I don’t know about you but the squealing or squeaking sound that comes out when I sometimes press my car brake makes me feel embarrassed. I have noticed two types of noise that comes out on my car when I apply the brake – the first one is more like a squeak and the other, like a hiss.
This hissing sound continues as long as I keep my foot lightly on the brake. It stops when I press it all the way down to bring the vehicle to a halt.
I will treat the two issues – squeaking and hissing when braking, separately. Just follow me and try not to confuse the hissing sound with the squealing or squeaking sound. They sound differently and being able to differentiate them is key to diagnosis.
Squeak/Squeal When You Press Car Brake
Using my brand of Car – Honda, as an example, all the four brakes have audible brake wear indicators.
What are the cause of Squeaking sound when you press the brake?
You start hearing a distinctive metallic “screeching” when you apply the brakes when the brake pads need replacing. If you ignore this sound and do not have the brake pads replaced on time, they will begin screeching all the time.
When I had this issue in the past and made consultations with Honda, that’s exactly what I was told. I took this information to my mechanic and the brake pads were replaced.
Honda also added that brakes may sometimes squeal or squeak when you apply them lightly and this should not be confused with the brake wear indicators. Brake wear indicator is a very audible “screeching” sound.
“Also, occasional noise can be caused by the light application of brakes for a prolonged distance before stopping, or from high relative humidity. These are normally temporary and are considered normal brake noises not requiring repair.”
Solution to squeaking of Brakes?
Have your brake pads replaced as soon as you can.
Hissing Sound when you press the car brake?
This is the most annoying to me and I have had to leave the car at home at a point to avoid the embarrassment that comes with it.
I was going to the Beach one day and I had to stop at The Palms Shopping Mall in Lekki, Lagos, to get some food items and drinks that I will eat with my friends at the Beach. The road to the mall was very busy and we had to move slowly. Since this hissing sound only comes out when you apply the brake lightly, I tried to avoid this while moving slow in the traffic but failed woefully.
I felt everyone that looked in my direction did so because of the loud embarrassing hissing noise that is coming from pressing my brake. I got to the beach and quickly took to the internet to find out what could be the cause.
Picture of Brake Booster:
I found out that the hissing type of noise from the brake pedal area when brakes are applied is a symptom of worn brake booster. The brake booster is mounted between the brake pedal and the brake master cylinder. This is the information I took to the Mechanical Technician that fixed it. Thank God I had this information beforehand because he first suggested we change brake pads, which would have amounted to waste of money and time. Worse, the problem would still be there.
What is the solution to this hissing-like sound?
Get a factory quality brake booster replacement part and fix. However, you should verify that the brake master cylinder is not leaking any brake fluid. Leaking brake fluid can work its way into the brake booster housing and cause the new brake booster to fail prematurely.
Price of Brake Booster In Nigeria:
When I changed my brake booster. I first went online to check if I would get prices from any of these e-commerce or price comparison sites. I did not get any information. I eventually settled for a fairly foreign-used (Tokunbo) brake booster. I can’t remember how much I paid for it but I plan to go to the store where I got it to ask for the current price.
Unfortunately, they don’t have a phone number that I could call. I will have to go down there.
ALSO SEE: Meaning of Numbers on Car Tyres
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