Besides tire noise or wheel bearing noise, having squeaky noise is a brake issue that annoys all car users.
WD40 is known as a lubricant and anti-corrosive solution that cures the same problem for your door hinges. But can you put WD40 on brakes?
Many people have a false common sense that the spray can be useful to bring the system back to its peak performance.
However, the article will make you think again about this “bright idea”. Continue reading if you don’t want to make the worst decision ever.
What Are The Reasons For Squeaky Brakes?
Can you put WD40 on your brakes? Before getting to this question, let’s get to the reasons that cause them to squeal.
Lubrication
Why is my brake pedal squeaking? The first reason you can think of when you hear a noisy sound, especially when your car has drum brakes instead of the disc ones, is that their metal parts need to be lubricated.
Lack of grease leads to unsmooth movement and causes the sound.
Rusty Rotors
Weather is a factor that affects your rotors. Despite what type your brake is, the rotors can become rusty, especially in the winter, explaining why there’s a squeaking noise as you press the pedal.
Moisture
The moisture can come from last night’s rain or dew.
When your brakes have sound in the early morning, usually you can assume that there’s too much moisture, and it seems to create a layer of corrosion. To avoid this situation, you’d better put your vehicle in the garage.
Brake Pads Wear
The brake pads wear symptoms can come from the thinning pads. These thinning pads cause the sound to start.
Plus, in the end, the pads begin to strike and scratch the motor, putting your car in a more serious problem.
Can You Put WD40 On Brakes?
Can you use WD40 on brakes? The answer is No.
This common product may help you temporarily eliminate the squeaking sound, but you should avoid using it because it can reduce the accuracy of the brake operation. The spray can affect the friction and cause severe damage to the components of the system.
Why Shouldn’t You Put WD40 On Brakes?
Can I put WD40 on my brakes? Again, it’s a no.
Applying WD 40 car brakes leads to negative consequences in different parts of the brake, such as the cylinder, pads, rotor, brake calipers, and brake lines. There are three main possible symptoms that can happen.
Car Struggles To Stop Properly
Most people think spreading this solvent on the disc rotors helps dissolve the rust. However, it’s not necessary as the rust will come off by itself. Plus, it can be harmful to the system.
The product is not a true greaser for your brake. It can cause your vehicle to fail to stop on time. Your automobile may not stop when needed as the oil is left behind.
So, can you put WD 40 on car brakes? You’d better avoid doing so if you don’t want to involve yourself in the risk of a car accident.
Calipers Corrosion Risk
Placing the WD-40 company products in the caliper makes the piston seal and dust boost swollen and soft, gradually breaking down. Thus, one of the two following potential scenarios can become a real difficult time for your car.
The piston seal gets corroded, leading to non-slippery piston functioning.
As the piston can not operate like usual, the pads wear down. In turn, the seal becomes hot and leaks and fails to perform at the end.
The second result of using this solvent is the piston seizure due to the swollen dust boot. When the dust boot swells, it falls apart and leads to the piston bore filled with water.
The piston and the cylinder get damaged, and your car runs down on power and struggles when increasing the speed.
Brake Pads Damage
Can I spray WD40 on my brakes? Another reason that proves you need to think twice before spraying the product on the system is it may destroy your pads.
Basically, WD40 is an oil, not a cleanser. So you can’t use it for cleaning purposes. It will not clean but make the situation worse, such as brake failures at times.
Applying any type of oil on the brake pads sounds like a bad idea. You should never place the oil on a friction surface. If you do so, you need to clean or replace the pads.
How To Lubricate The Brakes?
Can you put WD40 on car brakes? Now you know it’s not good to use it for your car, but what can you lubricate instead? Here are some cleaner products we suggest for you!
Brake Cleaner
Brake cleaner is helpful to stop the squealing sound as it merely works as a cleaner and contains no grease.
It can wipe the dirt away without leaving any residue and dry fast, giving your component clean and shiny in minimal time.
As the cleaner sprays are not oily, they will not affect the friction of the part, promising you a safe ride without any further problems. Take a wire brush or steel wool to deal with the surface after using the cleaner.
Greases For Contact Points
As mentioned above, the system consists of many different details. Each detail is connected to the others with many contact points. However, you can’t use the greaser for all of them.
The greasing process should be carefully done if you don’t want to encounter unwanted risks. For example, when you press the pedal to stop, it contacts the rotor.
Don’t apply the greasers on these points; otherwise, your car will not stop but will keep sliding forward.
The proper places for the greasers are the contact points between the shims and the pads. These parts will function as they should if you put the greasers on these joining points.
Degreasers
Another safe option to use is the degreasers. The grease is built up by the gathering of dirt and other materials. The degreasers can remove the grease and clean the components.
It eases the obstacles when the pads and rotors collide and makes the movements go smoothly. Therefore, it blocks the brake from having squeaky sounds.
Can I spray WD40 on my car brakes? Again, WD40 is not a good choice, and you should go for the degreasers.
FAQs
How Can I Clean WD40 Away From My Brakes?
If you don’t know the answer to the question: can you spray WD40 on brakes and have already tried it on to stop the squealing sounds, it’s ok.
As long as you can wash away the solvent, you don’t need to replace any system parts.
Take out the wheels, wash them in dish soap or detergent solution and warm water, and apply brake cleaner.
Remove any WD40 on the pads by sprinkling light sand on them, and clean with brake cleaner. You also can use hot water if you don’t have a cleaner.
What Happens If You Spray WD40 On Your Brakes?
WD40 is a lubricant, and spraying it can reduce the effectiveness of the powerful stopping system. The grease accumulation can happen to the rotor, and the piston and caliper seals will also get corroded.
The lubricant can’t fix the issue of brake noise but brings you into driving risks.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, can you put WD40 on brakes? The answer to the question is revealed. Although it can sometimes solve the squealing sound problem, it’s not specialized for that task.
Don’t put yourself in danger as it makes your brake more slippery and prevents it from properly functioning.
The degreasers and cleaners are the correct option to eliminate squeakiness. No oil or residue is spotted after using, leaving the brake quiet without any side effects but a smoother ride.