Re: 1940 Packard 1801 won't start

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2017/1/13 13:04:07

If the gaskets is leaking there's no compression in that cyl.

Not necessarily true. Cylinders suffering a blown head gasket will often show "some" compression, perhaps 30 psi or thereabouts. It's more likely to show no compression when the gasket failure is in the web between two adjacent cylinders and some significant portion of the gasket is actually missing.

If the timing chain is not installed exactly to spec .......... what good is it to adjust the spark?

That's exactly the point I made to you a few posts ago, ignore the ignition timing until you determine the valve timing is correct. In the absence of your actually giving some new factual information, it doesn't seem to me like continuing the speculation is a worthwhile endeavor. I'll close out and just watch from the sidelines.