Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

good afternoon everybody i am new on this forum and i think that all of you are gentle to help peoples with less experience in Packard cars like me i recently bought a 1941 Packard 180 1908 7 pass. a very nice car the body and interior are very clean and nice it did,nt run for many years so i removed the tank cleaned it installed an inline filter i changed the o?l and filter put a new battery changed the spark plugs and cranked it it started long long time by 10 seconds periods and runs but rough idle. after 1 hour temperature ok generator charges o?l pressure 40 psi i shut it off and let it cool i removed the plugs and took compression 25 psi to 50 psi when it cranks it is like engine turns freely should i remove the pan and head and take the pistons out thanks for help

How about some details on exactly how you did the compression test. For example, were all 8 plugs removed, were both the throttle and choke valves held wide open, did you repeat the test after adding a small amount of oil to each cylinder, did you run at least 3 compression cycles before recording the final compression value?

For an engine that has sat for many years, the compression may (or may not) improve with more running time, so don't jump too quickly to disassembly. The comparison between dry and after adding oil will help indicate if the compression loses are due to rings or valves.

G'day Maurice aka momo,
to PackardInfo and for including your '41 One-Eighty Super Eight Custom Touring Limo in the Packard Owner's Registry.

momo, I would suggest finding and joining a local old car club to help get you started. There are so many little things to over look, that someone that knows old cars can just look and listen and tell you what and how to do it.
On a side note if they suggest doing an engine swap, I would find someone else due to the Packard engine is an excellent engine.
A plus is good friendship with people of like interest.
Wes

good afternoon sir yes i took compression with 8 plugs removed by the way all 8 are black but not wet i opened the choke and hold the throttle open took the compression with 5 cycles even 9 cycles on some but it reads 25psi on 2 cyl. after that i put about 3 teaspoon of o?l with a vacuum hose inserted in plug hole to get access to the piston i got 35 psi. on other cylinders i have 30-35-35-45-45-45 with o?l i mean the add of o?l increased compression by 10 psi i know my gauge is accurate i removed the side covers i wanted to check if the lifters were moving freely they are in this area everything is clean and oily when i crank the engine it turns like free and i feel that i could start it by hand with a crank sorry for my English i am a french quebecois regards Maurice

good day you too i already registered my Packard in the Packard,owners registry thanks Maurice

Maurice, the fact that your compression did not increase dramatically with oil added suggests to me that your loss in compression is primarily thru the valves.

OD is of course correct, but with the general condition of
the car, if it were mine, (I wish it was) I would give it some time, sticking valves could be causing this problem,
it should improve by running at a reasonably high RPM for
a few minutes then idle a while then repeat,you should know if it's helping if your idle starts smoothing out.

"cranked it it started long long time by 10 seconds periods and runs but rough idle. after 1 hour temperature ok generator charges o?l pressure 40 psi i shut it off and let it cool i removed the plugs and took compression 25 psi to 50 psi when it cranks it is like engine turns freely"

"i removed the side covers i wanted to check if the lifters were moving freely they are in this area everything is clean and oily when i crank the engine it turns like free "

Thinking that if it runs for an hour, even with the very low compression, and you've checked that the lifters are working then the valves aren't stuck. Although it may be advisable to specifically check to see if the valves stick while running rather than just by turning the engine over. If they aren't sticking, would probably point to the valves and valve seats needing grinding/resurfacing and lapping.

Welcome, Maurice!

You have a very desirable Packard. You can get help and advice here. Just post pictures of what you're working on to help with communications.

Find members closest to you and who may have a similar model by contacting both Canadian clubs.

Packards International
Alberta Region
Box 40343 Highfield P.O.
Calgary Alberta T2G 5G7

Packard Automobile Classics
QueBec Packards
1563 Alexis-Nihon
St Laurent
Montreal QC H4R 2R6
514 745-6278
Gilbert Bureau
gbureau@videotron.ca

We are almost finished rebuilding a '48 356 for my '40 Super 8 convertible sedan at The Duchess Project blog. Take a look at the last few pages.

Joe