Some people might think that brake pads and break fluid are unrelated, but in fact they’re actually closely related. Brake pads sit on the rotors of your car’s brake system and work to stop the cars from moving. When you hit a bump in the road, the pads compress the brake fluid in the lines leading to the brakes, which causes them to heat up and create friction against the rotors.
What is Break Fluid?
Break fluid is a fluid that is used to break the bond between the brake pads and the rotors.
The brake pads must be in good contact with the rotor in order to stop the car. If there is too much space between the pads and rotor, then the brake system will not be able to stop the car quickly.
When breaking, the brake fluid should be squirted directly onto the brake pads as soon as possible after applying pressure to the pedal. This will help to move the brake pads closer to the rotor and create a better braking connection.
How is Break Fluid Flushed From a Brake Pad?
When brake pads wear down, the material that makes up the pad wears away. This leaves a space between the pad and rotor. Over time, this space can become large enough for brake fluid to seep through and get to the rotor. When this happens, your brakes will stop working properly. To fix this, you need to flush the brake fluid out of the system and replace the worn-down pads.
To flush the brake fluid out of the system, you need to remove the brake caliper. On most cars, this is done by removing two bolts that hold it onto the car. Once it’s removed, you can use a wrench to twist the caliper off of the rotor.
Next, you’ll need to remove the brake lines from the caliper. These are usually hose connectors that have clips on each end. Once they’re free, you can disconnect them from each other and from the caliper.
Now you can use a funnel to fill up a container with brake fluid. You’ll also need a rag or a piece of paper to catch any drips.
Next, you’ll need to reattach the lines to the caliper and connect them to the reservoir
Side Effects of Break Fluid Flushing
There are numerous potential side effects of flushing brake pads with break fluid. The most common are dust and debris accumulation in the brake system, which can lead to decreased braking performance. Other potential side effects include corrosion of the brake lines, caliper pistons and ABS modules. If your vehicle is not equipped with ABS, flush your brake pads with break fluid every 50,000 miles or every two years, whichever comes first.
Conclusion
There has been a lot of talk recently about break fluid being flushed with brake pads. Some people swear by it and say that doing so will prevent the pads from wearing down prematurely and give you a longer service life. Others believe that brake pads should be left to wear down naturally and that break fluid is only an unnecessary complication in the equation. So, what’s the verdict on this topic? Should brake pad break fluid be flushed regularly or not at all?