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

Hey all,
As per my other post, I put the new carb on and dialed in pretty well. It turns out my problem was with the timing. Seems like my vac adv. stopped working all of a sudden after the new carb went on. I have good vacuum all the way to the dizzy. Does any place sell the vacuum unit by it self? I don't want to send the hole thing off to get rebuilt if I don't have to.

Keith Blankenship, Special Interest Autos, Ardmore, Oklahoma
www.special-interest-autos.com He rebuilt the vacuum advance unit in my '47 Super Clipper. Good man, prompt turnaround.

Feltz Terrill (Terrill Machine, Inc., De Leon, Texas, 254-893-2610) also rebuilds distributor vacuum advance chambers along with water and fuel pumps.

(o[]o)

Which ever vendor you choose to do the job, remember to remove the spring and shims (if any) before shipping off your unit to be rebuilt or as a core exchange.

max merritt-has them on the shelf-my vac adv evidently was so bad-the engine would not idle properly. Idles very well after putting a new vac adv on.

I tested the vacuum advance by sucking on the vacuum line while the cap was off. It moves perfectly! As it turns out the problem is the mechanical advance is not springing back properly. Is the service procedure for this in any of the manuals? I haven't been able to find it.

On a similar note, I found a dual points distributor in the trunk.... It's a Delco-Remy 1110841 3D24. Is this a stock distributor (maybe not stock Packard, but stock Delco) or is it a home hop-up job? At any rate, it feels ok aside from the plate moving slightly when the shaft is rotated.

Instructions and some pictures are in the electrical section of service manuals. Pictures are slightly better in the 55-6 manual.

fory, sounds like you've got a classic case of distributor neglect (failure to clean and lubricate). Remove the breaker plate to examine the centrifugal advance - if you're lucky you'll just find the weights are no longer free to swivel on their pins but the springs are intact. Simple cleaning and a little lubrication may solve the problem. If you find one or both springs are missing or broken, you'll most likely want to find a shop with a distributor test machine to reestablish the centrifugal advance curve.

PS - a few drops of oil on the felt wick beneath the rotor is what lubricates the movement between the lower distributor drive shaft and the upper shaft with the cam. The centrifugal advance is what separates these two shafts. This lubrication, in addition to the pivots of the advance weights is often an area of neglect, even more so after a conversion to electronic ignition where the internal service needs of the distributor tends to be forgotten.

I'll check it out. I was sure to put a dab of grease in the little cap on the side (as per my shop teacher's instructions) and lubed the block on the points and all that. Maybe one of the springs broke? It just seems like it moves more freely than it should and doesn't spring back well. I'll post pictures when i get it apart.