Car Mechanics (UK)

Electric park brake & bleeding diagnostic­s

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Should your car be equipped with an electric park brake (EPB), you may need to release and deactivate it diagnostic­ally before you remove the brake pads. This operation may require more advanced equipment than a simple engine management fault code reader. Obviously, ensure that the car’s wheels are chocked before starting – the last thing you need is the handbrake activating itself, when your fingers are between the caliper and brake pad. Alternativ­ely, should the system fail to disengage because of a fault, consult the emergency release advice in your handbook. On cars that have an actuator motor attached to the caliper, in an emergency it may be possible to remove it, by disconnect­ing the electrical connector, removing the actuator bolts and turning the park brake’s spindle manually. Never apply an external power source to release the EPB.

On some vehicles, the ABS/ESP hydraulic valves might need to be held open diagnostic­ally, when flushing fresh brake fluid through the system. Again, consult your vehicle’s workshop manual for advice – we shall be covering the hydraulic circuits in a future issue.

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