Brake Boosters and Effortless Stopping

Anthony Fontanelle
January 4, 2008

As its name implies, the brake booster makes it possible for a driver's light step on the brake pedal to have a considerable impact on stopping a vehicle. In the past, however, things were not this easy. A driver really had to step hard on the brake pedal just to make sure that his car would halt before it collided with other vehicles. With the invention of this brake enhancing device, the modern braking system truly made a major turn toward greater efficiency.

Strategically located between the master cylinder and the firewall of one’s vehicle, the brake booster magnifies the force of the driver's light step on the brake pedal by making use of a vacuum that is generated by the engine. This vacuum is taken from the engine by means of a rubber hose that runs in the intake manifold. Upon having access to the engine vacuum, the brake booster adds pressure to the master cylinder and, hence, amplifies the light pressure a driver exerts on the brake pedal. With this brake power augmenting mechanism, halting and driving in general is made a lot simpler.

As it is constantly in use from the moment a vehicle is started, the brake booster will also age after some time. Its rubber seals as well as its diaphragms that deal with the vacuum are inclined to cracking and eventually losing an efficient brake boosting capacity. A certain level of force applied to the brake pedal working with a worn out brake booster will not be amplified as expected. When this happens, a booster has probably lost its usual capacity to hold the vacuum. With this kind of poor braking system, a driver has to step extra hard on the brake pedals every time there is a need to stop the vehicle. Not only does that require unnecessary effort; it also increases the risk of accidental collisions. To avoid enduring the hassle of hard stepping or maybe even vehicle repair, it is best to replace the brake booster as soon as it finally gives up.

Source:  Amazines.com