No matter how you drive, brake problems can surface and put you and your family at risk. When you develop a brake problem be cautious and call for service. Do not drive the vehicle to another location unless you are stuck in an intersection. The following is a list of the 6 most prominent brake problems:
ABS Brake Warning Light Appears
The ABS warning light means that your car's onboard computer has shut off the ABS braking system. The computer will shut it off when it has picked up on a problem. Your car's brakes will stop you, but you will have no protection against a brake or wheel lock-up. You will be able to get to an auto repair center safely.
Brake Warning Light Appears
This can simply advise you that the car's emergency brake is still engaged. Release it if it is on, and see if the light goes out. More seriously, your brake lubricating and cooling fluid may be low. Take the vehicle and have the fluid checked and filled.
If refilling the brake fluid does not turn the light off, you may have a fluid leak in one part of the braking system. If you are at the auto service center, alert them to check the entire brake system.
Locked Brakes
If your vehicle has ABS, but you still lock up your brakes when applying them, a dangerous problem exists. It could be due to a damaged brake pad, shoe or both, or it could be related to the disc calipers or wheel bearings. Call for roadside assistance and get tow truck right away.
Brake Pedal Won't Go Down at All, "Hard" Brake
This problem has causes ranging from simple: something stuck under the brake pedal; to complex: pinched or failed brake fluid line, or a failure of the power brake boosting mechanism, among others. Check under the brake pedal for a blockage, often just a crumpled floor mat. If this does not solve the problem, contact roadside assistance for a tow to an auto repair center.
Brake Pedal is "Mushy", Goes Down Well Beyond Normal Level
Mushy or spongy brakes can result from air in the brake fluid line. Also, there may be a more serious problem, brake fluid leak or damage to the master brake cylinder. Call for a tow truck and bring in your car to a service center.
Brakes Squeal
The squealing noise made by brakes has many sources. It could be dirt trapped in the wheel. Run the vehicle through the car wash to see if it can be cleaned out. An intermittent brake squeal that sounds only when brakes are on can be from worn brake linings, worn, warped or cracked brake shoes or brake adjusters that need realignment. A continuous brake squeal, even when they are not applied, indicates either wheel bearing damage or that your brake pads have reached the replacement point. Have this repair done soon to prevent brake rotor damage.
Your brakes are your car's key safety system. Have them inspected and maintained regularly.
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You should always check your car if you notice one of these signs you should check on it to avoid accidents or large expenses in fixing it.
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Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Dead car battery
The first thing to address is how long will a car battery last. On average, a car battery will last for about three to five years.
In most cases you will find that it will last towards the shorter end of this scale and need to be replaced at the three-year mark.
There are many variables that will determine how long a car battery will last. Some of the things that will send it to an early grave are as follows.
Many short trips on a daily basis can reduce the life of your automotive batteries.
If your vehicle has an average run time of less than 20 minutes, your alternator will not have the opportunity to recharge it fully.
Many starting cycles, coupled with short run time will leave your battery below the ideal charged specification for most of it’s shortened life.
Another reason for a dead car battery would be exposures to extreme temperatures. The cranking power is created by a chemical reaction.
The outside temperature affects this chemical reaction. This is why you will find that most batteries are encased in an insulated jacket.
This insulation allows it to go through its normal temperature changes slowly and can extend overall battery life.
One of the big mistakes that the do-it-yourself and professional mechanics will make is when they replace a car battery they will discard this insulated cover.
This will also shorten the life span. The manufacture put this insulated cover on for a reason so you don’t want to forget to reinstall it.
Dead car battery diagnosis
When your car battery goes completely dead, there are a few factors that will determine your next step. If it is more than three years old, you’re best bet would be to replace the battery.
If you're not sure how old it is your next step should be to charge and test the battery. Note: You should always wear safety glasses and protective clothing. Battery acid is dangerous stuff!
Battery chargers and testers have come down in price in recent years. These are good tools to have around. This way you will have what you need when faced with the dead battery problem.
The testers and chargers are easy to use and have simple indicators of green and red. That will take the guessing out of diagnosing your automotive battery.
Take care of your car battery
If you take care of your battery, it will take care of you. Regular maintenance is a good habit to get into.
If you want your battery to last to the five-year mark, you're going to have to take care of it. This is very easy to do.
The stuff to use is called terminal protector spray. If you apply this product to a new or clean terminals, it will greatly reduce the amount of corrosion that builds up.
Corrosion can prevent the proper automatic charging of the battery from the vehicles alternator.
If you follow this procedure once every six months, it will last much longer. This is one of those situations where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
A dead car battery is a fact of life. Being prepared for when this happens is also simpler then you may think.
To avoid being stuck somewhere, you want to make sure that you have a good set of battery cables and safety glasses in your vehicle.
You also want to be familiar with the hook up and operation of these cables.
An even better solution to the dead battery problem is to have your own jump box.
Having your own battery jump box can avoid the problems of hooking up the jumper cables to another vehicle. It is also nice to be able to jump your vehicle without having to ask somebody for help.
These jump boxes have also come down in price over the last few years. My own personal battery jumper is about five years old and has saved my neighbors and me many times.
I own the jump n carry 600 that has been updated to the 660 model. This thing has 1700 peak amps at 12 volts. If this monster does not jump your vehicle then it has another problem. I have jumped dump trucks and buses as well as my wife's Camry with my jump box.
This unit may be overkill for the do it yourself mechanic and it has no reverse polarity protection so you better hook it up right.If your looking for a lighter duty model with built in protection than I would recommend the Duracell jumper below.
All of the tools listed below and talked about above come with easy-to-follow instruction manuals. Learning about how to use these cranking and charging system tools will assure you know what to do the next time you are faced with a dead car battery.
The battery tester below will also diagnose the charging system. And if your vehicle does a lot of sitting take a look at the charge tender. I own most of the tools listed below but for more independent reviews click on the product and view the testimonials.
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Battery tester is also an important tool that you should have. Usually dead battery is a cause when you're car won't start.
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