Brakes and Tires

A Catherine Wheel is a Firework that sits on a stick and spins around and around and produces colors.

Catherine Wheels are very popular in Great Britain. In other nations, it is sometimes better known as a pinwheel. The basic design of a Catherine wheel includes a hub on which to rotate, with explosives mounted to it. When ignited, the hub spins, throwing sparks and flame from the firework. Readers of the Harry Potter novels may be familiar with the Catherine wheel, as one runs rampant, an apparently not uncommon problem, during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The firework is named, oddly enough, for a Christian martyr. Catherine of Alexandria lived during the fourth century CE, and was by all accounts an uncommonly well educated woman. In addition to being well read, she participated in debates with leading members of society, and successfully converted many highly placed individuals to Christianity. As a result, she was condemned to "breaking on the wheel," a death which involved having one's limbs broken and threaded through an abundantly spiked wheel. The victim would succumb to his or her injuries, but only after several days. However, when Catherine touched the wheel, it broke, and she was beheaded instead.

Gunk build up inside the brake lines, gunk get stuck right where the line has a bolt on clamp,fluid pressure will only go to the clamp on the hose to the brake caliber but not back to the master cylinder.Two ways to check :have someone press the brake pedel,take off master cylinder cover and have them release the pedal look at the fluid return into the reservoir,it should fill fast,if it's slow most likely the line,if no flow at all it's the caliber. Or jack the front wheels up press the brake petal when release spin the wheels if its hard to spin it's the lines,if no spin it's the caliber.Please note if your car is front wheeldrive take it out of gear regardless of make and model use Wheel Chokes and emergency brakes when checking and repairing!Do not bleed the brakes flushing is alot better.

Contaminated brake shoes or pads or an ABS (Anti Lock Brake) sensor, could cause one of the wheels to lock while braking.

If by "lock," you mean the wheel suddenly stops turning, there can be several causes:

In general, static friction is greater than dynamic friction. (Static means not moving and dynamic means moving) An example of that would be when you push something across the floor. The force needed to move the object generally decreases once that object starts moving. The same is true for your tires in contact with the road. When they are rolling, the surface of the tire is not moving relative to the road. When the tires begin to skid, they are moving relative to the road. Skidding actually slows the car less than braking just slightly below the traction threshold of the tire.

Locking due to mechanical problems: If a brake disk or drum is not uniformly shaped (warped), the braking force will not be uniform as the wheel rotates. In this case, you may find that the brakes pulse or even lock the wheels when traction is low. The solution is to resurface or replace the disk or drum.

You have a pinched brake line. Inspect them all.

Pull the wheels and look. I would expect to find a leaking wheel cylinder(s). When they leak, the fluid gets on the shoes and cause a lock-up situation. As you drive more the fluid spins out and the lock up is less severe. Are you losing fluid?

Well if you pedel goes almost all of the way or does go all the way to the floor then the master cylender is bad.

you might have a leaking wheel cylinder or a caliper that sticks and does not release properly. or if it is panic braking, its just because you may not have ABS.

If you are repairing spongy brakes you want to inspect for any leaks in the lines first. Look for oily spots on the break lines and callipers. Check under the master cylinder as well. If you are sure of a leak, you need to get it repaired.

If the sump of the master cylinder is dark and inky, clean it out with a turkey baster or a reservoir pump and refill with fresh fluid. If all looks OK, then bleed the brakes starting with passenger rear side then rear driver's side then passenger side front tire then driver's front. You may have to remove rear wheels if you cannot get enough play with the wrench.

The process to bleed is as follows:

• Attach a plastic line that empties into a clear bottle (preferably plastic).
• Have a buddy push and hold down lightly on the brake pedal.
• Loosen the bleeder screw with an appropriate wrench
• Close the valve and have your buddy let up on the brake.
• Repeat until you get clear fluid.
• Go to the next brake in order mentioned above.
• Keep an eye on your brake fluid reservoir and fill as required.
• Finish bleeding all the brakes.

Sounds like a bad brake booster. If you are getting an extended braking distance, you may also want to check for a rear wheel cylinder leak.

Also check to see if you have a vac. leak at the booster canister where the vac. line plugs into it, if the master cylinder is leaking brake fluid through the rear seal of the spool valve it can enter the power brake booster and destroy the diaphragm seal causing the power brake booster to fail....thus hard as heck brake pedal(meaning you have no vacuumn assist) it's easy to check for a brake fluid leak....just pull the master cylinder mounting bolts off the power brake booster(either 2 or 4 bolts or nuts) and look at the rear side of the master cylinder seal to see if brake fluid is prevalent, also with a light look inside the power brake booster for tell tale signs of brake fluid leakage.