Rock Stuck in Brakes – What To Do?

One of the most important parts of your car is your brakes, and anyone who has ever driven a vehicle knows this.

Your brakes keep your car from careening off when you make sharp turns, and your brakes stop your vehicle at the stoplights.

A lot of potential disasters can be saved by brake maintenance.

The problem is that no matter how regular you are, there can be unexpected issues. You wouldn’t know if you have something stuck in your brakes until you tested them.

How to Tell If Something Is Stuck in My Brakes?

This problem is likely to happen in the summer when the roads get rough. It is easy to tell when something is stuck between your brakes because they lose efficiency.

In some cases, they could become difficult to use. The noise is a telltale sign that something is stuck between the brakes.

Most drivers don’t have to be in a position where their brakes are needed before they notice this.

Depending on the size of the rock, the sound of your car tires emitting a rancorous high-pitched sound would range from a grinding sound to a squealing sound.

It is a good idea to check on your tires and brakes when you hear these noises.

Is It Possible for a Rock to Damage a Rotor?

Most of the time, a debris problem in the axis of your wheels is a small rock stuck between the shield and the rotor.

The shield is the first line of defense when it comes to your brakes. The heat energy from the suspension can cause the brakes to fail.

If you get a rock stuck in between, you shouldn’t be too concerned. The noise is unpleasant but it is not likely to damage your helicopter.

The reason for this is that the rocks that are lodged between the system are usually not as hard as the system itself.

On rare occasions, a stuck object can cause the rotor to wear out.

When you notice that something is stuck in your brakes, you should make sure it is taken care of as soon as possible.

If the rock is stuck between the wheel and the calipers you should be concerned. The rock will hurt your wheels most of the time.

If you also focused on removing the rock, that would help. Cumulative wear on the rotors should not be encouraged because of the unpleasant sound.

How to Remove a Rock from the Brakes?

Since the problem is most likely behind the structure, the first thing you need to do is take off your wheels.

The only thing you have to do is remove the nuts from the car and jack it up.

After the wheels come off, it’s a good idea to check between the dust shield and the pads where the caliper is mounted.

The shield behind the brake discs is where you are unsure of what the dust shield is. It protects the brake rotors, pads, and calipers from debris and water.

The suspension system and other parts of the drivetrain will be protected from the heat generated when you brake.

Between the dust, the shield is where the rock is. The dust shield is bendable and it’s easy to remove from there.

You don’t have to bend the shield out of shape before it gets off, it’s most likely a tiny pebble

The pebble will fall off easily if the shield is bent, and you would notice that it would look burnt off and shaved.

What Does It Sound like When a Rock Is in My Brakes?

The size of your vehicle and the size of the pebble will affect it.

Different size cars emit different pitches, but one thing that all of them have in common is that they are loud and high-pitched, the kind of noise that would make you stop your car immediately.

It could be anything from a grinding sound to a high-pitched shriek. It is easy to identify where the problem is coming from and diagnose it.

Is It Possible to Drive My Car If a Rock Is Stuck in the Brakes?

The brakes are one of the most important parts of the car and if there is a problem with them, the first thing you should do is to repair them.

It is possible to drive the car but not at this time.

In addition to the lack of efficiency and potential damage to your brakes, it is also very loud and could attract the attention of traffic enforcers, who would think your tires are about to come off.

We have stated before that a small rock is unlikely to ruin your brakes on a short drive, but leaving it in for too long would not be a good idea.

Is It Possible to Remove the Rock Without Taking the Wheels off?

For the majority of the time, you cannot. You have to remove your wheels even in routine brake cleaning maintenance.

The brake system is always covered by the wheels, so it is necessary to reach it for procedures like this.

If you are only interested in the removal of the rock, it is relatively easy to do.

Most of the time, the only thing you have to do is check for the position of the rock and bend the dust shield so that the rock falls off.

If you want to try and do it without removing the wheels, you can use a pressure washer. You might be able to get a chance to remove the rock if you add some cleaning solution.

Conclusion

Rocks in your brakes are relatively easy to deal with, but a lot of people panic and run to their dealers and mechanics because they don’t know what’s going on.

If you follow the steps outlined above, the rock in your brakes will be removed in no time at all.

If you want to remove a rock from the brakes, it will cost you more than $100. You learned how to do it for free with this article.