BRAKE CARE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1938, Page 5

BRAKE CARE

PENALTIES OF NEGLECT. Keeping the braking system of the car properly adjusted at all times is a moral obligation on every motorist in these days of heavy traffic, apart from the cleafly-deflned legal requirements. It is equally important to keep an eye upon the condition of the linings and drums, even though they may appear to be functioning with absolute satisfaction. Ignorance-of this point recently involved an Australian motorist in a rather heavy repair bill. The case is a particularly good one, in showing how unnecessary expense may be incurred. In this instance, the owner of the cat, noticing the brake pedal moving down fairly close to the floorboards on full brake application, wisely decided that the brakes were due for adjustment. The car was sent to a service station for this work to be performed. When he took delivery of it again, the mechanic who did the job told him that he had had to .take the adjustments to their absolute possible limit, arid, that next time attention was necessary the brake shoes would have to fie relined. At. the same tiine hri suggested that,the condition of . the linings be checked at once, owing to the possibility of their being a little too thin for safety already. Again acting wisely, the owner agreed that this be done. When the mechanic removed the drums, he found that the linings had worn thin, so thin, indeed, that the countersunk rivets holding them to the shoes now stood a little “proud” of the linings, instead of being below their surfaces. The rivets had scored very deep grooves in the drums, practically destroying, the smooth surfaces upon which the brakes largely depend for their efficiency. Two alternatives presented themselves, either to fit new drums—an expensive procedure—or reface the drums on a lathe and fit thicker linings to compensate for the consequent slight increase in the diameter of the drums. The second method, being cheaper, was adopted. The work was done very carefully, and the parts, assembled once more. Then, however, there Was an unexpected complication. The oWner was soon back, complaining that the old smoothness of working was gone, the brakes holding and letting the drums go alternately as pressure was applied to the pedal. Consideration of this phenomenon suggested that so much metal had been turned out of the drums that they were now too thin and distorted when pressure was applied to them from the shoes. Now, the owner will keep running for some months with the brakes in this condition, because they are reasonably efficient, in spite of the peculiarity described, until the new, thick linings have worn down a little. He then will fit new drums. In the end, this brake job will have cost him about £l2, instead of approximately £3 10s. The most interesting feature was that the owner received none of the usual warnings of scraping noises from within the drums, which would have been expected, the brakes functioned quite normally while the damage was being done, and there was nothing to be heard from within the car. Probably ,if the modern sedan body had not been so well insulated against outside noises, some scraping would have been heard. When an examination finally was made, the car had covered about 19,000 miles, a good deal of it in fast, country running. This would indicate that a car running in similar conditions should be examined for indications of this trouble at about 15,000 miles. When a car is used almost solely in the city, this examination could be delayed for perhaps another 5000 miles. If a motorist took the trouble to put his head through the open window and listen while the brakes were applied at a slow speed, he would hear the noises which almost certainly would arise if the rivets were in contact with the drums. In other cases, the noises could be heard from within the car. The warning they convey should not be disregarded. The car should be yut into a service station without delay for a thorough examination. A thorough examination of all the vital parts, engine, gearbox and back axle, made at about the 20,000 miles mark and thereafter at various intervals, certainly would seem to be the part of wisdom, and possibly instrumental in saving a good deal of money.