Brake fade
- Thread starter T-roy
- Start date
sundog
Member
If the brakes are leaking they can get air in the system. Also if you don't know how to bleed the brakes they can get air in the system. If you use the wrong fluid it can make the seals mushy. If the caliper isn't square to the disk they won't work good. If the brake disk is turning blue you might think about a bigger system. The brakes should be able to lock the rear axle at any speed when they are working right. Can they reach the pedal ok? Is there an option to give the pedal more leverage over the master cly?
T-roy
Member
I cant tell but I think they are locking them up. Hard to test when other karts out there. Bad enough as it is. They looked glazed since we bought them. Used.
T-roy
Member
That's what I tried to explain to them. They don't use them except for starts and accidents
T-roy
Member
No leaks. I have been an auto mechanic my whole life, so I am not new to brakes. They do reach the pedals. No other slot for leverage at the master cyl.. I need a way to explain to them how to learn them. Instead of on or off the brakes.
Like I said earlier. Hard for them to learn them. Every practice the other kids think is a race. Hard to get info like that.
Kj26
Member
Grab a kid, have him hold the pedal down and see if you can turn the axle, I’m willing to bet it doesn’t fully stop until he’s got it fully depressed. Ours have never grabbed to the point of locking up and spinning the karts out, even on brand new karts.
Another way to see how much brake they are using is grab the rear axle and see how hot it is when they come off the track, just be careful and don’t grab close to the rotor.
Another way to see how much brake they are using is grab the rear axle and see how hot it is when they come off the track, just be careful and don’t grab close to the rotor.
Look at the caliper from above. You should be able to see the pads move as you push the pedal. Check to see if one side hits before the other. You can also use an allen key to advance the pad closer to the disc to adjust it a bit, but make sure it's the space is even on either side of the disc.
As mentioned by others, put the kid in the kart. Have them push the pedal while you try to move the tire. If you can't move the tire it's likely ok.
You might also need to adjust the pedal closer to the kid or get the kid closer to the pedal. If they have to straight leg it and still extend the ankle, it's too far.
It's tough at that age as the feedback isn't quite there yet, so sometimes you are trying to figure out if they are telling you the correct thing or not.
As mentioned by others, put the kid in the kart. Have them push the pedal while you try to move the tire. If you can't move the tire it's likely ok.
You might also need to adjust the pedal closer to the kid or get the kid closer to the pedal. If they have to straight leg it and still extend the ankle, it's too far.
It's tough at that age as the feedback isn't quite there yet, so sometimes you are trying to figure out if they are telling you the correct thing or not.
T-roy
Member
I showed them you cant turn the axle with the brakes applied. I will use a temp gun to check temp at the axle/caliper area.
T-roy
Member
I didn't realize you could advance these pads. Good point. Is there a min. and max. gap for pad to rotor? Yea feedback is a lil hard to decipher with younger drivers.
assuming your caliper is the same as mine, there is an inner and outer allen key way(one inside the other). There are two for each side, one higher and one lower. So you can also advance the pad in such a way as the trailing edge of the pad touches first.
They are set up in such a way, that if you have your caliper on a higher setting than your axle, part of your pad can miss the rotor. So there are plenty of variables in there to play with.
I learned this as my son complained of weak braking. I fought with bleeding and such only to find that the pads were well worn out.