Feel, Hear, See, Smell: Feel Part 1

• Tires Wobble While Driving:
  As you drive you feel the steering wheel wobble in your hands. The wobble may or may not get worse as you speed up.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. Tires need balancing: Balance tires.

  2. Tires are worn: Replace tires.

  3. The wheel is bent or damaged: Replace wheels.

  4. The wheel lug nuts are loose: Tighten wheel lug nuts to specification.

  5. There are worn or damaged steering parts: Inspect front end and replace worn parts.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• One Or More Brakes Lock Up:
  When you step on the brakes, your car pulls very to one side or the other very hard, and one or more wheels skid easily. It seems as though the brakes on one side are working fine and the others are not working as well. The pulling is only felt during braking. This problem can occur very suddenly.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. Your brake pads and/or shoes have grease on them and need to be replaced: Replace the brake pads/shoes as required.

  2. The brake pads or shoes are loose from their mounting and need to be replaced.

  3. You have a bad brake caliper or wheel cylinder: Replace or rebuild both front calipers. Replace or rebuild both rear wheel cylinders.

  4. Your front wheel bearings are dangerously out of adjustment: Replace bad wheel bearings. Repack and retighten loose wheel bearings.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Wheel Shimmy:
  You notice a side-to-side wobble in the steering wheel when traveling at steady speeds. The vibration gets worse when you are on an uneven road surface or after going over a pothole.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. Your tires and wheels are out of balance: Balance wheel and tire Assemblies.

  2. Your tires don't have the correct pressure: Check and adjust tire pressures to specification.

  3. Your tires are worn: Replace tires.

  4. A part of the steering linkage is loose or damaged and needs to be replaced: Repair or replace steering linkage parts as required.

  5. You have worn suspension pieces: Repair or replace suspension parts as required.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Brake Pedal Goes To The Floor When It Is Depressed:
  When you step on the brake the pedal goes to the floor easily. The brakes may not work or needs a much larger stopping distance. Needless to say this must be repaired as quickly as possible. This may or may not occur suddenly.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. There is very little or no brake fluid: Fill with proper type brake fluid.

  2. The master cylinder is bad: Replace brake master cylinder.

  3. There is air trapped in the brake system: Bleed brake hydraulic system.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• The Brakes Hardly Stop The Car Or Won't Hold It At A Stop:
  When the brakes are applied the car barely stops. When at a stop you need to apply a lot of pressure to keep the car stopped.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. There is very little or no brake fluid: Check the master cylinder fluid level and fill to the marked level.

  2. The master cylinder is bad: Replace master cylinder.

  3. There is air trapped in the brake system: Bleed brake hydraulic system.

  4. The brake pads and/or shoes are worn or wet: Replace the brake pads/shoes as required.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Brake Pedal Is Very Hard To Push Down:
  The brake pedal requires a lot of force to apply. The pedal is extremely hard and you almost need to use both feet to stop the car. The problem will most likely occur without warning.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. Bad power brake booster: Replace power brake booster.

  2. No vacuum to power brake booster: Inspect and replace vacuum line as required.

  3. Brake line is pinched: Replace brake line.

  4. Kid's toy is stuck under the brake pedal: Remove anything that's under the brake pedal. Insure floor mats are not interfering with pedal movement.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Braking Pedal Fades:
  The brake pedal stops fine, but slowly drifts down to the floor. This may or may not be constant and gets worse the more the brakes are used, such as in heavy, stop and go traffic.

  Possible causes:
  

  1. The brake pads/shoes are the wrong type or of poor quality: Replace brake pads/shoes with the proper type and quality.

  2. Brakes are overheating due to dragging: Have the brakes serviced to free any sticking or worn components.

  3. Brakes are overheating due to restricted airflow: Remove any obstructions such as brake dust shields or incorrect wheel types.

  4. Brake fluid is contaminated with water, or has the wrong type of brake fluid: Replace the brake fluid with the fresh fluid of the proper type.

   Copyright © 2000 - 2003 Vincent T. Ciulla All Rights Reserved