What to do if the brake pads are frozen? How to defrost?

Winter time and frosts bring many surprises to drivers. One of them is frozen pads. If this happened to you and you try to start the car and drive it, then it will not work for you, because you can very easily damage the transmission, the brake system, the pads themselves, as well as the brake and rims. The question arises - how to solve the problem of frozen pads, and what to do so that this problem does not recur in the future.

If you left the car overnight in the cold, and in the morning you find that the parking brake handle does not work - there is no load on it - and the car starts off with difficulty, or does not start at all, then your brake pads are frozen. If you continue to try to move away, increasing speed, the consequences can be very sad for the brake system, hub, rims and transmission.

Each driver offers his own ways to defrost brake pads. Which of them are the most effective?

The simplest one that comes to mind is pour the pads with hot water from the kettle. If the frost is not severe outside, then hot water will certainly help, and then, when you are already moving, you will need to press the brake several times to dry the brake disc and pads. In severe frost, the effectiveness of this method can be questioned, because at temperatures of -25 -30, boiling water almost immediately cools and turns into ice, and you will only exacerbate the problem.

In addition, in no case should boiling water be poured - contact with it in the cold can lead to deformation of the brake disc and pads.

A much more efficient way is to use non-freezing liquids, for example lock defrost liquid, a special product is also sold in cans for cleaning the pads, it must be sprayed into the hole in the drum or into the gap between the pad and the disc. You will have to wait 10-20 minutes until the liquid begins to act and melt the ice. To make the defrost faster, you can put the car in gear and shake it a little or try to push it forward a little.

Experienced drivers can simply tap a disc or drum with a hammer and a wooden plank, and then shift gears from first to neutral and reverse and push the car back and forth. As a result, the ice in the gap between the pad and the disc collapses and spills out, and its remains will completely melt when you start and dry the brakes.

Heating devices help very well - a building or ordinary hair dryer. Hot air melts ice quickly. If there is no electrical outlet nearby, then you can simply put a hose on the exhaust pipe and direct the exhaust stream to the wheels - it should help.

Causes of freezing brake pads

Brake pads freeze due to the fact that moisture accumulates in the gap between them and the brake disc, condensate settles and freezes. This happens for various reasons. The most basic is an incorrectly adjusted gap, it is too small and even a small amount of moisture is enough to freeze.

Riding through puddles and snow also affects. When you brake or if the gap is not properly adjusted, the discs get very hot. When you stop moving, steam and condensate settle and ice forms.

To prevent the pads from freezing, experts recommend following simple tips:

• dry the pads before stopping - apply the brake while driving;
• do not use the handbrake in cold weather on a car with a manual gearbox and automatic transmission, put it in first or reverse gear on a manual gearbox, Parking on an automatic gearbox, use the handbrake only if the car is on a slope;
• adjust the position of the pads, check the condition of the parking brake cable and its casing, if damage is noticeable, then it is better to replace the cable or generously lubricate it with gear oil, otherwise the problem of a frozen parking brake may also appear.

And of course, the best solution to this problem is to find a garage, a heated parking lot. At temperatures above zero, and even better - above +10 - you will not be afraid of any problems with frozen brakes.

Loading…