Ltc4748

If all the brakes are dragging/getting hot I would be looking at the Master cylinder. In a master cylinder there are 2 holes, 1 is much larger than the second one. The smaller one is about .020" in diameter. If the smaller hole gets plugged by a piece of dirt or the DOT 3 has moisture in it and it corrodes shut, the fluid in the lines cannot return back into the master cylinder as it expands from warming up due to heat from braking, underhood engine temperature, and ambient temperature. A quick way to check if this is happening is to carry a wrench with you and use it to crack one line ( 2 lines for a dual reservoir system) loose for a second and relieve the pressure. If the brakes work fine after relieving the pressure I would disassemble the master and probe the smaller hole with a number bit that measures no greater than .020". Another possibility is if the residual valve would hold too much fluid pressure in the brake line. If the residual valve is doing it you would relieve the pressure and after driving some more the brakes will begin to drag again. relieving the pressure again would relieve the pressure and the brakes would be free again. Some master cylinders are open enough that you can probe the small hole on the vehicle to see if it is open. I have seen this several times over the years, it is unusual.

Check the fluid level is not above the bottom of the fill hole and confirm the proper lubricant was used, my guess is it had 80-90 weight. When the transmission was installed did the front of the transmission lean downward for a little while trying to install it and some residual oil run out the input collar?

I have been installing pertronix from time to time over the last 20 years in cars, tractors, trucks and boats. The performance has been some what more reliable than a set of points and condenser. Early this spring I installed pertronix in a Ford 9N that had a 12 volt conversion, and verified the coils Ohm reading. The tractor ran fine for about 3 months and the owner called me to tell me it quit. The ignitor assembly failed, wait several days for a new one to arrive and it was up and running again. It ran the rest of this year so far. When running a point system, providing the condenser or coil is not the failed component I can clean the contacts, set the gap and back to running with the only cost being some of my time. The cost of the pertronix to me is prohibitive to carry spares in every vehicle I have. the cost of a condenser and a point file that is kept in the car with the basic tool set I carry gets me where I want to be. I enjoy working on vehicles almost as much as I like driving them. For those who cannot do their own work Pertronix installed correctly is probably best for them. As for reducing maintenance by using pertronix that can also cause other issues. When my vehicle starts cranking longer because the points are getting dirty it is a sign to me to clean or replace them and do proper lubrication of the Distributor and other items in the engine bay that need periodic attention.

BTW it has an automatic choke. I would still check for spark first.

Check the battery voltage first. If at or below 6 volts on a digital meter charge the battery first. After charging if it turns over but doesn't start pull the coil wire and check for spark while cranking. You can hook a 12 volt test light on the end of the wire and hold the probe to ground to check if the bulb flashes or put a screwdriver in the wire end and lay it on the engine so the driver shank is 1/8 inch away from ground.

If you have a vacuum pressure gauge used for fuel pump testing you can remove the suction fitting and attach the gage. Crank the engine and watch it it builds vacuum or pressure or nothing. If nothing happens check what you think the outlet side is. Depending on pump design the check valves could be reversed and the flow through the lift pump will be reversed also. Another way to check if the valves are correctly installed would be take the hose and line off the pump and use a hose on the suction side and blow with your mouth. If the valves are in correctly and working you will be able to blow that way but not be able to push air the opposite way.

Have you removed the plugs from 5 & 7 and looked at them. The reason I ask is they would be more white in color than the rest of the cylinders if they are running lean. I have also seen in the past that people would replace the plugs and during the process either did not check the gap or dropped them and closed the gap, this causes a constant misfire. Since it had a new Holley carb installed did anyone correctly set fuel level and idle mixtures? If you close the choke by hand slowly (or restrict the air into the carb with your hand) and the engine begins to run smoother the mixture is too lean. If the mixture is correct closing the choke manually will make the engine load up without any improvement.

