Sticky Brake

[keninman]

My 29-30 GL Dictator, this winter developed an odd condition where sometimes when you stop it seems one of the brakes stays engaged for a second after you remove pressure from the pedal. I first thought it was related to the parking brake as it happened leaving a parking space at Wal-Mart during a cold snap. Sometimes it is fine and other times it seems to hang on. I may make many stops with it fine and then every stop it hangs.  I haven't tried hard to troubleshoot it yet but wanted to ask for suggestions. 

[nvonada]

One wheel or all of them?  This can have several causes (assuming the car has hydraulic brakes, which I think it does?)  

• Weak return springs
• A failing flexible brake hose acting like a check valve
• Corrosion  or bad wear in a brake cylinder causing the piston to hang 
• If all wheels maybe a faulty residual pressure valve 

Probably the thing to do is get the car on jacks and have someone hit the brakes while you spin each wheel to isolate the problem.   

Nathan

 

[rbk]

Hydraulic brakes on Studebaker in 1935.

Before that "Cable" brakes that need lubication.

[keninman]

These are mechanical with rods. I believe it is only one wheel but I don't know which one. 

[JFranklin]

Pull the drum on the one you guess it to be. You have a 1 in 4 chance of a win. Look for broken, missing, misapplied, or stretched springs. Rusty pivot points or fluid on the shoes could also do it.  Do that with each wheel until you find one that might be the culprit.

Edited May 3, 2018 by JFranklin (see edit history)