Re: 1956 Packard Patrician for Project or Parts- Asking $3,000

Posted by humanpotatohybrid On 2023/9/28 17:35:25

I would take the valve covers off and tap on all the valves with a dead blow hammer or hefty mallet (NOT a steel hammer). Search YouTube "checking for stuck valves with a hammer" or something like that for examples. There is a different sound for stuck vs. not stuck. Kind of "ting" vs "toonk". Sometimes these valves can get stuuuuck. Just be sure you're not hitting "stuck" valves directly into the cylinders if the cylinder is at TDC (you can tell if the plugs are out and you look at it).

Normally one could be concerned with oil leaks from the respective location from R&Ring valve covers without replacing the gaskets, but in an engine this old none of the seals are to be trusted anyway (i.e. it's the next guy's problem).