Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Good evening fellas. Well,as I said in my last post, I cranked up the old 359. It was dishearting to hear that she wanted to start, but the more I cranked, I knew it wasn't going to go. The timing seemed very retarded, so I loosened the ditributer and advanced the timing. After adjusting, she did come to life. I was thrilled. Now, I have the next problem. The engine starts pretty easy , but after starting the rpms just race out of control. I'm not sure why. Hoping maybe you guys can shed some light my way. My opinion, it seems to be either in the governor, or distributer. Any thoughts. Thanks, Brian.

It sounds like a fast idle, and possibly the curb idle speed issue with the carburetor. When a car sits for long periods, fuel tends to gum up, or varnish, the jets and internals causing general running issues, particularly noticeable at idle speeds. I would recommend you first make sure the carb isn't gummed up and has clean fresh fuel, then try a simple cleaning to loosen and remove varnish. Make sure to clean the external levers and rods.

Good luck!

The carb has been completely rebuilt.

You didn't mention if the engine was on a stand or in the car. Another person had almost the same problem with his engine. His turned out to be an incorrect piece of linkage from a parts car had been swapped in and was binding the linkage so the throttle could not fully return to closed position. A weak spring and vibration was also part of it. If your engine is in the car maybe worth a look. If no linkage is connected and carb is adjusted properly and no vacuum leaks then what about the vacuum or centrifugal advance. Are those working and nothing binding or sluggish in the dist.

If the engine is racing, the carburetor throttle plates have to be open to some degree. The obvious problem as mentioned above is carburetor linkage.