BRAKE NOISES

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 21 May 1932, Page 12

BRAKE NOISES

ELIMINATION OF SQUEAKS

IRRITANT SIMPLY REMEDIED

Squeaking brakes can be cured in the following way: Drill a small hole—about 3-16th of an inch in diameter — in the brakedrum, as near to the inside shoe as possible. Inject a small quantity of kerosene through the hole from time to time. This makes iittle difference to the efficiency of the brakes and cures with a little trouble a very irritating noise. The kerosene can be applied to external contracting brake bands, without making any Sjpeeial provision. Another simple remedy not generallyknown by the majority of. motorists: Mix a little powdered graphite with petrol and put • a small quantity- on the brake linings. After a while the squeak will vanish. There .will be no loss of braking power, and in many cases the brakes will become slightly more efficient.

In most cases the screeching of the brakes when slowing down the car is due to the oil or grease, or road particles picked utp by the brake-lining during the first thousand miles of operation. 'These foreign substances give the s’/rface of the brake-lining a glaze or a hard scale, causing the brake to be noisy-. It also results m uneven application, -i-a move the wheels everyth o or th.ee months and clean the lining. The glazed spots can be roughened by rubbing the surface with a half-round rasp. All brake troubles, including squeaking, will be avoided if the braue arums are regularly- inspected

Another way of overcoming this annoyance is to take off all brake shoes and thoroughly- Ciean them with petrol, afterwards scraping the working surfaces of the linings lightly with a sharp knife or a piece of glass to remove the glaze. Make certain that all rivet heads are counter-sunk below the surface of the fabric. Then heat shoes to near the boiling point of water and apply- a dressing of carron oil to the surface of the linings. When this has soaked in apply a second dressing, keeping the shoes heated while it is bemg absorbed. When the shoes are refitted and the brakes applied the squeak will have disappeared.