vehicles.

  • Disc Brake

  • Drum Brake

  • Ausco Lambert disc brake

Brake Rotor and Caliper

A brake rotor spins on an axis attached to a shaft. A caliper straddles a brake rotor and clamps the rotor with brake pads. Brake pads actuated by the caliper hydraulically squeeze the rotor through pneumatic or hydraulic force to apply friction and slow the vehicle. enter image description here

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At what point do you need to replace the calipers?

I bought my car in February 2013 with 49K miles. It now has 61K miles on it and my brakes are starting to squeak very gently, until I apply more pressure on the brake pedal. When I bought the car, I foolishly didn't ask for any service / maintenance…
sab669
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Is it normal for stop distance to be long on brand new brake pads?

I just had the brake pads replaced in my car. As I left the shop I noticed coming to a complete stop took longer distance or needed a fair bit more force on the pedal. Is this normal? Will the brakes 'work themselves in'?
dark fader
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I forgot to release the hand brake while I'm driving at around 4 to 5 km. what will happen to my rear brakes?

I forgot to release the hand brake while I'm driving at around 4 to 5km. What will happen to my rear brakes?
Arnel Balingit
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Is it necessary to flush brake fluid?

I have a 2005 Honda Element. The owners manual states the brake fluid should be "replaced" every 3 years. When I asked the dealer to replace the brake fluid, they said it was going to cost $190. I told them last time they did it, it was only…
kwahn
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Brakes Smell Bad and Smoke

Here's the situation: Initially Changed a wheel/tire, and snapped a hub stud. Had to take off the brake caliper on that hub (driver's side). No problem with that, but then all of a sudden my front end was really jumpy. It was time to change the…
Thomas Stringer
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Brakes make grinding noise during stops at low speeds

I've got a Mazda B2300 pickup that's started making a grinding sound whenever I come to a stop. Braking at a high speed doesn't make any noise, but once I get under 25-30 MPH, the grinding sound gets progressively worse until the truck comes to a…
Doresoom
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What does the dust shield behind the brakes do?

Behind the brake rotors is a dust shield. I'm interested in removing the dust shields on my car because I'm looking to install larger calipers than what my car originally came with. What is the purpose of this dust shield and what would be some…
Ellesedil
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Sequence for bleeding brake lines?

There are 4 brake calipers on most cars. Is there a proper order in which to bleed them when bleeding brake lines, or can you bleed them in any order with the same result?
John Dream
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Rear Drum brake scraping and brake pulsating

I recently had a lug nut stud replaced on one of my rear tires. I believe they had to take apart the drum brake to remove the old stud and install the new one. That same day I heard a scraping which increased in frequency as I sped up. I visually…
agradl
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What brake components need to be lubricated?

When doing a DIY brake job, I understand that it's necessary lubricate several components of the pad/caliper assembly. From various sources, I have been told that the following are the places where brake grease should be applied: The slide pins…
CmdrMoozy
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removing spindle cap

Trying to remove rusted spinlde cap to change brake drum shoes but it seems to be stuck. Tried to grab eyeglass screw driver flat and oil lubricant spray can to remove the rust but it is pretty stuck. here is the picture of the spindle This is a…
Tiger Blood
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Should I apply anti-seize to the back of brake rotors?

In regards to changing brake rotors: As I see in many youtube videos, it could be a bit of a challenge to remove old brake rotors. They can stuck. Is it a good idea to add some anti-seize compound to the back of rotors during the installation, so it…
Allan Xu
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Long brake pedal travel after replacing pads

I recently installed new brake pads. They haven't been bedded in yet and I don't intend to use them for daily driving. The pressure feedback from my brake pedal progressively increases as I apply more force to it, but I'm able to push it until it…
user219694
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Can improper guide/lock pin installation cause a caliper to stick?

I had a brake caliper fail to release on me shortly after getting my car back from the shop (long story condensed is: took months to get done due to rust and lack of available parts from a wheel bearing failure and hub overheating). It's the…
Brian Knoblauch
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Disc Brakes Vs Drum Brakes

Modern Cars tend to have disc brakes .Vintage and Classic Cars ted to have drum brakes.Disc brakes perform better and therefore are deemed safer .In fact disc brake conversions are applied to some classic cars.Why is it that trucks still persist…
Autistic
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