time to change brakes?
03-21-2009, 12:20 PM
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time to change brakes?
recently when i drive my car sometimes when im at a stop my car feels like its vibrating around the wheel area. so i thought it might be the brakes, i checked the brake fluid and its about to hit the MIN area. Does that mean i have to change the brakes or could i just top off the fluid? i never worked on my brakes before so i dont know.
thanks!
thanks!
03-21-2009, 12:52 PM
#2
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Re: time to change brakes?
A vibration is not normally a symptom of needing to change the brake pads. It could be a warped rotor, or it could be an uneven deposit of brake pad material on the surface of the rotor.
The most common symptom of brake pads that need changing is that they start to squeal. This is because brake pads have a metal tab that comes into contact with the rotor when the brake pad material gets worn down and thin.
On a lot of Integras, you can see the thickness of the brake pad material at the top of the outside brake pad, without taking off the wheel, just by looking between the spokes of the wheel. If you have a friend who knows some basic car mechanics, he can show you in a couple of seconds what to look at. Bring a flashlight. It's not quite as thorough to check the thickness this way because you aren't checking the entire length of both pads, but if it's sufficiently worn at the top of the outside pad, you need to change them regardless of how the rest of the pads look. Typically, the pad material on new front brake pads is around 11 mm thick, and 9 mm thick on rears, and you need to change them when they get worn down to around 2 mm thick, which is about when they should start to squeal.
As the pads wear, the brake fluid level in the reservoir drops, because there is more room for the brake fluid in the calipers (the "pistons" can push out further, with more room as the pads get thin). So this MAY be a sign that you need to change the brake pads, rather than adding fluid. But the proper way to tell whether you need to change the brake pads is to look at them and the thickness of the pad material. Also, you have brake pads at both ends, and even if your fluid is low, you still need to check them visually to see whether you need to replace the front pads, the rear pads, or both.
Again, you really need to check your pads. You don't want to just put brake fluid into the reservoir. (If you add fluid and then your pads need changing, the new pads will push the pistons back in, and this may cause the reservoir to overflow.)
When changing pads, it's common procedure to also "turn" the rotors, which grinds them down slightly to make the surface perfectly flat. This will probably take care of the cause of the vibration.
If you're interested in working on your own car, changing brake pads is one of the easier mechanical procedures to do yourself. You can have that friend - the one with mechanical knowledge - show you how. You'll need some tools - sockets and wrenches to open up the caliper pins, either a special tool or a pipe wrench to push the pistons back in, some goop to spread on the back of the brake pads to keep them from squealing, and of course a jack and torque wrench to lift the car and remove/replace the lug nuts and wheels. Or, you can have a mechanic do it for you; your choice. (This is a very straightforward procedure that any independent mechanic can do; it does not need to be done at the dealer, although they can do it if you want.)
The most common symptom of brake pads that need changing is that they start to squeal. This is because brake pads have a metal tab that comes into contact with the rotor when the brake pad material gets worn down and thin.
On a lot of Integras, you can see the thickness of the brake pad material at the top of the outside brake pad, without taking off the wheel, just by looking between the spokes of the wheel. If you have a friend who knows some basic car mechanics, he can show you in a couple of seconds what to look at. Bring a flashlight. It's not quite as thorough to check the thickness this way because you aren't checking the entire length of both pads, but if it's sufficiently worn at the top of the outside pad, you need to change them regardless of how the rest of the pads look. Typically, the pad material on new front brake pads is around 11 mm thick, and 9 mm thick on rears, and you need to change them when they get worn down to around 2 mm thick, which is about when they should start to squeal.
As the pads wear, the brake fluid level in the reservoir drops, because there is more room for the brake fluid in the calipers (the "pistons" can push out further, with more room as the pads get thin). So this MAY be a sign that you need to change the brake pads, rather than adding fluid. But the proper way to tell whether you need to change the brake pads is to look at them and the thickness of the pad material. Also, you have brake pads at both ends, and even if your fluid is low, you still need to check them visually to see whether you need to replace the front pads, the rear pads, or both.
Again, you really need to check your pads. You don't want to just put brake fluid into the reservoir. (If you add fluid and then your pads need changing, the new pads will push the pistons back in, and this may cause the reservoir to overflow.)
When changing pads, it's common procedure to also "turn" the rotors, which grinds them down slightly to make the surface perfectly flat. This will probably take care of the cause of the vibration.
If you're interested in working on your own car, changing brake pads is one of the easier mechanical procedures to do yourself. You can have that friend - the one with mechanical knowledge - show you how. You'll need some tools - sockets and wrenches to open up the caliper pins, either a special tool or a pipe wrench to push the pistons back in, some goop to spread on the back of the brake pads to keep them from squealing, and of course a jack and torque wrench to lift the car and remove/replace the lug nuts and wheels. Or, you can have a mechanic do it for you; your choice. (This is a very straightforward procedure that any independent mechanic can do; it does not need to be done at the dealer, although they can do it if you want.)
Last edited by nsxtasy; 03-21-2009 at 01:02 PM.
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