What to do if the pads are frozen

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Proven ways to get your car moving and avoid damaging it.

Why are the pads blocked?

Because water gets into the brake drums and freezes between the body and the pads.

Most often this happens in the off-season, when there is slush on the roads during the day, and there are frosts at night. For the pads to lock tightly, just drive through the puddles and put the car on the handbrake. However, sometimes there is enough raw air, due to which condensation forms in the drum.

The pads will almost certainly freeze even if you use the parking brake in the cold immediately after washing.

What to do if the pads are frozen on a car with drum brakes

Do not under any circumstances try to get under way to free the frozen pads. There is more than enough engine power for this, but you run the risk of tearing the pad pads or damaging the transmission. Better use one of the proven methods.

1. Kick the wheels and rock the car

Sometimes even such trivial advice can work. If there is little ice inside the drums, it will easily come off after a few hits on the rear wheels.

Evidence that everything worked out will be the crunch of cracked ice.

A similar effect can be achieved by shaking the car well from side to side.

2. Tap drums with a hammer

This method works flawlessly. Ice is also destroyed by blows, but not on the wheel, but on the body of the brake drum and not with a foot, but with a hammer or other heavy object.

On a machine with alloy wheels, drums can be tapped through the gaps between the spokes. If the disks are stamped, then most likely you cannot do without removing the wheels. But first you can try tapping the mounting bolts.

You should not hit very hard and preferably not directly, but through some kind of gasket like a piece of wood or a balloon wrench, so as not to damage the body.

In most cases, 3-4 confident strokes around the perimeter of the drum are enough. As soon as the pads come loose, you will immediately understand this by the characteristic sound of crumbling ice.

It only remains to repeat the procedure for the second wheel.

3. Warm up the drums with water

In principle, this option is no worse than the previous one. It comes in handy when there are no tools at hand, but there is warm water. Plus, you don't have to remove the wheels.

It is better not to use boiling water so that the hulls do not crack due to the temperature drop. Take hot or even warm water and pour a little over the discs so that it falls on the brake drum. The kettle is usually more than enough for both wheels, although it all depends on the situation.

After defrosting, immediately get under way, otherwise the pads may freeze again.

4. Heat the drums with air

If you have a sufficient hose at hand, you can warm up the pads using the heat from the exhaust gases.

To do this, put on or insert one end of the hose into the muffler, and direct the other into the holes of the discs so that the exhaust gases fall on the drum body. Slightly increase the engine speed to speed up the process, and when you hear the characteristic click of the released pads, repeat the procedure for the second wheel.

Any other heat source other than open flames can be used in place of gases. For example, a building hair dryer or an infrared heater.

What to do if the pads are frozen on a car with disc brakes

On cars with disc brakes on the rear wheels, the pads rarely freeze. At the same time, getting to them is much easier. But you still need to act carefully.

1. Defrost the pads with an anti-freeze

This is the most obvious and easy way. Relatively free access allows you to water the pads with winter washer, a supply of which is in the trunk of every driver. Thanks to the alcohol in the composition, it will melt the ice in just a couple of minutes and release the pads.

Instead of antifreeze, you can use a lock defroster and another alcohol-based product.

Keep in mind that when the alcohol evaporates, there will likely be an oil film left on the pads. Therefore, at first, the effectiveness of the brakes will be lower.

What to do next

Whichever method you use, after unlocking the pads must be dried. To do this, it is enough to drive 100-200 meters with the handbrake tightened for a couple of clicks. The drum will heat up and any moisture trapped in it will evaporate.

How to prevent pads from freezing

1. If possible, do not use the parking brake in cold, damp weather. Instead, leave the car in first or reverse gear, and if the car is equipped with an automatic transmission, in the Parking (P) position.
2. After washing and driving through puddles, always dry the brakes by driving 100-200 meters with the handbrake slightly tightened.
3. Try to park in such a way that you have to drive in reverse. This will increase the chances of ripping frozen pads out of place.