Tech Tip: Brake Maintenance and Inspection
The brake actuating system, consisting of the master cylinder, calipers, hoses and wheel cylinders, experiences wear each time the driver applies the brakes. Some drivers rarely use their brakes and therefore never wear out a set of brake linings. Nevertheless, no matter how little the brakes are used, moisture contamination and rust will eventually cause the brake actuating system to fail.
Selling Services: Brake Line Repair: Tubing, Hoses and Fluid
Corroded brake lines and flare nuts have been a problem since hydraulic brakes were first installed on vehicles. Improved materials and processes have improved serviceability, but in the Northeast and Midwest where salt and other agents are used to de-ice roads, it is still a problem. Brake Tubing 101 Beginning in the 1930s, the Bundy
Drum Brake Self Adjusters: Understanding These Ancient Devices
d bridge bolts. Opposing piston calipers are bolted to the knuckle and have pins to position the pads. Drum brakes have return springs to return the shoes to a rest position and hardware to hold the shoes to the backing plate. The shoes return to a fully retracted or rest position when the master cylinder
Twin-Piston Calipers: Are Two Pistons Better than One?
generate more torque. More torque means more stopping power. Also, by using the floating caliper design instead of an opposing piston design, engineers are able to avoid wheel clearance issues and other robust design features of the floating caliper. With a single-piston caliper, the footprint of pad is limited in some ways to the diameter
Preventing Brake Fade: Maximizing How Friction Materials Handle Heat
Brake fade is something nobody wants to experience. When you step down on the brake pedal with a certain amount of force, the vehicle should slow predictably. But when the brakes get too hot and start to fade, it takes more and more pedal effort to get the same amount of braking force. Eventually the
Government Regulations and Braking Performance: How Uncle Sam Sets the Standards
Everybody wants safe brakes, right? You want the assurance that any brake linings you install on a customer’s vehicle will provide adequate braking and meet all applicable safety standards. But guess what? There are no federal safety standards for aftermarket brake linings. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 105 and 135, which are issued by
Texas Service Dealer Rides Away on Orange County Chopper from NAPA BRAKE and CHASSIS
Bubba Dennis’ dreams of winning a custom Orange County Chopper appeared to be heading up in smoke as the Polish sausage finished dead last.
Brakes: Reading Pads & Calipers, Examining Old Pads Can Prevent Problems Down The Road
Read any good brake pads lately? Don’t make the mistake of replacing brake pads without reading the old pads to spot potential caliper problems that could cause brake problems down the road and a possible comeback. Here are six conditions to watch out for: UNEVEN PAD WEAR. A sure sign of caliper trouble. If the
Fleet Management and Warranty Companies: What’s the Difference?
In the case of a warranty company, the company has a direct vested interest in the costs of the repairs. Such companies sell a repair contract on a single vehicle where certain items on the vehicle are specifically named. The company will pay for, or toward, the repair of those specifically named items within the
Drum Brakes, Understanding The Hydraulic Side
The wheel cylinder supplies the muscle for a drum brake. Most wheel cylinders are relatively simple: a pair of horizontally opposed pistons mounted inside a cast iron or aluminum housing. A brake line or hose from the master cylinder routes hydraulic pressure to the wheel cylinder, which pushes the pistons out. This forces the brake