How Do Your Brakes Feel When You Press Down?
Good working brakes are an important factor of vehicle safety. Often, there are common signs that your brakes may need service or replacement. Although, sometimes there may not be any signs when your brakes are about to fail or stop working properly.
How Does Your Brake Pedal Feel to Your Feet?
It’s important to pay attention to the warning signs to help ensure your driving safety. The best way to make a determination yourself is by using your foot to test your brake. Ask yourself, “How does the brake pedal feel when I apply pressure?”
Your Brake Pedal Has Gone Down To the Floor
If you push down on the brakes and the pedal goes straight to the floor, it most likely means that you no longer have any fluid in the braking system and the brakes have completely stopped working. This can be a very serious problem and you should not drive the vehicle until you are able to have the issue checked out by a professional mechanic.
The main causes for these Brake Problems can include:
- Brake lines are worn out or broken down
- Brake fluid is leaking
- Brake line is obstructed
- There is a broken pedal or the master cylinder is bad
If your car, truck or SUV has been sitting or 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 at first, especially if there is a small amount of fluid still left in the lines. This situation is extremely dangerous because the brakes can immediately stop working without warning.
Brake fluid leaks can cause your brakes to not perform properly. If some kind of obstruction is 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.
By getting regularly scheduled preventative maintenance for you vehicle, you can often take care of small issues before they lead to larger, more costly ones. Getting everything in order now, can also help you avoid an emergency issue down the road from occurring.
No Air in the Pedal
When you push 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.
Noisy Brakes
If your brakes are making noises of any kind, grinding, squealing or metal on metal sounds, it’s always best to get them checkout out by a professional auto repair technician. 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.
Regardless of the brake issue your vehicle may currently be experiencing, AAMCO Lee’s Summit can provide all the brake repair services your car, truck or SUV may require. Call us if you have any questions or to make a convenient appointment today.
