Brake system maintenance is very important. Be sure to pay attention to these details.

▎Preface

The most important thing for driving on the road is braking performance. How well this performance is maintained depends on whether the car owner performs timely maintenance on the wheel brakes. We refer to this maintenance as: brake maintenance.

Brake maintenance requires regular upkeep, recommended every six months, with work time taking about half a day, depending on the situation. If the vehicle frequently drives on wet roads, the maintenance interval should be shortened.

Today, let's talk about what can happen if brake maintenance is not performed in time!

▎Air Brake System

After Brake Maintenance

1. Poor Braking Performance, Prone to Accidents

As everyone knows, air brakes use high-pressure gas to push the brake shoes and achieve braking.

To push the brake shoes, the brake shoes need to be able to move. The brake shoes move with the help of brake shoe pins, and if they are not maintained over a long period, the brake shoes and pins can rust and seize up. Losing their ability to move naturally leads to poor braking performance.

From the picture above, it is clearly visible that the brake shoe is in a seized state. The force caused by the seizure is very strong, and no matter how hard you press the brake, it won't help. During transportation, with the heavy weight of the vehicle, there is no effective braking, and the probability of an accident will increase accordingly. 

I personally have witnessed such an accident: the brakes failed, and the vehicle went off the guardrail on a mountain road. Fortunately, it got stuck on a tree. Safety comes first, friends! Don’t just think about making money. Saying things like 'drive slowly, it will be fine' is just an excuse. If an accident happens, the consequences can be unimaginable! 

When a seizure occurs, one can use fine layered sand to grind the iron pin, which can 'slim' the pin. Simply using sandpaper is also possible, but it won’t address rusting very well. Finally, the iron pin should be fitted in the mounting hole to create a smooth, slippery feeling before it can be installed on the vehicle.

2. Brake lag and stopping for cooling.

It's not only a case of brakes not responding; brake lag can also occur. Simply put, this happens when the operator has already released the brake pedal, but the brake pads remain stuck and do not return in time, continuing to generate braking force.

Ongoing friction produces heat, and the brake pads and wheel hub expand due to the heat, potentially causing the wheels to lock up. In such cases, you need to safely pull over, find a water source to cool them down, and wait for assistance. Continuing to drive in this condition can cause serious damage to the brake pads and wheel hub.

There is a second form of wheel lock-up, which occurs when the wheel bearings wear out due to long-term lack of maintenance. If they are not replaced in time, the bearings can break, and debris can increase friction within the wheel hub, generating heat and causing wheel lock-up.

Bearing failure is extremely serious and can lead to the wheel detaching. In that case, it really would be “the rear wheel catching up to the front wheel.”

3. Brake damage causing abnormal noise: timely maintenance can save big money. 

Brake pads are consumables. Without regular maintenance, they cannot be replaced in time. Everyone knows that brake pads are fixed to the brake shoes with rivets. Once the brake pads are gone, only the rivets will rub against the wheel hub, causing abnormal brake noise. 

Friction between metal and metal ultimately results in damage to both parts, requiring replacement! The saying 'a small expense now saves a big expense later' probably originated from situations like this.

How to determine whether brake pads need replacement: The middle part of the brake lining is the area that experiences the most friction with the wheel hub during braking, while the right side has the smallest friction area. You can judge based on these two points—if more than half is worn or it is almost touching the rivets, it is time to replace them.

4. Brake fluid leakage causing deviation during braking

The rear axle requires gear oil, and the half shaft connects to the rear axle. To prevent gear oil from leaking, a half-shaft oil seal is needed. The oil seal is made of rubber, and over time, it can oxidize and lose its sealing capability. When this happens, gear oil can pass through the seal and enter the wheel hub, naturally reaching the brake system.

The braking force of the rear wheels is greater than that of the front wheels. If the right rear wheel loses its braking function due to the presence of gear oil, only the right front wheel will be working.

One wheel cannot match the braking force of the left front and rear wheels, which will cause the vehicle to deviate during braking. This sudden deviation can startle the driver, potentially causing sudden steering corrections, which may accidentally lead to a rollover accident.

There is a second phenomenon related to deviation: one side of the front wheel may seize or the braking stroke may be uneven. The front wheel will not have oil leakage, only seizing or uneven braking stroke. This can be corrected by adjusting the brakes. 

▎ Hydraulic Brake System

After maintenance of the single brake caliper pump

1. Simple structure and easy maintenance

Compared to pneumatic brakes, hydraulic brakes have a simpler structure. They are actuated by hydraulic pressure (brake fluid) pushing the caliper pump, which in turn pushes the brake pads to achieve braking, and returns to position by strong springs. For hydraulic brake maintenance, caliper pumps are relatively prone to rust and can seize, so replacement is recommended, as continuing to use them for repairs is not reliable.
 

Rusty and stuck in a seized state

2. Brake caliper leaks, brake fluid is low

The interior of the caliper is mainly made up of oil seals. If the oil seal is damaged, brake fluid will leak, and when the damage is severe, applying the brakes can spray brake fluid, which adheres to the brake pads, resulting in poor braking performance. The easiest way to deal with brake fluid is to rinse it off with water.

The rest is largely the same as the pneumatic brake system. Without timely maintenance, it can also lead to brake noise, deviation, dragging, and other issues.

Dual-chamber pump hydraulic brake oil leakage

▎Summary: Brake maintenance is not just about timely upkeep; it is closely related to the details of repairs.

Accidents caused by ineffective braking in daily life are always shocking, often bringing sorrow to both families involved. Timely vehicle maintenance is crucial. On the road, safety comes first—avoid showing off or competing, and always follow traffic rules!

Some detail images

Regular brake maintenance is certainly important, but the maintenance details cannot be easily overlooked, such as: ABS sensors, cleaning of the toothed rings, providing sufficient lubrication to the bearings, applying fresh grease to the wheel hubs, the tightening torque when installing the wheel hub nuts, and the installation of the half-shaft oil seals, among others.

To ensure customers drive with peace of mind, any non-standard operations can result in consequences, for which one must take responsibility. The same principle applies to life: the more attention one pays to details, the more likely they are to reach success ahead of others. As the old saying goes: details determine everything.