Flashing By - A Blog For Car Devotees

Unlike their predecessors, modern-day vehicles are usually equipped with disc brakes all around, and this makes them more efficient and somewhat more predictable as well. However, issues can still arise as time goes by and certain parts will naturally deteriorate, although sometimes a fault may develop that is not directly associated with wear and tear. In this case, the cause can be very difficult to pinpoint, but it is often related to one specific area. What are some of these problems?

How Everything Should Work

Most of the action happens next to each road wheel. Here, pistons are activated by hydraulic fluid which in turn push friction pads against rotary discs. As these discs are directly connected to each road wheel, the car will slow down and should do so in a predictable and repeatable fashion. However, sometimes you may notice that the car tends to pull sharply to one side whenever you're braking, or you may notice that the car continues to decelerate whenever you take your foot off the pedal. In this case, one of the brake calipers may be faulty.

Caliper Issues

The caliper is the device that holds a piston and a pair of brake pads for each wheel. It is mounted onto the hub so that it straddles the brake disc and when the vehicle is in normal motion, the brake pads "sit" in close proximity to the disc, a couple of millimetres away. Usually, the valves and pistons contained within each caliper will work perfectly well to activate the brake pads, but sometimes they can stick in the open or closed position.

This can be caused when the rubber boot or other protection devices start to perish, and debris gets into the equation. This dirt can then become caught within the mechanism and either stop it from activating or prevent it from retracting.

Detecting the Problems

If one caliper is experiencing a problem, then its counterpart on the other side of the car will be more efficient. Consequently, the vehicle will pull to the opposing side as that wheel is being decelerated more efficiently than the problem one. Alternatively, if the car continues to slow down even when you take your foot off the brake, then this means that the piston may not be able to return to its housing and is causing the brake pad to adhere to the disc for too long.

Initiating the Fix

Special tools are required to fix brake calipers, so you will need to take your vehicle into the mechanic for further advice.

For more information, contact your local brake repair service.