Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

What was a problem. Way back...egge piston s would knock when cold..

It was tricky to get clearance right..

One engine I know siezed . set too tight.

Hi,
I think I found the source of my noise. When I was reassembling the heads, I found that #1 Exhaust valve would not go in easily and was sticking a little. Took it to my machine shop and they said they remedied it by removing a burr and cleaning out the valve guide. He also adjusted the installed valve stem height by grinding the stem ends as he noticed a 'large' variation between the valves.
A sticking exhaust valve would explain the frequency of the noise and the presence of so much soot on the back side of the front intake valves.

Unfortunately, while putting the engine back together (I removed some pistons to make sure all was clean), I broke the 2nd ring on one of the pistons. They sure break lot easier than I expected. Also struggling with the auto part store piston ring compressors.....

I only see a way to buy an entire set of rings. Mine are +0.30. Does it matter what brand etc to fit in my new Egge pistons? I can get a whole set at Egge for $45 with shipping and I see other sets for sale that are NOS

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-1956-PACKARD-5560-5660-1956-STUDEBAKER-GOLDEN-HAWK-V8-O30-PISTON-RINGS/283122131593?fits=Make%3APackard&hash=item41eb64e289:g:nCMAAOSwA4dWFuII

Wondering if it matters as long as they are 4.030" and if I can find something at O'reillys or Autozone in stock that would be just as good???

These are listed in the parts X-ref as compatible:

https://www.amazon.com/Hastings-2M139030-Piston-Ring-Set/dp/B000C3D66U

anyone have any experience with them? (or a spare ring?? :) )



thx
Bob

Hello Bob,

Please send me a private message with your address and we will send you out a replacement ring for FREE.

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products
1-800-526-1096
Ext 316

Hi James,
I have noticed a few times/opportunities where you have graciously supplied information, tech support and even parts to help a car owner overcome some difficulty he's experiencing. Griping is easy "Atta-boys" few and far between. However I and I'm sure others have noticed your assistance and I'd like to thank you for your support. As a business owner I know that "give a little, get a lot" philosophy is a sure way to make a positive impression. Thanks. Best Regards
Steve Fisher

Steve,

Thank you for the kind words but its just not I. Fred, Dan, and the whole Packard department play a huge role in keeping these pieces of art on the road. But on that note. Bob I got your pm and the replacement ring is on its way. I will pm you shortly with the tracking info.

James From
Kanter Auto Products

thank you James! This is the 2nd time you offered to send my a part for my car. thanks.

Quote:
Just a FWIW, the NOS ring sets WILL NOT FIT the Egge pistons.
Egge piston ring grooves are cut to use the common modern Ford/Chevy D-wall rings, while OEM Packard was the older, thicker K-wall rings.

Thanks to James, Fred and the entire Kanter organization for helping out here.

jack vines

What we sent out was based on the factor that the customer is using Egge pistons so there should be no issue with ring installation.

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products.

Update for all.

Got the engine back up and running. After cleaning and checking all over, I put it all back together. Thanks to James From from Kanter for sending me a single piston ring that I broke and lots of other advice from this forum.


Things I did to get it going:
-replaced a slightly bent pushrod with one from Kanter
-Spend extra time cleaning lifter bores
-rotated the camshaft with lifters (no rods) installed to verify they all would rotate without load.
-Had heads rechecked, #1 Exhaust valve was sticking, and machine shop 'bobbed' the valve stems so they were all the same installed height.
-Measured all push rods as well as rocker arm socket wear. For kicks, I reinstalled the longest rods with the rocker arms with most socket wear. So I mixed and matched push rods, but got total geometry length more consistent
-Replaced the 4 lifters that didnt show signs of rotating
-Measured lifter preload on base cam position by releasing rocker arm bolts and marking difference in position of rod when tightened. Most pre-load distances were ~0.090", with some ~0.11 and some ~0.70.
-Assembly lube on all surfaces under load (push rod to rocker arm, cam lobe/lifter face). Oil on lifter bore and lifter sides(last time I put assembly lube on sides of lifters).
-New Maxima break-in oil, about to refill with Rotella
-Pulled carb and cleaned out old gas etc.
-New AGM battery

It Started up fine and seems to run well. Ran it +/- 2000 rpm for a while to ensure good break in of new lifters. Good oil pressure and throttle response. As before I pulled it apart, you can see and hear an intermittent shudder at idle and still working on that. (very smooth at higher rpms). Tried pulling plug wires 1 by 1 to isolate but couldnt find one. Seems like random cylinder is not firing.

Popping noise (at cam speed that started this whole mess) was gone!!!!
But then it came back.
Then it went away.
Now it is there at times, but quieter.

It may be a valve sticking or something but it is not as pronounced as before so I am going to monitor it, but not worry about it for now. It seems very minor now.

One thing: I can't seem to adjust the idle down to 450rpm. I disconnected the throttle linkage and backed out the idle speed screw but when the throttle valves are in their closed position, it still seems to idle around 550-600rpm (admittedly with an old tach). But before I was able to dial it down to the point it was too slow to stay running.

Here are pics of the throttle valves closed and at high idle. These seem like what I would expect.

Any thoughts?

Also found some NOS points on ebay and installed them. That helped the shudder a little and look very nice too...

Glad this is running. Now time to reinstall driveshaft, figure out what to do with broken rear support arm stud, and take it for a drive!

Thanks to all to help me get to this point (again)!
-Bob



Related threads:
https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=21047&forum=3

My blog (see end for discussion on broken stud)
https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=20490&start=10

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Congratulations on getting the engine running after a long struggle or at least after a long period of aggravation. No proven suggestions on the idle issue but if you manage to get it down to spec let me in on your secret. I have the same issue with a 356 engine on the 47. Several suggested checking for vacuum leaks or a faulty carb rebuild as a cause for mine but I found nothing that was obvious causing problems. Maybe you will have better luck.