OK - Here is the latest installment of the Fuel Pump Mystery. Following Howard's advise, I went over the Fuel Filter Bowl and tubing down to the pump. Could not find any trace of a leak. Also, the tubing from the Filter Assembly to the pump enters below the rim of the pump so gas would have to hop up to get on the rim/ledge.

I did pull the dipstick for the sniff test for gas and it was at best, inconclusive. Modern gas simply doesn't smell like the gas back in the 50s that I remember. However, the oil on the dipstick didn't smell quite right either when I opened a fresh bottle of oil to compare. It may be my imagination but it did seem to have a slight gas smell. I must add that I have trouble smelling modern gasoline. The oil still felts "slippery" but it will be changed before the car is next started.

That leaves the pump. I now think Howard nailed it with the gas leaking out the air vent and down to the ledge. I'm hoping that the gas in the oil smell is my imagination as I've got a great engine and the thought that I may have damaged it makes me sick.

The next step, I guess, is to remove the pump and open it up to check the diaphragm for holes.

I'm attaching another picture of my Fuel Pump for reference of anyone else with similar trouble.

Thanks again to Howard, O_D, Ross, DuaneG, Riki and bobp.

Attach file:

---

  (103.69 KB)

In an idle moment I went surfing through the web and wound up on the Wikipedia's article on Packard. In the section dealing with the immediate post war years the relate a story of why the Senior Bodies of 1940 were not brought back after the war. It states that when the factory went over to full war production the body dies and tooling were literally left outside to the mercies of Detroit weather. Consequently, they were unusable. If I remember right Christopher was President of Packard by then or very close to it and given his "love" for the Seniors it sounds like something he'd order.

Has anyone else heard of this version?

Quote:

Good God! Thank you Howard, I never even considered that possibility or consequence! No more driving until I get that sorted out! Pulling the dipstick and taking a wiff of the oil sounds advisable too.

Quote:

I am really wondering about that diaphragm. I got started on this because the engine at steady speed felt like it was running out of gas. Push down on the pedal, and it smoothed out. That said, I haven't look that closely at the glass bowl. I will definitely do that as well.

Howard, over the last five years, you have saved my posterior more times than I can count. Thank you yet again.

That is one very good looking Packard! It's the first one I've seen with the rear quarter window blanked out. Really excellent. I think the Clippers were beautiful cars.

I'm hoping to drive my '55 to my 50th reunion next summer as well. Good luck. You'll get all the info you need here.

I just remembered what else I was going to ask.

Can anyone tell me how much power steering fluid that system holds? By "that system" I mean the Bendix on the 1955 Seniors. The power cylinder is leaking and while I plan to buy a new one, I'd like to put that off for a while I've bought some Bars Power Steering Stop Leak which states that one bottle treats up to 3 quarts. I've looked in the FSM, The Power Steering Booklet and the 1955 Chilton's Repair Manual with no luck. The booklet mentions when drain the system, a two quart container should be used but that's for the '53 & '54 system though I imagine it's probably still valid. But the right amount to put back in would make me feel more comfortable.

Actually, there are two parts to this one.

First, the fuel pump. I haven't gotten much done as temperatures here have been in the mid to upper 90s, again. However, I did check all the connections I could with the pump still on the car and they are all tight. Not with standing, the rim around the pump is full of gas and the car hasn't been driven in 48 hours. Also, the fuel level in the glass filter bowl has been dropping. It was about half full yesterday and today is down to about a quarter of an inch. I know O_D said that there were two check valves in the AC pump that prevent fuel from flowing backwards but I doubt very much if the gas on the rim is coming from the tank.

I think I'm going to modify my plan and wait to see what happens when the fuel filter bowl is dry - probably tomorrow. If the gas on the rim disappears I can only think, given what O_D said, that those two check valves need to be ------ checked!

As for the second part, I'm damned if I can remember what I was going to ask! It looks like my mind is evaporating in the heat along with the gas.

Any comments from you all would be gratefully accepted.

Well Drat!!

Thank you once again Owen,for your fast response. I guess the next move is to check the fittings to make sure they're tight. If they are, then I'm at complete loss as to how this gas is getting on the rim of the Fuel Pump. I mean there is nothing else it can be but gas as I'm running a 50/50% mix for coolant.

I guess the next step is to take the pump off the car and check the rest of the screws. If those are tight I'm out of ideas.

I've gotten to the place where I was going to order a complete engine gasket set for the '51 Patrician but it looks like now there might be another contender for that cash.

I'll let everyone know what I find out.

Thanks again, Owen.

J.

I'll second that!

This is an update on the Fuel Pump leaking problem I posted earlier.

I hadn't driven the car for 36 hours and when I checked under the hood I found liquid around the Fuel Pump again. This time though, I noticed something else. In addition to the gas around the pump, the fuel filter bowl just before the carb was half empty! It was full when parked and the pump area dry. There was enough on the rim of the pump today for a taste test and it tastes like what is in the Lawnmower tank.

It looks to me like the gas is being syphoned out of the fuel filter bowl and maybe providing the leak around the pump? I looked at the fuel filter bowl on my '51 200 Deluxe and even though it had been parked longer than the '55 Pat, it was full

Is this just a coincidence or is my guess have some foundation in truth?

Please let me know any thoughts you might about this.

Jim

I've been considering that, but the last time I received word from their website; they couldn't be sure that I would be able to use my WW knob in the OE place. If your set up does that, I'd love to know about it.

The other thing is that on my cars I like to keep things as designed as possible. With the vacuum can I'm very close to flawless performance. However I use them so seldom that I have had moments when I've had to get out of the car and "assist" the wipers until they could work on their own. I mean, if I wanted to stand in the rain, I could have walked to the store. If the Newport system is simply a bolt on and the switch can used the OE knobs AND provide for working the Windshield Washers I would definitely be interested in knowing.

On topic, I have something to add about the "stumbling". Yesterday when I was backing it into the garage it didn't seem to want to back up and in until I pressed down harder on the gas at which point it shot back into the garage and I barely got it stopped before I hit the wall.

I put it in drive and it sort of did the same then - probably the torque converter smoothed it out where as reverse is greared. While in the alley, I then tried Reverse again and once more it stumbled until I pressed down harder and again it shot backwards - chirping the tires this time.

Anyone have any ideas about what I should do now? The action in reverse doesn't seem to fit a Fuel Pump problem - at least to me.