Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

So is there any information regarding the aftermath of this nasty accident? there looked to be major suspension damage.

The question is what exactly failed. Can't blame the BTV if it was rubber or hard brake line that burst. Any single master cylinder would then have a breaking problem.

Yeah, Big Kev agreed.And if safety is the only issue then not only BTV but all Packards with hydraulic brakes is a problem,and should be addressed every two years at least.Packards International did an article on the BTV and mentioned rebuild every 3 or 4 years (If memory serves.)Then there is the Issue Of outer tie rods on the same units.I am not sure but I would guess as bad as the BTV itself.(Cracks.)Not good either. I will dig the BTV article out and post. Brian

Sorry guys the control rod is the issue not the tie rod sorry.cant find the mention of BTV I will post when I do Brian

okay this is what happened,

I was traveling home and while heading down the hill which is quite sharp at the bottom, i pressed the brake pedal but it went straight to the floor, I tried puming but to no help, I didn't attempt to try and make the corner and went straight onto a dirt road, just before I hit the dirt I threw the car into park and the back wheels locked up and I turned the car left onto a grassed area, (20 foot before another drop) luckily the car hit a ditch and it looks as if it has only broken the lower control arm and kingpin, also on the other side it did some damage to the front fender which was full of bog anyway. My safety e-brake had not been working correctly so I didn't attempt to reach for that, otherwise I would have tried that as well

The car is currently at a holding yard and will be sent to my mechanic on Monday or Tuesday hopefully. we'll pull out the BTV and examine the cause of the problem.

The car is repairable and I am safe so thats all that matters. I'm not debating the safety of the BTV but i thought that this post on the forum shows what can happen. I will be exploring my options in relation to the brakes I am quite interested in Paul's setup found at1956packardpanther.com

As soon as we get the BTV disassembled i'll report on any findings.

okay this is what happened,

I was traveling home and while heading down the hill which is quite sharp at the bottom, i pressed the brake pedal but it went straight to the floor, I tried puming but to no help, I didn't attempt to try and make the corner and went straight onto a dirt road, just before I hit the dirt I threw the car into park and the back wheels locked up and I turned the car left onto a grassed area, (20 foot before another drop) luckily the car hit a ditch and it looks as if it has only broken the lower control arm and kingpin, also on the other side it did some damage to the front fender which was full of bog anyway. My safety e-brake had not been working correctly so I didn't attempt to reach for that, otherwise I would have tried that as well

The car is currently at a holding yard and will be sent to my mechanic on Monday or Tuesday hopefully. we'll pull out the BTV and examine the cause of the problem.

The car is repairable and I am safe so thats all that matters. I'm not debating the safety of the BTV but i thought that this post on the forum shows what can happen. I will be exploring my options in relation to the brakes I am quite interested in Paul's setup found at1956packardpanther.com

As soon as we get the BTV disassembled i'll report on any findings.

Thanks Mat, for a logical dispassionate explanation of the facts as far as you know them. I will be interested in the complete examination and exactly what failed and why.
We are all thankful you and/or your passengers were not harmed.

Quote:

Add Oldsmobile to that list. I have always defended the Treddle Vac but I think I may be changing my mind a little. When I bought the 55 olds back in 1976 it had been in a front end crash that did considerable damage. The guy I bought it from said the breaks failed. Sure enough the brakes were defective. Found the check valve between the intake manifold and the TV was stuck and not allowing the vacuum to reach the TV. Could have also been a vacuum leak as well. Cleaned it out and made sure all the vacuum lines were tight. The TV worked well for some 25 years and then began to give me trouble. If you tried a panic stop the pedal felt like you were standing on a rock. The pedal would not move very much and there was absolutely no breaking effect. I parked the car and ended up selling the car about a year ago. The new owner has installed a new dual master cylinder/ power break setup. Looks like a later model GM mounted on the firewall. Can't say I like the looks of it when you look under the hood. He says it stops a lot better now.


My opinion is that the TV was probably reliable when new and probably for the first 20 or so years. I'm glad my 51s brakes are standard and not the TV power brakes. The older a car gets the better off you are with nothing power to go wrong. ie I can still roll the windows up on my Packard but not on my 73 charger.

okay this is what happened,

I was traveling home and while heading down the hill which is quite sharp at the bottom, i pressed the brake pedal but it went straight to the floor, I tried pumping but to no help, I didn't attempt to try and make the corner and went straight onto a dirt road, just before I hit the dirt I threw the car into park and the back wheels locked up and I turned the car left onto a grassed area, (20 foot before another drop) luckily the car hit a ditch and it looks as if it has only broken the lower control arm and kingpin, also on the other side it did some damage to the front fender which was full of bog anyway. My safety e-brake had not been working correctly so I didn't attempt to reach for that, otherwise I would have tried that as well

The car is currently at a holding yard and will be sent to my mechanic on Monday or Tuesday hopefully. we'll pull out the BTV and examine the cause of the problem.

The car is repairable and I am safe so thats all that matters. I'm not debating the safety of the BTV but i thought that this post on the forum shows what can happen. I will be exploring my options in relation to the brakes I am quite interested in Paul's setup found at1956packardpanther.com

As soon as we get the BTV disassembled i'll report on any findings.

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Quote:
"Packards International did an article on the BTV and mentioned rebuild every 3 or 4 years (If memory serves.)"

I would be most interested in verification of that maintenance schedule claim.