Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

I c Tim suggested
"Maybe you should do a compression test while you are under there."
Thats sure where id go next or maybe pull the Valve Covers and make sure the valves r going up/down. Ive had bad gas lock up some valves but not all but NEVER SAY NEVER.

TIMING? - CHAIN/GEN - DIST ADV/JAMED UP or BROKE/WEAK SPRING

Dear Packard0:

The amored cable coming through the firewaill carries battery voltage from the ignition switch. Key off no power, key on battery power.

The jumper wire would be run from that post down to the battery cable on the starter bypassing the ignition switch.

If the motor is spinning over really fast and not starting I would check the compression. As mentioned elsewhere here your valves may be sticking open. Incorrect valve timing will cause compression problems as well, but I never ran into that problem on Senior Packards. If the motor sounds like it has compression, and you have spark, and it still won't kick when primed then pull the plugs and heat them up over a gas stove.

Let me one piece of experience: Once I got a 42 160 running that had been idle for a long time. It ran great for about 2 months and then quit. It would only run on an oxygen tank because it lost compression. I hope you are in better shape, but sometimes these old cars just give up.

maybe it just needs new plugs? haven't checked that yet

I took the plugs out--what do you guys think?

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Good advice from all the previous posters. A comment on the spark plugs: they look to have a lot of carbon deposits on them. Can't tell if it is from fuel or oil, or both. A good cleaning and re-gapping would seem to be in order.

I would advise you go back to basics and pursue a systematic trouble shooting approach: Compression, ignition, fuel.

First would be assure you have a good fully charged battery with good connections and cables.

Next, would be to run a compression test. If this shows good compression across all cylinders (around 100 p.s.i. with no more that 15% between high and low cylinders)

Next, check out the ignition system starting with the previously mentioned spark plugs. Then assure that the wires, cap, and rotor are in good order. Finally, look at the distributor checking for good condenser, point contacts in good condition and properly adjusted. Then check that the timing is properly set.

If all this checks out then make sure you are getting gas to the carburetor and the carburetor is functioning. Earlier, I made a comment on the bad appearance of the gas in the filter.

Obviously there is a lot of missing detail here, but it provides a route to follow. There are numerous shop manuals and guides available, some downloadable from this site. Good luck.

(o{}o)

best way to clean the spark plugs and use what?
Thanks

You can purchase quite inexpensively a spark plug cleaner. They use an abrasive grit and are powered by compressed air. A good purchase if you're in the hobby for the longer haul. I haven't looked recently but Eastwood had them at one time, and I've also seen them on the shelves at auto parts stores.

PS - I couldn't quite read the plug number - what are they? I'm asking because they are obviously burning very poorly but I can't tell if the deposits are mostly oil or carbon and it would be nice to know if the plug heat range is appropriate for your engine.

PPS - taking a closer look, is it UY6? If so that would be the hotter of the 10mm plugs, equivalent to the AC M8 (the AC 104 being the cooler plug). That would have been the recommended plug for "light service", the cooler one for "heavy service" so I don't see any issue with the plug choice. If the deposit is black and dry (not black and oily) it suggests fuel problems back when the engine was last running - an extremely rich mixture perhaps due to a failed carburetor needle and seat or a failed float. I'd either replace the plugs or clean them and give it a try. When all is right with the world, the porcelain insulator on the center electrode should be a light tan color and no significant carbon or oil deposit.

If it starts up with new or cleaned plugs, after a short time remove a plug and check for carbon build-up. If YES, you have a fuel problem perhaps in the carburetor or perhaps from an electric pump putting out excessive pressure. The 33-39 AC fuel pumps were very capable and rebuild parts or services commonly available - if you were using an electri pump exclusively I'd stop doing that and if you must use it, use it just for priming after storage and make sure the mechanical pump is up to snuff. After that, check the carburetor.

They do read UY6, we will get a plug cleaning kit and put them back in and see what happens. If we can't find a plug cleaning kit what homemade choices do we have?

Wire brush, tooth brush, perhaps a dental pick.

Don't forget to gap the plugs after cleaning them. Also, it would not hurt to file the electrode flat with an ignition point file before gapping. This will give you a nice flat surface for the round wire gauge to fit through and provide a nice clean surface for the spark to jump. Don't know the amount of gap, but that spec can be found in repair manuals.

(o{}o)

My "Motor's Repair Manual" shows a spark plug gap of .028" for your 1935 Packard.