Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & 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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Should I resurface or replace my rotors everytime I replace brake pads?

I have heard it is proper practice to replace or resurface your brake rotors every time your do a brake pad replacement. Does this need to be done every single time or is it overkill? Maybe it is just something easy to do, might as well replace…
Troggy
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what is the difference between DOT3 and DOT4 brake fluids?

What is the difference between DOT3 and DOT4 brake fluids? What could possibly go wrong if I use a (4 times cheaper) DOT3 brake fluid instead of the DOT4 which manufacturer recommends (but allows adding "some" DOT3 occasionally)? What will happen if…
ria
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When do brake rotors really need to be replaced?

I need to replace my rear brake pads. A mechanic suggested I also replace my rotors because they are rusted around the edges. The rotors are in fact quite rusted, however, there is no rust on the actual surface that touches the pads. Running my…
ESultanik
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Does a Car Keep Moving If Neither Accelerator, Nor Brake Is Pressed?

I am not sure if if this is the right forum to ask this, but even my driving instructor cannot give me a clear answer, hence the question. Learning driving on a toyota vios, automatic transmission. The interrelated questions I have are Does the…
Della
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Why do the brakes "freeze" the suspension?

Last week I was driving a motorcycle. When I stopped at a traffic light I noticed the rear suspension dropped a little when I released the rear brake. Later I noticed my car did the same thing. When you suddenly stop, but not release the brake the…
user60481
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I drove with my Parking Brake on for 30 mins: should I be worried?

Yesterday, I was driving my car for about 30 minutes on the highway at speeds of up to 60 mph. I felt my brakes weren't really working and looked down to notice my emergency brake had been on the whole time (my indication lights don't work, so I…
Siena
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Use of Neutral Gear in Automatic Transmission

I am new to driving A/T cars and I am trying to understand the use of Neutral(N) gear. Should I shift my gear from D to N when my car comes to a complete halt on a red light or somewhere else? As per my understanding, putting brakes on while waiting…
Piyush Kansal
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When the handbrake is not working, is it safe to fully depend on putting car into park instead?

I have an old Toyota in which the handbrake wire is broken. I have been using the car for few months now and I don't really want to spend more money on it. I now put the car in park and that is it and I had an argument with a friend on this matter.…
user76646
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What are these loops in the brake line for?

I was watching a show on the Velocity network about truck modifications, and I saw the following closeup of the trucks master cylinder and booster. What I don't know is why the designers put the loops in the brake lines coming out of the master…
cdunn
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What is regenerative braking and why don't we use it?

I know that many electric cars use regenerative braking to enable the car to become more efficient by converting what would otherwise be lost heat energy in to a more useful, reusable form of energy. Surely, there must be some way of engineering a…
Max Goodridge
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What's the best gear to leave a manual vehicle in when parked?

I've been told that reverse is the "strongest" gear, so in a manual transmission vehicle you should park your vehicle and leave it in reverse in the event of a parking brake failure. Others have said first or second gear are fine as well. Is there a…
William
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What causes brakes to pulsate right after rotor and pad replacement?

I have a 2002 Infiniti Q45. I replaced the front rotors and pads on Sunday. It was the first time I've done this on a car, though I have done it countless times on various motorcycles. I was careful to apply proper torque to all fittings and…
Paul
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Clicking type sound when braking at low speeds

Most of the time when I brake at low speeds I hear a clicking type sound, that is fairly faint. I do NOT hear squeaking, grinding or any high pitched noises that might indicate my brake pads are wearing down, or anything that sounds really bad. I…
TruthOf42
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What is the proper way to bleed brakes and replace the fluid?

What is the proper way to replace the brake fluid in a car? What tools are required? I want to make sure I do not get any air or bubbles in the system as this is something that needs to be done right the first time for obvious safety reasons.
Troggy
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Should I depress the clutch pedal when braking to a stop?

When coming to a stop, will depressing both the clutch and brake pedals cause any damage to the engine or transmission? Is there anything mechanically wrong with doing so?
Frankay Olama Olingmot
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