Re: Brake Noise & Fading

Posted by ewrecks On 2022/10/22 17:45:43

I had a similar problem with my 55 Caribbean brakes.
Frankly, the brakes never felt right and I was always wary of whether they would stop in an emergency.
A friend who has been a professional mechanic volunteered to do an evaluation but opted not to deal with the BTV. Ross suggested someone near my home who had worked for him to do the rebuild( Ross was booked or I would have had him do the work).
It turns out that rebuild kit from Kanters has mismatched wheel cylinders for front wheels and front springs were not the lighter tensioned springs used by the factory. We replaced both, front shoes and all vacuum hoses…..still not right. Andy drove down from State College and went through the BTV and master cylinder….better but still not right.
The brakes worked fine if the vacuum tank was bypassed but did not give stopping power after two pumps.
Ross agreed to squeeze the car in to a busy schedule and determined the problem was high idle, carb and linkage adjustment ( he also adjusted the shift linkage for the trans. My car was one referenced in his note on shift linkage mistakes impacting durability).
The brakes are fine now…I drove the car from Parkton on the Interstate and Turnpike and it felt like a new car.
The people who helped me put my car together originally and since are capable mechanics….much better than me….but they do not have experience with Packards. There are fewer and fewer people who know the cars.
New parts will not solve the problem if adjustments are not correct. Ross’s video is great but it does not address the idle issue or the adjustmemts.Cudos to Ross for his efforts and willingness to help but in hindsight his recent advise that if you want a car for dependable transport….avoid the 55 Caribbean
They are pretty cars but as the Forum posts document…there are too many problems arising from the new V 8: engine, torsion suspension, transmission and other quirks that Packard never got the chance to correct.