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

I've got a '40 1801A Henney Ambulance, have been driving it for about 25 years, but not a lot. It has always blown oil smoke and runs through oil pretty fast. The car has about 20 some thousand miles on it. I did a compression check and 2-7 are around 85-90. 1 and 8 are 75 and 55. The head has oil leaking up through the head bolts in a few spots. I poured oil into 1 and 8 and the compression popped right up to 95+psi. So it looks like rings. I've got a new head gasket for it and am tempted to put it one before I have to rebuild the engine. I had a Packard fellow in Arizona tell me to run it at a fast idle and pour about a cup of water down the carb to blast the rings free. I've heard about this in the past. I've had pretty good luck pickling a few of my old cars with transmission fluid in the holes as well over the years.
So what do any of you think about all of this. I do plan on rebuilding the eng at some point, but with the low miles it still holds great oil pressure and I'd like to wait a bit to do other things with car. thanks, Drake

Gerd, what Drake there is talking about does work, but you put the water into the engine from the carb while the engine is running, which turns it into steam, and will clean out the carbon. I've found it best to use a squirt bottle and to go slow, with the engine around 1500-2000 rpm. It DOES work, but just make sure there's nothing behind the exhaust pipe that you don't want completely black. I learned this trick years ago from my father, and have done it many times over.

The only thing I know to fix your car without taking it apart is to drive it more. If you filled the crankcase with light oil with Rislone or Bardahl in it (look for "frees sticky rings" on the label) then took it on long drives of at least 100 miles there is an excellent chance the oil burning will be eliminated or greatly reduced by the time you drive 2000 or 3000 miles.

Water will steam out carbon from the combustion chambers but I never heard of it curing bad rings.

A ring and valve job used to be a standard overhaul procedure. It is usually done with the engine in the car.

You have to take off the head and oil pan, this allows you to remove the rod caps and take the piston and rod out the top of the engine. You can then hone the cylinders and install new rings. While you are at it remove the valves, check the valve springs, and grind the valves. If they are real good a light lapping with fine compound may be all that is necessary. If you have a burnt valve or the valves and seats are worn, some machine shops will bring their valve grinding tools to you. Or, you may have to tow the car to their shop.

There are other details, such as scraping out the ring grooves with a broken piston ring. I like to grind an old ring to a chisel point for this. All the details are covered in any good repair manual.

Since you are taking off the head anyway to replace the gasket this would not entail a lot of extra work.

Before WW2 most cars needed a ring and valve job after 20,000 to 30,000 miles of driving.

Well Guys, that was a real good conversation. I appreciate it. I'll probably pull the pan when I do the head. Was thinking of that. Sounds like a good winter project. 'Course might as well pull the clip and do the engine right with paint etc. Then, of course, the is the frame to do as well. Does it never end? But seriously, thanks for info. The internet is sure better than the old days of laboriously writing tons of letters. Drake

Quote:

I've had a few instances (a 360 Chrysler comes to mind) where for all intents and purposes it seemed like bad rings but a little water down the carb knocked out so much carbon that it ran 100 times better after that. Dad and I were thinking that maybe some carbon got wedged between the ring and the land not letting the rings move like they should. All I know is that it ran great after that, YMMV.

I'd be willing to bet that the old Chrysler I did that to had far more many miles on it that Drake's engine, as well as being of far less quality of material.