Arguably the key component of your car’s brake system, the brake caliper operates
just like a small hydraulic clamp designed to grip the brake rotor and bring your
car to a halt. If you’ve ever seen or worked on a brake caliper, you know what
we’re talking about. The brake caliper is a U-shaped device with a piston or
pistons on one or both sides of the U. The brake pads ride on top of the brake
caliper pistons, and the rotor spins in the channel of the U. When you hit the
brakes, high-pressure fluid is channeled from the master cylinder down to the
brake caliper where it pushes the piston or pistons inward. That brake caliper
action moves the pads against the spinning brake rotor, and the friction stops
your vehicle. Since the brake caliper is affixed to your vehicle frame and the
rotor is spinning and hundreds of RPM, it’s easy to imagine the massive forces
that the brake caliper has to absorb.
Much of the heat energy is dissipated
by the rotor and pads (which is why they’re replaced the most), but the
pulling and twisting forces the brake caliper has to endure require that it
be extremely strong. More than anything else, though, it’s the hydraulic brake
fluid that leads to the demise of a brake caliper. If it’s not changed often enough,
moisture in the fluid will begin to rust out the inside of your brake caliper,
resulting in leaks and sticking pistons. Eventually the brake caliper will
cease to function altogether, significantly diminishing your car’s stopping ability.
The problem is, you may not even realize when you have a bad brake caliper
if you’re not paying attention to how your car drives. So make sure you’re
attuned to any pulling, squealing, or leaks that may come from a bad brake caliper.
If and when you find a problem, replace the brake caliper immediately with
a high-quality new or remanufactured brake caliper. |
