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

Oh, and you can see in the same picture the top spacers that Howard is talking about, they are removable.

Hi, Will this help?
youtube.com/watch?v=vk_x2yp7F2k
Wes

Thank you for the replies. The video helped me find the third, lower middle bolt I was missing. Right now I am approaching my wit's end. I must be missing something. Right now it looks like I have to remove the transmission cross member?!? I've jacked up the trans, which provided just enough to get about two turns on it...frustrated.

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Well, I removed half the bolts from the trans mount and was finally able to get that bolt out, and the lower cover off. Some more jacking on the trans resulted in a broken overdrive unit support (3.2995), but I finally got the pan off.

And now Im even more frustrated. The pan had very little sludge. The pickup screen had sludge on, maybe 10% of it, otherwise you can see right through it. Late for a family function, I didn't get any pictures or a chance to investigate further...

Well, these came today, which is great...if the car wasn't laid up. I took the oil pump off and apart today, hoping to find it sludged up...no such luck.

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While you have everything open I would pick up some plastigage and check a few bearings to see if there are any problems. Unless you get a corresponding reading from a mechanical gauge, you also haven't positively ruled out gauge issues completely.

Remember the oil pump depends on a tight clearance between the rotors and cover plate. Since you opened it, try and reuse the old thin gasket if possible or if not, don't use typical gasket paper to make new a new one. It's too thick as several have found. Believe Ross mentioned using an ordinary office type paper in a pinch but don't remember which he used. Maybe he could advise which one and anything else you might check.

Sloride:

How were you able to get a personalized Virginia antique plate? I know you used to be able to get a plate with the year of the car on one of the corners, but those plates are no longer available. When I got my plate in 2012, I did not know I had any options other than the orange and black one I got or the black and white one that was on the car before.

Craig

Howard, as always, thank you for the reply. I will be able to re-use the gasket for the pump, it is still intact. You may recall from a few pages back, I had the cover plate on wrong and the pump was good for 80psi at idle, so I think the gasket is ok.

I agree I haven't ruled out gauge issues. I "assumed away" gauge issues since, the last time I drove it, the gauge indicated pressure at cruise speed and dropped at a stop, then back up with speed, and so-on. Maybe this was just a fluke? Or maybe the increased output of the generator at speed was overcoming a partial short?

The more I think back, maybe much of the problem is my own expectation management. I really expected to see the pickup as a big ball of gloop, and the pan caked with sludge. But at the initial glance, I could see through the screen and thought it could not possibly be the problem.

Closer inspection of the screen revealed the portion of the screen that is covered by the metal cover plate did have sludge. With a second glance at the pan, I could see the shape/impression of the pickup embedded in the sludge. So maybe by sitting a few days, the sludge settled away from the pickup? And maybe I drained a fair amount of sludge when I drained the oil that last time?

I'm hestitant to break the bearing caps free, but maybe I will go ahead and plastigage it. I'm just dreading having to re-bearing it. I just don't have the time right now; I'm moving in a week and a half.

Craig - the conversation at the DMV was like this:

Me: I want to register it as an antique.
DMV Guy: Ok, do you want black and white plates, or the yellow and blue ones?
Me: Whats the difference?
Him: The yellow and blue are the customized plates.
Me: That's what I want then.
Him: What do you want it to say? You get seven characters.
Me: 49PACK
Him: Ok, let me see if it's available...yup.
Me: Great!

Maybe if you go to the DMV you can exchange yours? But 49PACK isn't available. LOL!

Thanks Mark, wish they'd told me that when I registered the Bumblebee.