Hey guys I recently started driving my 56 merc around and I'm have a problem out of the left front brakes. After driving it for about 15-20 mins the left front won't disengage, the pedal gets real stiff. It doesn't lock down to where it is locked up and won't move but it defiantly makes it hard to make the car take off. I noticed it was smoking when I got home from work today. Iv already replaced the wheel cylinder on that side and replaced all the hoses. Any ideas? Thanks guys! Ryan Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Check the flex hoses,....if it's collapsing inside, the fluid return can be impaired, and the affected brake can "drag". 4TTRUK
Check the self adjusters for correct installation and make sure the adjusters are on the correct side
When you think you have tried everything, do this. Swap the shoes side to side and see if problem follows. If it doesn't, swap the drums. By doing this, you will probably find the problem or a good clue.
I'm goin to see if I can't get ahold of some new springs and see if that helps. Might go ahead and replace the shoes while I'm in there. If that doesn't help might swap drums from side to side Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If the shoes are one long pad and one short, then the long shoe goes towards the front. I doubt that would cause your problem though, as I've owned used cars that braked greta and found the shoes reversed. Check the shoes from side to side to ensure they are identical. It is possible the brake shoes might be mixed, or a wrong size, bad arc, etc. I'd be inclined to make sure the brake pedal has free play at the top, as if it doesn't the master might be holding pressure against the wheel cylinder. Just disconnect the pedal linkage, and see if it moves out farther. That will tell you if it was under pressure.
Have you tried cracking open the bleeder to determine if there is pressure on that wheel?? This would give a better idea of what you are dealing with, and where to look next. FWIW, the symptoms you describe are classic hose failure. Cosmo
A friend of mine suggest it could be some junk in the line not allowing fluid to return to the master. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Ok guys so I'm thinking its a heat issue of some sort. I just went out there and I rolled just fine. I know the exhaust runs on the opposite side of the brakes so I dont think that's it. Ryan Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
So the cars been sitting a week or so and I noticed it was low on brake fluid I filled it and I have hardly no brakes now. No pressure on the pedal Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
"Short shoe" faces forward ...."long" shoe faces to the rear. I never forgot having to take apart an entire brake job, all the while having that lesson being talked in my ear. 4TTRUK
I have 2 early manuals for my '51, both original shop manuals, 1 says long shoe in front, short in back and the other says short in front, long in back. I have driven with them both ways and it brakes the best with long in back. I was told by an old school mechanic to think of it as a lady, short(small) in front and long (large) in back. As far as it not returning, I had a similar problem although it wasn't that bad, I fixed it by rubbing some anti-seize on the three contact points for each shoe, they rub on the dust plate. T
I had a similar problem with one wheel on my truck. Turned out to be a cracked drum, almost impossible to see. Try a hammer test or switch sides and see.
It sounds to me like the master cylinder not releasing pressure. There is a little hole in the master cylinder that lets off the pressure when the piston is all the way back. There must be a little clearance between the pedal rod and the piston to make sure it releases. If it does not, heat expansion will cause the brakes to apply themselves. In your case it seems the left front is the tightest brake. Could be pedal adjustment, bad master cylinder, a piece of crud or rubber in the fluid, or could be a collapsed rubber hose as others have mentioned. But the master is the place to look first.
All good advice and it obviously could be caused by several things. I'm betting is is the hose is bad on the inside and is not releasing all of the pressure OR, as Rusty said, the tiny port in the Mcyl bore is stopped up. Mose likey the port in the Mcyl is the problem.
To check clearance of the piston rubber cup to compensating hole, take a straightened paper clip and probe in the hole, feels solid is OK. Feels spongy and your cup is covering the hole.
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