Observe "Safety First" with a High - Quality Wheel Cylinder

Anthony Fontanelle
January 21, 2008

While a car is essentially designed for movement, there will come a time when it will need to stop. In fact, moving is as important as stopping for a car and the gas pedal is as important as the break pedal. The car’s braking system is a vital safety feature of any vehicle. While there is only one gas pedal and one clutch pedal (for manual transmission vehicles), there are always two breaking mechanisms – the break pedal and the hand break.

A car’s braking system is an intricate network of machinery that functions as a safety measure. The car’s braking system is composed of either disk breaks which are located in the front end of the vehicle or drum breaks which are found in the rear but are connected to the wheels with tubes and hoses. Disk breaks are self – cleaning and self adjusting. They require a separate mechanism for the parking break. Drum breaks on the other hand, are more cost-effective because the parking brake system is already integrated into the drum break. The braking system is connected to the wheels of a car through the wheel cylinder, which is a device found inside the drum break assembly. The wheel cylinder is composed of movable pistons that communicate an automatic stopping “message” to the break shoes inside a wheel. When the driver steps on the breaks, the pistons from the wheel cylinder move the brake shoes towards the pads of the drum brake. This stops the car wheels from moving. The wheel cylinder pistons have a seal which prevents break fluid from leaking past the piston. A dust boot is fitted at the other end of the piston chamber to prevent normal dust, moisture and brake dust from entering the cylinder chamber.

Wheel cylinders are subject to as much wear and tear as any other part of the vehicle. After some time, moisture from the brake fluid may cause corrosion within the cylinder chamber. When corrosion within the cylinder chamber happens, there is also a chance that the piston will get stuck inside the chamber and thus, end up unable to do its job. Also, the seal attached to the wheel cylinder pistons may leak and cause brake fluid to spill outside of the cylinder chamber. Having a faulty wheel cylinder is not good for the brakes. It is suggested that wheel cylinders be replaced when the brake pads are also replaced. Wheel cylinders are inexpensive and come in a variety of styles and sizes. Standard wheel cylinders will work ideally well with a considerable number of brakes but premium wheel cylinders come in a metal material of a better quality, has a smoother bore finish and uses more secure seal materials.

Source:  Amazines.com