Things You'll Need:
- Jack
- Safety stands
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Step 1
Get into your car and look down at the brake pedal. It is a lever with a rubber pad that attaches to the master cylinder under the hood. Look at the emergency brake, it too is a lever with a pad. When applied, the emergency brake holds the rear brakes on until they are released by the operator.
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Step 2
Open the hood and secure it with the prop rod. On the driver's side by the windshield area you will see the master cylinder. This component holds the brake fluid that moves the caliper pistons or wheel cylinders. Steel brake lines run out of the master cylinder. These brake lines may run to an Anti-Lock Brake System, if your car has one. They eventually are routed to each wheel along the framework.
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Step 3
Jack up the car and support it with safety stands. Looking under the car at the frame you can see the steel brake lines running to each wheel. Between the steel lines and the calipers are rubber brake hoses. The hoses allow the car body to flex on the frame without breaking the steel lines. Under the car you can also see the emergency brake cable.
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Step 4
Check the wheel area under the car for the caliper and pad assembly straddling the rotor. This is what holds and tightens the pads onto the rotor when you apply pressure to the brake pedal.
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Step 5
Look at the back brakes. Your car might have a caliper and rotor setup similar to the front system, or it might have a shoe and drum system. In this type of rear brakes, the shoes contact the drums by spreading apart to hold the drum when braking. They are semi-circular to fit inside the drum. This setup uses wheel cylinders to spread the shoes.
