[ROVERNET - UK] Federal 3500S brakes sticking

[Glen Wilson]

I've tried to get a new acquaintance, Mr. Fox, subscribed to the list,
but I don't see any postings from him. Please respond to this question
and I'll pass the info on to him.

Mr. Fox has a Federal 3500S in Nashville, TN which he has owned since
1975. He contacted me with a question about his brakes. He recently
rebuilt the servo assembly and master cylinder. During the course of
this work, he had the air check valve apart and wasn't certain how some
of its internal pieces should be oriented when it was reassembled. He
has been able to successfully bleed all of the calipers in the system,
but the brakes are not working correctly. He has a very hard pedal feel,
thinks he may not be getting any boost from the servo, and when the
pedal is released the system is slow to free the wheels up. For a second
or two after releasing the pedal, the brakes stay on. 

Any ideas?

Mr. Fox sounds like he is a capable mechanic who generally knows what he
is doing. He has the official Rover service manual in the binder which I
am guessing is an actual workshop edition from a dealership. He also has
the white hardcover owner's manual. I don't think he has the separate
supplement for the Federal carbs, emissions, etc. but that info may be
in the binder he has. Actually, he may not have federal carbs on the car
because he told me the car had a Rochester carb fitted when he bought
the car, and he had some SU carbs shipped over from a source in England
and fitted to the car.