A technician can spot the early warning signs of a failing caliper - corrosion, dirt buildup, leak, reluctant guide pins, and more - before they become a major issue. The best way to detect a faulty brake caliper is to have your brake system inspected regularly. How can you tell? A bad caliper might present itself in the following ways.ĭuring an inspection. Where your brake pads are designed to wear out with use (your rotors too, to some degree), a caliper is not considered a wear item, one that needs regular replacement. What are the signs that a caliper has gone bad?įortunately, your brake calipers are designed to last. In each case, friction is created and the kinetic energy of a body-in-motion is converted to thermal energy to slow you down and bring you to a stop. When you grab the brake lever, a cable actuates a caliper to squeeze a pair of rubber brake pads against the sides of your bike wheel. Those pads are suspended in a hydraulic clamping mechanism - the caliper.Įvery time you step on the brakes, the calipers squeeze the brake pads against the rotors in the same way someone in a wheelchair might grab the wheels to slow down. Sandwiched around each rotor is a pair of brake pads. As your wheels roll down the road, the rotors spin with them. Attached to each wheel is a heavy metal disc called a brake rotor. When you press on the brake pedal, force is exerted through fluid inside a network of hoses and tubes to the wheels. That system relies on hydraulic pressure to operate. A caliper is a component of a disc brake system - the most common on today’s passenger vehicle. Here are the signs of a bad brake caliper.įirst, let’s take a look at your brake system and understand what a caliper does. Damage will likely be the result.īut that does not need to happen to your car. The symptoms will escalate and the problem will become more evident. Just as with a rotten egg, if you ignore the signs of a bad brake caliper, they will become far less subtle. When your brakes are wearing out, they will send you signs. The same can be said of your brake calipers. Of course, if you ignore the signs of a rotten egg, your nose will figure it out as soon as you crack it open. But if the egg floats on the surface of the water, leave it alone. If it sinks to the bottom and stands up, it is less-fresh but can still be eaten.
If the egg falls over in the bottom of the glass, it is still fresh. They say you can tell an egg has gone bad by submerging it in a glass of water.
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