You can tell alot about your braking system by how your pedal feels. When you have a soft Brake Pedal you know that something isn’t right.
Usually if your brake pedal feels softer than it should there is one of two issues happening. We find that the most common issue is that the Brake Master Cylinder has failed. When the seal inside of your master cylinder fail it allows brake pressure to leak past the main plunger. This allows the brake pedal to push all the way to the floor. A brake master cylinder works kind of like a syringe. It has main plunger in the center that when you depress the brake pedal it pushed the Brake Fluid through hoses and lines to stop the car.
The next most common reason for a soft brake pedal is that you could have air in your brake system. This is a closed system that should only ever have brake fluid in it. A leak anywhere in the brake system can cause air to enter into the system. When this happens your brake pedal feels mushy. There is no solid stop. Below is a picture of the brake hose going to a caliper. This is one of the most common areas for a Brake Fluid leak.
There are a few other reasons that your brake pedal can be soft as well. Anti-Lock Brake Modules can go bad and allow pressure to bleed off where it shouldn’t, or the brakes may be incorrectly adjusted.
In any case, if your brake pedal feels soft, your braking system is not working as it should. It is important to have your Brakes checked by an Automotive Professional as soon as possible. Poor braking can not only be frustrating it can be dangerous. Our brakes are the most important safety system on our vehicle without them we would be in a lot of trouble.
Call Priebe’s Auto Clinic and Tire Center today at 405-523-2172 or visit our website at pacokc.com. We can make sure you have confidence in your braking system today.
