Re: Deja Vu

Posted by JWL On 2011/11/20 12:12:03

Some time back I wrote about when my father was trying to solve the noisy lifter problems in the Packard V-8s (mid-1950s to mid-1960s). He thought the problem was with the camshaft. I don't recall what he thought was wrong with them, but too fix this problem he installed adjustable push rods. He used very small rocker arm to valve clearances (I believe they were 0.001" for intakes and 0.002" for exhausts). This fix seemed to work the valves were quiet and not other problems like crankshaft bearing failures occurred. He also thought the engines ran smoother. He also installed the newly designed camshaft thrust plate.

Of course, it is 50+ years later and these V-8 engines have been subject to all kinds of driving conditions which were not in his experience. It seems now that while his fix worked there was still a core problem that had not been discovered when he was trying to solve the problem.

I also recall Bob Aller saying at a Tech Session in Salado, that it was one of his service managers in Dallas that discovered the oil pump problem of air getting into the pump from wear and misalignment of the driving shaft.

(o[]o)