Booster Brake Adjustment - Is it possible?

[mail4ajo]

My Alto has booster brakes. It has run 6500kms till date. After I drove about 800kms continously, I noticed that the brake pedal has more travel (play) than before. When the car was new, the play was very minimal and the brake bite was very sharp. A small feel of the brakes would stop the car.

I checked with the service center and they said that I can't adjust the brakes for the pedal play. They can only tighten the handbrake to get a better brake effect. The braking is fine, but I just love the sharp bite of the brakes. Is it possible to bring it back like new??

[Mpower]

Hydraulic reservoir is supposed to compensate for wear so you shouldnt see any play..check the linkages.

as far as bite either clean the pads with sandpaper/grinder to remove dust or get different brand of pads.

[harsh87]

get brake bleeding done or get the hi performance steel braided brake hoses
these things surely work they wont allow any loss of pressure through the steel lines to the caliper

[drpullockaran]

In addition to the oil reservoir playing a role in the auto calibration of the pedal travel there happens to be a ratchet mechanism available for the rear wheels which is so for the PALIO and the Junkindica so it could hold true for the ALTO as well. Please do not I repeat do not allow the mechanic to tighten your handbrake assembly to bring back the bite. You will end up burning rubber(miniscule) and brake pads. You will also see a marked deterioration in pick up and fuel efficiency. As Mpower suggested a different set of pads depending on which seems more glazed(front or back) should do the trick. Do remember the disc brake pads in the front do 80 percent of your braking so give them a looksee before you delve into other aspects. Bye and wear your seat belts.

[jyobeb]

If you remove the master cylinder (MC) from the booster you will find a small finger like shaft that actuates the MC. This has a tip which is adjustable (usually). You will need to hold the shaft with a lock plier and loosen the tip. This is usually done on booster that have seen quite a bit of use!!! Remember that the adjustments will have to be made quarter turn at a time or you'll end up with stuck brakes. Anyway this adjustment is usually not recommended. Most people just replace the booster.

[mail4ajo]

Of late, after a long drive, I see black marks on my front wheels, which I presume is from the brake pads. Is this a fault or normal?

But, what I cant understand is isn't it too early for a change in the pads and the booster itself?? Does the pads wear out so fast?

[rahul_intlad]

IS this [Brake booster] what people mean when they have stickers like:

Caution Power Brakes.

Or else what are these Power Brakes


Ps:
Are these articles of any help[taken from google,have absolutely no knowledge about the topic]

Troubleshooting The Brake System

Troubleshooting Power Brakes

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Of late, after a long drive, I see black marks on my front wheels, which I presume is from the brake pads. Is this a fault or normal?

Yes that is normal it is brake dust from the brake pads which gets accumulated on the wheels. No need to worry about it.

Originally Posted by rahul_intlad

IS this [Brake booster] what people mean when they have stickers like:

Caution Power Brakes.

Or else what are these Power Brakes

AFAIK they are usually used on vehicles with Air Brakes like trucks not sure though. Brake boosters though are an integral part of all modern car's braking system and are present in all cars nowadays.

[rahul_intlad]

Ishan offlately in pune a number of cars[alto,maruti 800,qualis etc] are sporting this sticker[Caution Power Brakes] .

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by rahul_intlad

Ishan offlately in pune a number of cars[alto,maruti 800,qualis etc] are sporting this sticker[Caution Power Brakes] .

Well Rahul let me put it you this way - The car most often seen with this sticker is the Amby & you & I both know about the Amby's braking abilities now don't we??

[rr_zen]

Rahul, if you want to experience the difference between an ordinary brake and a booster brake, try driving a Maruti 800 manufactured say in 1995 or 1996 and then drive a new one. You can locate the booster under the bonnet close to the area where you find the brake fluid reservoir and it is usually circular in shape and black in colour.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Rahul, if you want to experience the difference between an ordinary brake and a booster brake, try driving a Maruti 800 manufactured say in 1995 or 1996 and then drive a new one. You can locate the booster under the bonnet close to the area where you find the brake fluid reservoir and it is usually circular in shape and black in colour.

Except for the 5 speed maruti 800 and to be more specific the 5 speed 800 DX model.No other 800s have brake booster.Even the current lot 800 dont have a brake booster.800 is the only car being manufactured in india which does not have a brake booster

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Of late, after a long drive, I see black marks on my front wheels, which I presume is from the brake pads. Is this a fault or normal?

But, what I cant understand is isn't it too early for a change in the pads and the booster itself?? Does the pads wear out so fast?

Mail4ajo,

On one of my first trips to america i was greatly puzzled by the fact that all the cars i would see had dirty front wheels and clean rear wheels , then i realised that since they do not have watchmen and others who wash their cars every morning, the brakedust just accumulates (and there is more of it on the front wheels, since they do more of the braking + sometimes the rear is drums).

As for your spongy brake pedal, the first thing you should do is get your entire braking system bled, and filled with some new brakefluid.

Try that out and see if it makes a difference.
cya
R

[saildrive]

Hi Guys

My Indica Xeta is about 6200 kms (5 month old) driven now and every time I apply brakes there is a sound that comes. Like the one we hear in movies..... crank' crank' dont know if its a normal phenomenon but feels as if I am driving a car which is over 2 years old. Got my servicing done about a fortnight ago, though.

Also in the mornings the car does not start up at the first instance, need to turn the key atleast 3 times post which it runs. Is this because of the winters here in Mumbai?

Havent done teflone / polishing or anti rust of the body, should I wait till monsoons that is about May June or should I get it done right away. Have read the thread on wax polishing, so is pre monsoon a better time to get it done.

Hope to hear from you guys soon!

[vezj420]

Let me summarize a few points:

a) Brake noise (front): Get your pads and rotors checked. Most of the time, changing the pads will help get rid of the noise and improve brake feel. However, check your rotors also to ensure that they are smooth and even. If not, replace rotors too.

b) Brake noise (back): Sadly, I'm facing this problem now , although it's not very pronounced since back drums are almost never solely used (no I don't do any handbrake turns either!). However, I'm thinking a cleaning of the drums and possibly a change of shoes should help.

c) Brake feel/bite: Okay, there's several things one can do to improve braking performance, but the small/maintenance work could include:

Bleeding and replacing brake fluid. Brake fluid can also be 'upgraded' to a higher DOT rate/equivalent, although this shouldn't be necessary for your daily driver cars!

I see someone's already mentioned getting steel-braided brake lines. This is actually a big contributor to brake feel.