Since the driveshaft stops when you only push the clutch in, the clutch is not stuck. I noticed that when you try to engage another gear the driveline begins to turn. Have you put a tachometer on the engine and checked what the idle speed is? Keep the idle as low as you can when warm, check your shop manual for what is recommended. If idle speed is correct it the clutch plate must be dragging between the flywheel and the pressure plate. Either the disc is not true/flat or the pressure plate does not release correctly. To see if it will release adjust the clutch pedal to zero freeplay temporarily and do the same test again. If it will shift then you know for sure there is not enough clearance for the clutch disc. Look at the clutch facings if you take it out again. they should not be visibly moving when you squeeze the facings together with your fingers.

Looks to me that the linings may be stuck to the pressure plate and flywheel. If you have the transmission in neutral and have anther person depress the clutch the clutch disc must be able to be moved with a screwdriver or wood stick with ease.

I put DOT 5 in a 48 chrysler in 1997. The brakes system still works great, I have not added any fluid and the pedal is firm. I put it in my 59 Studebaker and I had seepage through one of the wheel cylinders that I had to hone the bore and replace the cups, it has been good since 2014. I will keep using DOT 5 in my old cars because I have not seen any issues that could not be overcome easily, yet.

Many of the electric horns on prewar cars have 2 wires connected to them. One wire is connected to power and the other wire goes to the horn button where the wire is grounded to complete the electrical circuit which will make the horn sound if it works. The wire coming off the horn in the picture appears to go to the starter hot post. If you hook this wire up does the horn make noise? If it does, either the horn requires power sent to the horn wire to make it work or there is another wire that goes from the horn to the horn button that is grounded or the horn button is bad/grounded. If you hook the hot lead up and the horn does not make any noise I would remove the cover and see if there is another connection inside if, there is no others on the outside. If you find the connection ground it to see if the horn makes noise, the other wire still needs hooked to the hot post at starter. For safety use a 20 amp inline fuse as a safety device to connect the hot wire at the starter. If the fuse blows the horn may be shorted. Better to blow a fuse than burn the insulation off the wiring. I like your Studebaker, I have an EW.

When the fluid is cold the wheels will be free, as you drive the car the fluid expands from heat and slowly build pressure if the port is blocked by incorrect adjustment or rust/dirt in the port, crack a line the pressure drops and the wheels will rotate freely again.

Check that the pedals pushrod is not holding the plunger down in the master first, also pull the boot back and verify the plunger is coming the hole way out and touching the snap ring. If these 2 items are correct check all the wheels for freedom of movement and then take it for another drive to see if the brakes apply again. Take a wrench along that you can use to take a bleeder or line loose, at any point that is easy to get to. If the brakes start to get hot again, crack the line or bleeder loose and watch to see if there is a little pressure forcing the fluid out. If you do this and fluid comes out then slows I bet the wheels no longer drag and build heat. The cause is the residual port in the master is blocked. If you look inside that master cylinder there are 2 ports that allow fluid to go into the bore. One is about 3/16" in diameter, the second port is only about .040" the smaller port is what allows the brake fluid to return to the reservoir when the brakes are applied and the fluid expands from warming. I have seen vehicles experience this and the further the owners ran them the more the brakes applied. By releasing the fluid pressure the brakes will quit dragging and the heat will no longer keep building up. Since it is a single brake system (unless the previous owner upgraded to a dual master cylinder) taking any line loose will drop the pressure in the entire brake system. To fix you can take a bread poke wire or the smallest torch tip cleaner and push it through the small hole to open the port. The trick is getting to it if it is not below the cap. I have seen some that you had to take the master apart to clean it out. Keep on drivin that 48!

I will be getting the commander out of storage next week and will take a picture of the installation and the way I had to shim the generator. I will list the part number of the coupling also.

Mr, Hale. I noticed the generator is off the engine. If you are going to put it back on that engine be sure top look at the drive halves which have rubber dampers in it. The originals were made of a poor grade aluminum or pot metal and they do not hold up. If yours show signs of cracking do not use them. My 27 EW flew apart while driving, luckily it did not hit the radiator or it would have been expensive. You can buy a replacement flex drive (Lovejoy coupling) from Graingers that will fit in with only a slight modification, you have to shim the generator up about .1". If you want the information let me know and I will send to you.