Pressing Down on Your Brakes Can Often Feel Different
Well performing brakes are important for vehicle safety on the road. There are some common signs that your braking system may need service or replacing. There are also times where there may not be any signs exhibited from brake issues, so having your brakes inspected regularly is important.
How Does Your Brake Pedal Feel?
Paying attention to warning signs will help towards ensuring your driving safety. One way to determine an issue yourself is by using your foot to test your brake and see how the brake pedal feels when you apply pressure.
Your Brake Pedal Has Gone Down To the Floor
If when pushing down on the brakes, the pedal goes straight to the floor, it most likely means that you no longer have any fluid in the braking system and your brakes have stopped working completely. This is a serious problem and driving the vehicle in this condition is highly dangerous. Have the issue checked out by an auto repair facility as soon as possible.
Causes for these Brake Problems can include:
- The brake lines are worn out or broken down
- Your vehicle’s brake fluid is leaking
- The brake line is obstructed
- There’s a broken pedal or the master cylinder is bad
If your vehicle has been parked outside and has been exposed to the elements for a while, it could also have potential damage underneath the vehicle you can’t see.
Broken brake lines don’t always show signs of malfunction right away, especially if there is a small amount of fluid still left in the lines. This is very dangerous because the brakes can immediately stop working without giving any warning.
Brake fluid leaks can cause brakes to not perform properly. If there’s an obstruction inside the lines or the lines are being crimped off by something, it can also cause the brakes to stop working.
There are times when a malfunction within the pedal, caliper or piston can keep you from stopping properly. This is also a sign that you should seek immediate brake repair.
Also, it could be that your master cylinder is bad. If so, it will need to be replaced in addition to the brake lines, if there is a leak or malfunction there. Without a properly working master cylinder, your vehicle will not be able to stop.
Regularly scheduled preventative maintenance can often take care of small brake issues before they lead to larger ones and also help you to avoid an emergency issue down the road from occurring.
No Air in the Pedal
When pushing down on the brake pedal, you should notice the air pressure that is built up within the hydraulic system. This gives you the feeling that if you lightly tap on the brake when it’s in use, that it will stop the vehicle from moving or slow it down. If you press down and you aren’t able to push it easily or at all, there’s potentially a dangerous issue happening within your braking system. It might be the brake booster, which can be replaced by your local auto repair technician. Other causes of hard brakes could be a seized caliper or wheel cylinder or even a restricted brake line.
Noise from the Brakes
Brake noises of any kind, like grinding, squealing or metal on metal sounds, it’s always best to get them checkout out by a professional. It could be something as simple as dust or debris on your brake pads to a more serious issue like a bad master cylinder or worn out pads.
If you are experiencing brake issues or any other vehicle issues, call the experts at AAMCO Overland Park today for an appointment. Your safety on the road is important to us.
