Hi Henrik:

The manual specifies maximum oil pressure of 40 psi with 5-15 psi at idle. If oil pressure at 35-40 mph is below 20 psi a mechanical problem is indicated.

Now the tap on the side of the engine is a calibrated orifice and not representative of true mainline pressure. Thus, the sender is engineered with a correction factor.
Thus, if you hook up a gauge to the sender tap you may think that you have low oil pressure until you look in the manual as to what the gauge reading should be at this point in the system.

Packard made some explicit recommendations against running too much oil pressure. The general rule is 10 psi per 1000 rpm with no more than 10 psi times the maximum rpm for the engine. This is very close to the Packard maximum of 40 psi if you consider that the eight revs up to about 4600 rpm with throttle wide open.

Here is a little test for mainline oil pressure: accelerate in second gear to passing speeds, if you start to hear noises from under the hood that may be worn rod bearings (especially if the noises don't start until then engine is hot). If your engine runs quiet then you have little to be concerned about.

If your engine is worn then take it easy and keep the road speeds modest. You may still go a long way with worn rods bearings given you don't push it. No guarantees of course.

Hi Bernardi:

If the erratic oil pressure just started with this cold start then you may have damaged something - hopefully only the sender.

The oil in your car is too heavy for winter use. What the 15W in 15W-40 means is that the cranking speed is equivalent to 15W. That doesn't mean that the oil is equivalent to 15W when cold.

The owners manual for your car specifies 20W down to 10F, so I would put 10WY-30 unless you need that heavy oil for some reason due to mechanical.

You are both right!

I have this piece of paper that says full flow and obviously it is not. I wondered about that given the can on top of the engine.

The last time I worked on the Packard V-8 was awhile ago. A body shop had gone out to see if the engine would start. They ran it a little and shut it off. The engine seized because of condensation in the cylinders. I freed two stuck pistons, honed it, and the car kept running until the owner died from old age. It was his only car.

Anyway I talked to an engineer about this and he feels that the big problem is that old engines are just plain dirty and need frequent oil changes. A number of manufacturers in the fifties were recommending detergent oil for cars as soon as they came onto the market. However, the switch to full flow filtration became universal very shortly because petroleum researchers were finding corrosion without enough filtration. By 1969 Chevrolet was recommending annual oil changes thanks to full flow oil filtration.

The other day I was looking at engine parts from a rebuilt V-12 that were in really bad shape. That is, it is on its second rebuild. The owner always used detergent oil and the detergent obviously wasn't helping very much. I think the biggest problem is not enough original Packard parts. These new parts just aren't as good as genuine Packard merchandise.

Hi! It's me again (Tim Cole) the oil change guy.

I have some Packard manuals in front of me. In 1954 and 1955 they list three grades of motor oil: ML, MM, and MS. ML is Regular motor oil, MM is Premium motor oil, and MS is Detergent motor oil.

In 1954 the Packard Manual specifies either ML or MM but not MS. That is, for the straight eight use non-detergent.

In 1955 the Packard Manual specifies MS Detergent for severe service in the V-8.

Why has this changed?

The answer is that the V-8 has a Full Flow oil filter whereas the straight eight has a By-Pass oil filter.

In a detergent motor oil contaminants are kept in suspension so that they can be captured by the full flow oil filter. They never get to the bearings.

With non-detergent oil contaminants "settle out" into the oil pan when the engine is shut off. Over time this becomes visible as sludge. That is your primary filter.

Without a full flow filter detergent oil is actually detrimental once contaminants build up to a certain level because they impregnate bearings and gears and cause corrosion.

The 34 through 39 senior Packards all had full flow filters and so they can use detergent although the V-12 seems to me to run quieter on non-detergent.

The 2000 mile service interval (1000 for severe service) is designed for non-detergent oil. The problem is that using detergent is considered severe usage without a full flow filter.

The primary reason modern cars can go 7500 to 10000 miles without oil changes is not because crude oil has improved, but because the engines run so much cleaner. Those carburetors are really dirty especially with old fashioned air filters. The modern oil additive packages accommodate these longer oil change intervals which also causes less waste.

Now when it comes to beating the daylights out of Packards fortunately a lot of Packard speedometers read too high which helps the engine. Other than the V-8 the little 288 is probably the most rugged plant because of the shorter stroke. The solid tappets are also a better deal. However the larger 327 with its 4 1/4 inch stroke is closing in on the old super 8 and the 359 is only 1/2 inch behind. A 1954 Patrician is churning 3000 rpm at 65 mph which is pretty substantial. It sounds pretty busy at 55!

If you don't believe me take a stick shift 327 to the drag strip. After you have been pushing it higher and higher to improve your time you may encounter a gigantic boom when number 2 connecting rod goes into orbit. For some reason the rods like to fly out in one piece leaving the piston inside the engine. When you pull over the motor will probably still be running albeit with a miss.

That's why I don't push Packards. An M-80 is a lot cheaper thrill.

Wow!

Tim Cole (that's me) has really made a lot of friends here at the Packard Forum.

I guess I won't give out my phone number.

I had a Packard come in with a stuck choke and after a few adjustments added 60 more horsepower. The owner took it out on the highway and promptly blew it up.

The reason I contacted oil companies was because I have to advise customers how to interpret what is stated in the official Packard Lubrication Guidelines available on this website.

When I take a 5000 mile old engine apart and find the pistons falling out of it I want to know why.

When I compare original Packard engine parts to aftermarket replacements I can see there is no comparison. So I won't argue that 50 years ago you could get a lot more out of a Packard then today.

I knew a guy years ago who had a Packard Speedster and drove it at high speeds up to 90 mph. It held up fine. But he owned a gas station and did a full lubrication service before each extended trip. He had the car for 40 years and drove it about 1500 to 2000 miles per year. As the years went by he didn't drive it as fast because the traffic was getting pretty heavy.

My other source of information besides oil companies are handbooks on petroleum engineering.

Over the years I have seen a number of low mileage Packards taken out by new owners, driven like crazy, and then blow up.

Do what you want, but I am not going to take a nice 1930 Packard out on the road, open the throttle and see how much I can get away with.

Nor am I going to dismiss the Packard Service Manual as just so much nerdy non-sense.

If I want that kind of advice I will take my car to grease monkey.

Oh Boy! The Packard Manual specifically recommends against detergent motor oil use prior to 1955. Valvoline non-detergent 30W is a good choice as is Kendall ND 30W. You want oils rated SB. Pitt-Penn makes a 10w-30 non-detergent oil which is better than straight 30w.

I have contacted oil companies about this oil issue and they don't recommend diesel oils and 20w-50 is not an authorized grade. They recommend you follow the owner's manual service intervals and guidelines.

However, If you want to use detergent oil petroleum engineers recommend the oil change interval be reduced by half. For Packard that is a 1000 mile interval for detergent oil changes.

The rule of thumb is that if your engine does not have a full flow filter then use non-detergent SB rated oil formulated for automobile engines.

I have been seeing a lot of premature engine wear from extended oil change intervals in old cars. For Packard that is a very expensive proposition.

If you are driving your car at sustained highway speeds then perhaps heavier grades may help, but if you are driving at low speeds heavy oils are detrimental.

I wouldn't cruise any pre-1955 Packard over 55 and prefer 45-50. Especially after having seen what happens in a high speed collision.

In the old days the 55 mph speed limit helped, but modern cars are just too fast and I would stick to the secondary roads that the cars were built for.

HAPPY MOTORING!