Air In Brake Lines – These Are The Symptoms And Solutions
“It’s happened to every driver at some point. One moment, you’re cruising along without a care in the world. You’re simply making your way from point A to point B and enjoying the relaxing ride in between. Then it happens: Without warning, there’s something in the road ahead. You need to stop, and you need to do it now.
Having to slam on the brakes is a high-drama event that puts the spotlight on your car’s braking system. Car brakes rarely get much attention – that is, until there’s an emergency. Then the system that stop-and-go commuters love to hate is on centre stage. But how do brakes translate the pressure of your foot on the brake pedal into stopping power?
Arguably, one of the most important brake parts in turning pedal action into stopping power is a vehicle’s brake lines. Most cars and light trucks have hydraulic braking systems. That means they use fluid to transfer the braking power from your foot to the brakes. In extremely basic terms, here’s how a typical disc brake system operates: The fluid is stored in the master cylinder. When the brake pedal is applied, it moves fluid from the master cylinder to the brake callipers, forcing them to clamp down on the brake rotors to slow the car. That fluid is carried through the brake lines, making them a rather critical brake part. If your brake lines don’t work, your brakes won’t work and you (and your car) will be in a heap of trouble.”
“Air In Brake Line Symptoms
Power brakes, that are standard in most modern vehicles, rely on brake fluid to work. When you depress the brake pedal hydraulic force is transferred to the brake callipers. They in turn press the pads into the brake rotors to slow or stop the vehicle. Air is much less dense when compared to the brake fluid. This means if air is in the lines it will compress too easily. When this happens, your brakes will feel too soft or even spongy.
- Brakes Feel Spongy
- Brakes Feel Soft
- Brake Pedal Depressed Too Far
If you’ve felt any of these air in the brake line symptoms, don’t delay, get your brakes checked out by our professional team of brake repair technicians.
How Does Air Get In My Brake Lines?
While the brake system in modern vehicles is designed to be air tight, over time air does get in. This is due to your brake pads needing to move further as the pads wear down. Your brake callipers extend to maintain a uniform distance. To do this the hydraulic pistons also need to extend, causing a void in the hydraulic system. As your pads wear down more brake fluid is needed to supply your system.
Most people aren’t closely monitoring their brake fluid so as the system works harder to depress the brake pads, air is unfortunately drawn into the system. It is this air that causes your brakes to feel spongy or soft.
How To Bleed Brakes: Getting The Air Out
To return your vehicle’s braking system to like new condition will require removing the air. This is a job some car owners can do for themselves, but many prefer to leave their car’s safety in the hands of Certified technicians.
Professional Brake Bleeding
In the hands of trained professional auto repair technicians your brake system will be completely voided of air in the system and brake lines. This ensures the function of your primary safety system, the ability to stop.
Source Credits
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-parts/brake-lines.htm
https://www.bridwellautocenter.com/air-in-brake-line-symptoms/
All opinions expressed in this article are not the onus of the publisher nor supplier.