Dear Gusha:

It depends on the symptoms. If the coil spring isn't strong enough to fully extend the latch that may also be caused by an alignment problem. If the latch fully extends when the door is open but sags when closed that is another problem. If the square collar that accommodates the handle is rounding out that will cause another type of sag.

Things have to be taken on a case by case basis, but I don't buy the assertion that worn out parts just need a spring. That's like saying all grandma needs to smoke in bed is a shot of cocaine.

I thought about the Cadillac system and it is like the Clipper. They didn't rely on the same spring that latches the door to retract the door handle. So slop is indpendent of door handle position. As the system wears the amount of handle travel increases, but handle retraction is not affected thereof.

On the 18th - 20th series (non-Clipper) cars the cheap pot metal collar is another cause of sag because it starts falling apart. The system was pretty darn cheap.

I've seen those coil springs in assortments so that problem is not new, but the wearing surfaces may also need to be serviced as well.

Today I was on the line to the manufacturer about a computer controlled engine that never ran right from the day it was new. It turned out that a couple of wires were being affected by their position in space. There are millions of those things running around, but for this one you could induce anomalous powertrain data by pressing lightly on two wires with your fingers. Somewhere in the plastic was a carbon path short. So I just moved them away from each other. And there is a mile of wire in this vehicle.

Dear jaegercat:

Yes it is possible to disengage the generator gear from the timing change if you just rip it apart like a maniac.

If you look at your generator you will notice there is a bronze plate in front of the generator. That is the generator gear pinion plate and it holds the gear in place.
If you take that out with the generator you will have some problems. So gently move the generator backward and hold the front plate against the motor. Once the generator is out you can secure with a nut and washers.

Before you take everything apart you can test the generator by grounding the field wire with the motor on high idle. If the ammeter starts charging then you have a regulator problem. There are places that will work on it for you or you can hide a regulator elsewhere on the car. This adds current regulation which is easier on batteries. All that is necessary is to run the field wire under the armature wire.

I have seen loose brush wires cause problems which can be fixed with metallized epoxy.

If your regulator is shorted that will cause overcharging so you have an open circuit somewhere. If the field coil in the regulator opens, the generator fields open, the thermostat gadget opens, or the brushes open then the unit will stop charging. The cutout can also open.

Given that parts are becoming harder and harder you may consider the investment of a top rebuilder.

You have to be careful as regards beating these things because there is a thrust block inside the pinion assembly.

The loose nut method means backing off the nut a few notches or finger tight. That won't damage the keyway unless the car is being driven daily on the West Side Highway in NYC. Especially with Ultramatic which has mashed potatoes for breakway. I actually think this method works because the drum heats up from braking as well.

I never had one fight me so bad I had to resort to careful heating, but that is what I would consider for these really bad cases.

I think the whole assembly gets sloppy. The white metal handle escutcheon spring holes wear and get oval, the square for the handle gets sloppy, the return springs in the picture wear and get sloppy, the door latch where the return spring rides wears, etc. etc..

It might be instructive to look at a period setup from the Cadillac. They never seem to wear out. By comparing which parts of the Cadillac assembly are similar to the Packard may help isolate the primary cause.

Usually the whole situation is so bad, I ended up very carefully building up and refitting the square or twisting the handle a few degrees.

One of the reasons I've use this method is that putting stronger springs and therefore increasing the load on these old parts will accelerate existing wear. Of course if the handle is drooping because the latch is not completely returned that is a separate issue, but usually I've found that the return spring force is still fine and so is the cause of the wear in the connecting parts.

There is also a really cheap flat piece of steel that likes to wear out as well.

Now, if the column shift linkage from the Cadillac could only fit on a Packard.

Dear africapackard:

Okay, Loctite is good.

But before you put it together see if you can rustle up some gear contact pattern paint around town. Then using your hand to load the ring gear have someone turn the pinion.

A good pattern should be in the middle of the teeth and the backlash should be .005 -.008 or small enough to grind a piece of heavy paper. You can get tooth contact patterns on line, but here part of the Dana manual.

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Dear Rob:

Okay the carburetor is good, and it has plenty of gas. Given 1940 is a Carter unit main jet boiling should not be a problem.

The manual states the correct way to start the car when hot is to floorboard the gas pedal and crank until it starts. In other places Packard explicitly stated that extended cranking occasionally will be required.

To isolate the problem you can buy a spark tester from NAPA and check the ignition when hot. It should easily produce in excess of 20kv.

Next is a compression test. You should have at least 100psi for easy starting when hot.

Dear Packardtaximan:

The original problem was most likely caused by too little pinion preload or improper pinion depth, but can also be caused by improper differential preload or a backlash problem.

Given the replacement is worse but load sensitive it too is probably a severe pinion problem.

If you want to do it yourself, the best path would be to sign up for a driveline course at an automotive tech institute. I was lucky and went to a GM technical center way back when they had lots of money. Finding a place shouldn't be very hard because the car companies treat highly qualified mechanics like shxt and the turnover is so high they have to have a program in every county. Although if you smoke cigarettes all day and take a lot of drugs they treat you pretty good.

The other choice is to take your original unit to a driveline shop, or a machine shop that does differentials.
They will check the preload and do a contact pattern and set the whole thing up for installation. You will have to do some searching and also give them a copy of the Packard manual. Not that there is anything special about the Packard unit, but the manual will let them see what family of methods to use.

Hope this helps.

When I look close, I see a casting line in the steel and the pictures in the Packard manual match the pictures in the ad.

The Packard company specified cast steel for the crankshaft, and the part numbers didn't change for 55 and 56.

So the only way it could be forged is if it is not a Packard product.

Dear Rob:

We don't need to get technical here and all that.

The car is a 1929 626 sedan. More formally it is an early 6th series because of the visor.

The deluxe models had hood doors and the standard models louvers although a three door hood was an option. The 1929 had no glove boxes and thin trim around the gauges, small horn button, aluminum floor boards, stirrup foot pedals etc, etc.

The 626 was the base model Packard and so the highest production lowest price.

How's that?

I assume the point here is that it's a cast steel crank?

It sure looks it and Packard specified that it decided to use cast for the V-8.

NOS or not it still has to go out and be tested. Senior cranks will not hold up if left lying on the floor.