Re: engine guys...Valve seals?

Posted by Jack Vines On 2008/9/15 10:26:24

Hi, Mike,

Valve stem seals are unlikely to be your big problem. A valve stem seal oil burning doesn't come and go. Smoke from a missing valve stem seal will be present a bit upon deceleration and a lot upon acceleration after a decel. Closing the throttle at speed creates a very high vacuum. Oil is sucked past the valve guides. Opening the throttle, the cylinders are coated with oil and it burns and smoke is visible. Missing seals will smoke a bit on steady high-vacuum cruise.

1. Is the smoke definitely blue? Black smoke can be a stuck choke, stuck carburetor float, ignition problems.
2. If the smoke is definitely blue, there are only two ways for oil to get into a stock Packard:
a. Valve stem seals, but this symptom doesn't get worse and better randomly.
b. Something mechanical, such as stuck/broken rings, cracked piston.
3. A few Packards from California had PCV valves installed on the. Often this was not done correctly. Often, it was not maintained. Check for any vacuum line going into the intake manifold. This includes a power brake system. Not common on Packards, but one owner of another brand was chasing an oil burning problem while his brake fluid was going out the tailpipe.
4. Head gasket. When a head gasket fails, at high temps antifreeze can be sucked into the chamber and whiter smoke insues. Check the coolant level.

thnx, jack vines