HH56,

Thank you. This is really helpful. It confirms the float level adjustment and provides a number of other adjustments I can check.

I am particularly interested in the float adjustment method, "This dimension is measured...with the gasket removed and the engine idling". So, this means that I would remove the top cover plate of the carb (which would include the choke and the accelerator pump) and idle the car to check the depth of the gas level from the top of the bowl. Doesn't seem hard, but it sounds like it could get a little messy. I may give this a shot over the weekend if it seems not to be running optimally.

Any idea how far out I should start with the idle adjustment needles at the bottom plate? Before rebuild, these were three turns out. That seemed like a lot to me, so I started at 2 turns. Idle is quite smooth and my test run seemed good, but I may have to play with these a bit.

Thanks for the help!

I rebuilt the carb last night (Stromberg EE-16). I was surprized to find little (almost nothing) on how to make the usual adjustments, like float height, etc. in either the kit or the manual.

The only float height reference is the gas level (not quite sure how to measure that while rebuilding). Both instructions and manual specify 15/32 of an inch from top. Did the best I could.

Popped it back on and everything seems to start and run nicely. However, this morning I noted a pool of gas on the manifold. It appears to be leaking from either the accelorator pump check valve screw, or one of the metering jet plugs. The kit did not include a gasket for the acc pump check valve so I used the old one, which was intact. New ones on the metering jet plugs.

Pretty wet - more than just seapage, I assume it will drain the bowl. I can try tightening the various screws mentioned, but wondered if there is something else that I might have overlooked??

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

I agree that I would rather see these older cars in the original paint as opposed to the hi-gloss finishes many show cars are painted today. The matalic colors used on my 120 are the factory colors, I am just trying to find a place to match them. I will give Tower a shot. It may not be a perfect match. but probably an improvement over a noticable ding.

I am doing some detailing on my 41 120 and I am looking for a source for the correct red paint for the hood medallions. I am hoping there is a rattle can of the right color. Does anyone know??

Also, I am looking for a good source for packard touch-up colors. Even though I am careful, I still pickup a ding from a rock or something occasionally. My car is Algiers Blue Metalic over Legion blue Metalic, but the paint places I have talked to have no luck doing a cross over. Again, any help would be appreciated.

The noise I am experiencing is somewhat quiet, so it ends up being hard to distinguish between mechanical and electric.

The OD engages as soon as I let up on the accelerator, there is no pause or hesitation. But I hear the noise (if it happens to be there at all) until I let the OD engage (by backing off the gas). That is another reason I doubt it is mechanical. When the car reaches the speed for the Governor to shift into OD, the small dash light goes on and the buzzing starts. As soon as I let off the gas, the shift to OD is made, the light goes off and the buzzing stops, all at the same time. If it was the pawl not engaging, it seems to me the noise would be while the shift is being made. Maybe I am veiwing this wrong though. I think once the light goes on, that means the pawl has been pushed into position where it should be caught by the balk ring. Is there anything at this point in the operation (with the pawl pushing in, but not yet in the opening in the balk ring, so not yet able to engage in the slots in the sun gear) that would result in a ratcheting noise? It seems to me the noise would come later, when deceleration has allowed the pawl to go through the opening in the balk ring and try to engage the slot in the sun gear. I assume if it did not engage crisply, you could hear a ratcheting while the pawl would ride accross the slot in the sun gear.

Once the shift is made, which feels completely smooth, there is no unusual noises, whining, etc. When I come to a stop, I can hear the OD click out to disengage.

The solonoid that we removed from the car was essentially fried. I don't have it, but my recollection was there was a large winding with some terminal conectors at the end. The winding was no longer connected, with the wire completely burnt (a big section, not just a little) and the terminal looked quite burnt as well.

I am really feeling like I should work through the sequence of switches and connectors, energizing each and seeing if any causes the buzzing to occur. I am pretty sure that either the manual, or a previous thread on the forum, has a pretty good walk through sequence. But since I don't know what I am doing, I want to avoid shorting out anything, etc. If anyone has a thought as to which component to check, and how to check it, I would appreciate the knowledge.

I just got the overdrive on my '41 Sedan working and I notice an intermitant noise.

With the OD engaged, occassionally, when the car hits the speed for the OD to kick in (dash light goes on), I hear what really sounds like a buzzing that goes away as soon as I let off the gas and the OD kicks in.

My mechanic describes it as a ratcheting noise and thinks it has to do with the pawl riding against the Sun gear before the balk ring captures it. I can't really see how that would cause this noise, but he does know these cars very well. It sounds much more electrical to me. Once it shifts, everything is silent and smooth. And it does not happen every time. Only occasionally, mostly under very gentle acceleration as opposed to rapid acceleration.

To me, it sounds very much like the noise that a bad Ford starter solonoid makes when you turn the key (a very rapid buzzing), but quit a bit quieter. Is there an electric switch that would likely make this kind of noise at the point of OD engagement? We did have to replace solonoid switch on the side of the OD unit as the old one was badly burned.

Any thoughts or tests that I might run to narrow it down. Obviously, pulling the unit is way down the line in my quest to fix this. Somewhere south of simply not using the OD.

I am wondering if the Solonoid would make this noise and if so, why. The old one was badly burned and i wonder what might have caused that.

Any help is really appreciated.

Hi Dan;

Don't know if you saw my latest post. But it turns out that I don't have a hand throttle at all, it is an electric clutch. i figured this out trying to take pictures of the set up for you. I began to get suspicious when the cable attached to the clutch!
Hope someone has an example for you!

Jim

Hello HH,

Thank you for the compliment. The two-tone paint on the car does turn heads.

I don't know if it was originally a California Car, but I have been over and under every inch on it and I see no sign of rust anywhere. The undercarriage is extremely clean abd not heavily undercoated, just painted.

The car was in a private museum since 1994 here in California. Based on the display signs and paraphernalia in the trunk, it was displayed in several shows.

I plan to have the chassis detailed and put it in local shows, but my wife and I want to drive it occasionally as well, so I don't plan on going over the top.

This is the first Packard I have owned and I really am impressed with it. It is a blast. Fairly complex, I think, for a car of its age.

I have a Plymouth Woodie as well, and it is 100% more straight forward. But this car is just a very sweet ride.

I am assuming the wire going up the steering column should be "hot" all the time.
With the key on (which i doubt really matters) I get nothing through the wire. There appears to be no current whatever, which is probably why the horn button does not activate the horn,
On the wiring diagram, I do not see any horn relay other than the horn button.
The horns (each and both) do activate when tested similarly to Owen's suggestion, but I am just pulling current from another source.
Where exactly would I find the relay switch?
Other thoughts?
The column wire looks to be in good shape at the steering wheel side.

I will take a couple this week end and load'em up.