Leaky master cylinder
Most TV and film writers don't know a thing about old cars, so they just make up some BS they think sounds plausible. Reminds me of the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode where Cap'n Janeway's great-grandmother (or whatever) is driving along in a '70s Ford Country Squire which quits running with the usual assortment of televisionland noises that don't actually happen in real life. The diagnosis? "A faulty oil pan". Um...right. :roll:
(And don't get me started on all the sound effects idiots who make Mopars sound like Chevrolets or Toyotas or Fords when they're being cranked and started)