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1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#1
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ORAYA
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Vehicle is a survivor. Everything is original except tires!! It has 62K miles, minor body damage. Last driven in 1980, Car was parked in the garage where it sat for almost 40 years. First thing I did was spray little Sta-Bil Fogger inside each cylinder and left it alone for a few weeks. Tried starting, engine did turn, but slowly. Fuel pump still good.
No brakes, in process of changing out all cylinders, hoses and master cylinder. (rusted, crusty and gunked up)

I have done the following:

- I bought new battery (Optima 800 cc amps), 00 battery cables, plugs, wires, ignition coil, hoses, belt and water pump.
-Rebuilt the Carburetor, Starter & Generator. (Voltage regulator was tested- Good)
-Radiator re-cored, gas tank refurbished. Blew out fuel lines.
-Changed oil, put in high zinc formula for vintage cars. New filter

I then Put a little Marvel mystery Oil in each cylinder. Tried a second start, engine turned a little better. Low compression in each cylinder. Tried engine few more times of the past few months.

Last start attempt this week had following compression results:
Cylinder 1 = 30, 2=40, 3=20, 4=15, 5=20, 6=35, 7=50, 8=0

Numbers did increase except valve #8 stayed at zero.

I sprayed "Blaster" on bolts on top of the head, so it may will come off. I'm thinking of taking it off and checking on the condition of the valves.

OR pulling the engine and getting a complete rebuild. Open to ANY suggestions....

Posted on: 2020/1/13 2:08
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Re: 1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#2
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Packard Newbie
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Hi Oraya, Given that the car has sat dormant for 40 years AND has those compression #'s, I'd be strongly leaning towards the latter suggestion!! Chris.

Posted on: 2020/1/13 2:17
'If you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right!' Henry Ford.
1939 Packard Six, Model 1700
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Re: 1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#3
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BigKev
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I would suggest pulling the side valve covers off and check the valve action. Cylinder 8 having no compression could be a valve stuck in the open position. Also rings that are no longer seating correctly, that could explain the low compression numbers. I would also suggest dropping the oil pan and cleaning out the gunk from that old oil that is probably sitting in the pan and throughly cleaning the pickup screen. Fresh oil isn't going to pump well through a sludge filled pickup.


My car sat since '86 and had a ton of sludge in the pan. Also my motor was stuck from sitting, but I was able to free it.

Good luck!

Posted on: 2020/1/13 8:30
-BigKev


1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe Touring Sedan -> Registry | Project Blog

1937 Packard 115-C Convertible Coupe -> Registry | Project Blog
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Re: 1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#4
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Owen_Dyneto
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I agree wholly with BigKev's suggestions. Sure, with those compression values your engine isn't going to start. And it's possible that it had enough abuse in it's 62K miles that it is in need of a rebuild. But it's at least equally possible that the low compression is simply due to prolonged layup, the history of our hobby is filled to overflowing with stories of engines with similar symptoms that were revived without rebuilds and had long, happy service lives. Clean the oil pan and pump pickup screen, attend to stuck valves, consider giving all the valves a light lapping with valve grinding compound, and use your favorite snake oil to let the rings soak. PATIENCE.

Posted on: 2020/1/13 8:51
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Re: 1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#5
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Fish'n Jim
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Certainly agree so far, but no one mentions obvious; spark, fuel system, or wiring? And checked if the clutch is stuck, might be rotating more than you bargained for with the starter. So either half the story or many more things to go thru? Just hang in there, many drop out at this point from pocket book fatigue.

Most of these abandons were never prepped for long term storage and were abandoned for a reason; like it didn't run, too costly to repair back then,(let alone now), so should expect issues, not the Cracker Jack prize.

Just an oldcar-mudgeon's opinion:
I don't understand what the prize is in rushing to start these setting cars? Must be some type of adrenaline rush challenge or testosterone/right of passage thing? Gearhead anxiety disorder? Car TV - MeToo movement? New car boredom?
I used to hate it when the car wouldn't run and I had to fix it back in the day, if I wanted to go someplace. They do everything reliable, include drive themselves now.
I see this frequently, someone finds one then jumps on the brand site when it won't run right away, wanting to know why? That's a clue, didn't do the pre-start inspection work.
I think the evolution to hot-rodding was the more rational approach, pick them boneyards for parts and upgrade, add some power and pizazz.

But if it comes to run, they were a fine motor, just not in my preferred power range, HP/weight ratio. Time moves on.

Posted on: 2020/1/14 11:41
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Re: 1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#6
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portlandon
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.

Posted on: 2020/1/14 12:35
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Re: 1950 Won't Start.....95% Original
#7
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ORAYA
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Thanks for all the replies. Pulling valve covers off and checking the action..

Posted on: 2020/1/19 3:39
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