Re: 1948 Packard Eight engine seized

Posted by HH56 On 2021/10/8 10:35:03

And the valve stems stuck or rusted in guides are another thing to look out for after long storage.

Valve sticking issues also seems to be something that happens after running the engine on any old stale gas that might have been in the tank and then not starting the engine again for even a few days. Several have found the next time they tried to start the engine one or more valves were thoroughly stuck in the guides to the point of requiring disassembly and brute force to free them.

After the engine is free, would strongly suggest you drain the tank and line to get rid of any old gas before even attempting a start. When you do drain the tank, if the drain plug is the original steel or has not been removed in years it may be rusted or stuck in the tank side portion. The tank side is only pressed and swaged into the sheetmetal so be sure to use a small pipe wrench or large vise grips to grab the tank side so it does not try and turn as you attempt to remove the drain plug. If it does turn, it is a guaranteed situation where you will need to send the tank to a shop and have it repaired before the leak will stop. If you have a steel plug, suggest replacing it with brass.