subject: Understanding Your Car's Brake Master Cylinder [print this page] Brakes have always been associated with automobiles whether wooden blocks which were used earlier to today's high-performance disc brakes. Unfortunately, no vehicle can be imagined without brakes and as such brakes have formed a part of car essentials. With improvements in braking system of a car with time, hydraulic actuating principles have taken place of ordinary mechanical lever operated brakes. But with improvements, this method of braking have also brought along different components to implement the braking system on a vehicle effectively. Most of us are aware today about the hydraulic elements used in braking system and some of them even know how to repair and replace them when they fail to operate. However, components like brake master cylinder have always troubled many of the people around the globe, which is why there are 'n' number of Frequently Asked Questions directly or indirectly related to brake master cylinder.
One of the best ways to tackle such situations is to start with the basics. Understanding the core function of every part may help you to diagnose the problems more effectively. Your car or truck's hydraulic braking system essentially makes use of components like master cylinder, wheel cylinder and hydraulic pressure lines interconnected to them. You should thank your brake master cylinder which helps in applying the brakes with a very little effort from your foot. When you press the brake pedal, the master cylinder builds up the oil pressure inside it and forces the oil to pass through fluid lines and finally to each of the wheel cylinder. The pressurized oil forces the small pistons inside the wheel cylinder to move outwards and force the brake shoes against the rotating drum. In case of disc brakes, the oil causes the brake pads inside the brake caliper to move inwards and stop the rotating disc. Brake master cylinder has the ability to provide pressurized oil to all the wheels through different fluid lines and forms the most vital part of braking system. Even when the brake shoes or brake pads are brand-new, a damaged brake master cylinder would not let your car to stop or slow down when applying the brakes. I periodically check ford brake pads and other important braking system component of my mustang car to avoid such hazardous incidences.
However, the brake master cylinder apart from being easy to diagnose, often creates problems for those DIY lovers. Even after repairs and replacements, there have been lots of issues with the master cylinder, which the people find difficult to rectify. Brake bleeding, which is done to remove any air present inside the fluid lines and fluid reservoir, is one such common issue that most of the people deal with. Even when bleeding the brakes for number of times, the braking effect has no signs of improvements. In some cases, the only solution lefts behind is a new replacement.
Avoid damaging your car's brake master cylinder and make sure that a clean brake fluid is only filled inside the fluid reservoir. Keep the brake master cylinder healthy with sufficient fluid and always watch out for possible leaks. Because when this element fails, your car's entire braking system would be placed in hibernation, similar to what would happen when one's heart would stop beating.
