Re: 1941 Packard 160

Posted by TxGoat On 2023/4/16 10:21:12

Concerning hard starting when hot:

1. The coil polarity can be wrong. It will work either way, but it will work better when polarity is correct. Most coils have the terminals marked + and -.

If your car is negative ground, the - terminal on the coil goes to the distributor. If your car is positive ground, the + terminal goes to the distributor.

You need huge battery and starter cables with high quality terminals. Keep them as short as is practical. The 6 volt starter draws a lot of current, and a big battery and thick cables are a must.

Be sure that both the battery and the engine are fully grounded. It's a good idea to have a body ground cable, too.

6 volt systems work great, but they have to have heavy gauge wiring and quality connections.

Some old engines that have sat for years can benefit from adding a quart or more of Marvel Mystery Oil to the crankcase. Adding a quart and a half to the crankcase on a Packard 8 would be about right. Adding 4 oz to each 10 gallons of gasoline can be helpful. MMO in the oil helps de-gum old engines. Rislone is another good product for old engines that may have sticky rings and gummy lifters. Do not overfill the crankcase. Drain off oil if necessary.

I don't think 30 PSI oil pressure would cause any lifter issues, since normal hot oil pressure in a new engine would probably be lower than that at idle.