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When I jacked the front up today the frozen turned freely with my hands, I only turned it once. Then when I tried to drive it it froze up again. I did the star wheel about 15 clicks and that didn't help. I wasn't able to get the grease cap off, it wouldn't push in at all.

Do you have air trapped inside brake fluid lines? If so the might expand when hot, causing brake shoes to expand. Just a thought.

And also check the condition of the hoses.

There have been reports of hoses swelled, damaged, or otherwise in poor condition. While fluid under pressure can be forced into the wheel cylinder to apply the brakes, because of the swelling or damaged hose, springs cannot push the fluid back out quickly enough to return it to the master cylinder and release the shoes. The result is a wheel that is locked. Usually the pressure will slowly bleed off and free the wheel but happens again the next time brakes are applied.

If it is only one wheel and you can rotate it again after a few hours of the car sitting but it locks again when brakes are applied, I would look into the hose. As someone else mentioned, it could also be the wheel cylinder but I believe if that is bad, once locked it usually stays locked.

HH56,

So, I would look at the hoses for swelling or bulging?

If you have loosened the adjusting star and the wheel is free for a length of time and also ruled out the wheel cylinder and shoes by removing the drum as O_D suggested, then the hose would be the next step.

Unless the hose has been crushed, kinked, or obviously damaged, I doubt you will see anything on the outside. The rubber part which deteriorates and is the actual fluid channel is surrounded by a woven reinforcement material which prevents any swelling to be seen on the outside. The reinforcement prevents the rubber from moving outward so forces it to squeeze together and thus the problem.

If the hoses are older and hopefully not the originals, I would suggest changing them all because of age. If one is bad, the others are not far behind -- but at the least for now you can change the one wheel and see if it solves the problem. You will have to bleed that one cylinder if you change the hose but if you are careful you should not have to bleed the entire system.

If it turns out the hose is the problem I would strongly add to the suggestion you have the entire brake system done.

Good advice from O_D and HH56.

The cap on the front wheel hub (hub cap) pries off, not pushes in - if I read your posting correctly.

There are books on basic maintenance and repair, and a parts and repair manual for your Packard is a must. A vintage copy of a"Motors Manual" that covers your year is also a good manual to have.

This Packard will also give you the opportunity to purchase a vast collection of hand and power tools. Some you will only use once (usually the most expensive ones).

This site has a wealth of information on Packards, and folks here are are always willing to share their knowledge and experiences.

(o{}o)

I did loosen the star wheel about 15 clicks and that did nothing. But yesterday morning when I first went out there and jacked it up the wheel turned freely. Then when I started it and tried to drive it it went forward a little and froze up again.

I am afraid you are going to have to get that drum off and have a look. The last time I experienced something like that, one of the bonded brake linings had fallen off the shoe and was getting jammed.

Packard0, if I recall correctly you said you were a bit of a novice on auto service and if you are it's likely you don't have much if anything in the way of specialty tools. If you're in this for the longer haul you may want to invest in a couple of very inexpensive brake tools - yes you can manage without them - but they sure make the job easier.

The first is a tool to remove the grease cup from the front brake drum. The second is a tool to remove and reinstall the brake shoe return springs.

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Ok, you're right I don't have a bunch of special tools but I do have some tools. I'm determined to get the grease cap off and wheel hub. Give me some tricks to getting the grease cap and hub off without destroying something if you can please. I tried getting the grease cap off with a screwdriver working around it but it didn't appear to do anything. Maybe I should try harder? Also, it's in good condition as it's had regular maintenance so it doesn't appear to be rusted at all.