Power Brakes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Montego, 2006 Ford Freestyle, and 2006 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Pressing the brake pedal pushes a rod into the brake booster which, through the use of vacuum, boosts the force of the rod, transmitting the force into the master cylinder. This action produces hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder. Hydraulic pressure is transmitted through the master cylinder by brake fluid, through the brake lines, to the individual brake calipers. The brake calipers use hydraulic pressure to apply the pads. The application of the brake pads against the friction surfaces of the brake discs causes the rotation of the wheels to slow or stop, depending on how much brake pressure is applied. The parking brakes perform the same function except that they are mechanically actuated by a cable that connects only to the rear brake calipers.