Automobile Lab Experiment No.

Experiment: - Repair of brakes (hydraulic brakes) a) b) c) d) Adjusting the brakes. Overhauling of brakes. Bleeding of brakes. Testing of brakes

Objective: - After doing the above experiment, students will be able to a) Acquire the knowledge of adjusting the brakes b) Will be in a position to open the entire brake system, identify the defective parts and replace them. c) Will be in a position to assemble all parts of the system. d) Will be in a position of knowing the process of bleeding and also in a position to do the same. e) Will be in a position to test the effectiveness of brakes. ADJUSTMENT OF BRAKES:-

When pedal is pressed to apply brake, there should be at least 1/2 inch free pedal movement before breaking action starts. This may vary from company to company. The brakes are adjusted as per the above mentioned recommendation before they are ready to use. This is done by following a definite procedure. a) List the wheels by screw jack. b) Loosen the lock nut for the forward brake shoe and keep it in this position. c) Turn the eccentric with other wrench towards the front of automobile till the brake shoe touches the drum.

d) Release the eccentric while turning the wheel with one hand, till wheel turns freely. e) Hold the eccentric in this position and tighter the lock nut. f) Repeat the same operation to adjust other shoe, but turn the eccentric in the backward direction of the vehicle. g) Above procedure is repeated for all the four wheels. Power Brake Booster The power brake booster is mounted on the firewall directly behind the master cylinder and, along with the master cylinder, is directly connected with the brake pedal. Its purpose is to amplify the available foot pressure applied to the brake pedal so that the amount of foot pressure required to stop even the largest vehicle is minimal. Power for the booster comes from engine vacuum. The automobile engine produces vacuum as a by-product of normal operation and is freely available for use in powering accessories such as the power brake booster. Vacuum enters the booster through a check valve on the booster. The check valve is connected to the engine with a rubber hose and acts as a one-way valve that allows vacuum to enter the booster but does not let it escape. The booster is an empty shell that is divided into two chambers by a rubber diaphragm. There is a valve in the diaphragm that remains open while your foot is off the brake pedal so that vacuum is allowed to fill both chambers. When you step on the brake pedal, the valve in the diaphragm closes, separating the two chambers and another valve opens to allow air in the chamber on the brake pedal side. This is what provides the power assist. Power boosters are very reliable and cause few problems of their own; however, other things can contribute to a loss of power assist. In order to have power assist, the engine must be running. If the engine stalls or shuts off while you are driving, you will have a small reserve of power assist for two or three pedal applications but, after that, the brakes will be extremely hard to apply and you must put as much pressure as you can to bring the vehicle to a stop. OVERHAULING OF THE BRAKES:It requires:-

1. Dismantling of breaks- i.e. removal of tyres, brake drum, removal of wheel cylinder, brake shoes & master cylinder. 2. Checking of all the above components. 3. Removal of faulty parts and replacement by new parts. 4. Fixing of new brake lining on the brake shoes after removal of the old one. 5. Replacement of piston and diaphragms in all wheel cylinders. These parts are available in the name of wheel cylinder kit. 6. Replacement of piston and diaphragms in master cylinder. 7. To assemble all the parts, fixing of the wheel drum and fitment of the tyre. 8. To carry out bleeding of the brakes to remove any air bubbles present in the pipeline. 9. To carry out the adjustment of the brakes and brake paddle. The brake paddle should have a free play of half inch. 10.Testing of brakes, if on testing any defect is noticed, then to rectify the same.

Testing Of Brake:1. After minor adjustment of brakes or brakes overhauling, the brakes are tested on roads. The vehicles brakes are applied on dry road at moderate speed and then checked for the following :a) Effective braking distance the vehicle should stop within a reasonable distance of about 1 foot. b) Pulling of brake on one side when brakes are applied vechiles should not be put on one side. If it is so, the readjustment of the brake is to be done. c) Dragging of brakes. d) Brake paddle hardness brake paddle should be soft enough to press it. If it is hard, the brake linkages are to be checked. e) Chattering of brakes when brakes are applied, the brake should not chatter. If ant noise is noticed then brakes are applied, then there is something loose in the drum.

If everything is OK the brakes are OK. If any further defect are noticed then the same should be rectified and the vehicle is retested for a effective braking.

BLEEDING OF BRAKES:-

When air enters, into the brake system and any brake line is disconnected, bleeding of brakes has to be done. Since air is compressible so any presence of air inside brake lining does not allow to transmit brake force to apply brakes. Therefore, the system must be free from presence of air. Bleeding is the process of removal of air from the braking system.

Bleeding Procedure:-

Following steps are followed for bleeding of brakes :

(a) Remove all dirt from the master cylinder filler plug. Then fill the master cylinder upto lower edge of the filler neck by removing the filler plug. (b) Clean all the bleeding connections provided on all wheel cylinders. (c) After this bleeder hose and fixture is connected to that wheel cylinder which has longest brake line. The other rend of bleeder hose is placed in a glass jar, and submerge this end in the brake fluid. (d) How bleeder valve is opened by half to three quarter turn. (e) Then press the foot pedal and allow it to return back slowly. (f) This pumping action must be continued till all the air along with some brake fluid comes out through bleeding hose. (g) After this bleeding operation is carried out on all wheel cylinders. This completes the bleeding operation. At the end master cylinder is filled with brake fluid to required level.

Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) The most efficient braking pressure takes place just before each wheel locks up. When you slam on the brakes in a panic stop and the wheels lock up, causing a screeching sound and leaving strips of rubber on the pavement, you do not stop the vehicle nearly as short as it is capable of stopping. Also, while the wheels are locked up, you loose all steering control so that, if you have an opportunity to steer around the obstacle, you will not be able to do so. Another problem occurs during an extended skid is that you will burn a patch of rubber off the tire, which causes a

"flat spot" on the tread that will produce an annoying thumping sound as you drive. Anti-lock brake systems solve this lockup problem by rapidly pumping the brakes whenever the system detects a wheel that is locked up. In most cases, only the wheel that is locked will be pumped, while full braking pressure stays available to the other wheels. This effect allows you to stop in the shortest amount of time while maintaining full steering control even if one or more wheels are on ice. The system uses a computer to monitor the speed of each wheel. When it detects that one or more wheels have stopped or are turning much slower than the remaining wheels, the computer sends a signal to momentarily remove and reapply or pulse the pressure to the affected wheels to allow them to continue turning. This "pumping" of the brakes occurs at ten or more times a second, far faster then a human can pump the brakes manually. If you step on the brakes hard enough to engage the anti-lock system, you may feel a strong vibration in the brake pedal. This is a normal condition and indicates that the system is working, however, it can be disconcerting to some people who don't expect it. If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, read your owner's manual to find out more about it. The system consists of an electronic control unit, a hydraulic actuator, and wheel speed sensors at each wheel. If the control unit detects a malfunction in the system, it will illuminate an ABS warning light on the dash to let you know that there is a problem. If there is a problem, the anti-lock system will not function but the brakes will otherwise function normally.