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

If I don't have 00 cables now, I will have. Thanks.

Assuming that the problem is not electrical in nature, another thing you could try that's simple is to floor the throttle when presented with the condition. This will fully open the choke. What you could be dealing with is a phenomenon involving "fuel percolation" in the carb which can lead to a flooded engine situation. When I first encountered the problem almost 10 years ago in my 23rd series Super (after just having acquired it), I was totally baffled and very concerned. But via this forum I was advised to try this approach, and it worked. And it has ever since...without fail. I have replaced the car's coil as well as points/condenser, and the car does have 00 cables...yet, I do encounter this situation still. But flooring the pedal always gets me started again.

this exact same thing happened to me last weekend. drove the car for a good while, had to stop somewhere and went to start it and the only way it would start was to floor the gas. started right up. when i got home the gas was leaking out of the carb....see my blog....and i'm sure its the fuel perculating out.

Sure, flooring the throttle activates the choke unloader which forces it partially open. But when problems are encountered with fuel "percolation", don't ignore the adjustment of the anti-percolator valves, assuming your carburetor model has them. Some carbs have a basic vent on the float bowl cover, others vent into the venturi, some vents have cover caps with linkage adjustment to open the vent just as the throttle closes.

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All Packards 41?-53 have their starter switches on the carburetor. The only way to start the car is to floor the gas pedal and keep it floored. Thus recommending to floor the gas pedal is redundant.

I think it's a little more involved than that, Fred. IIRC when correctly set up, when depressing the throttle the starter motor should engage first and the throttle must be pushed yet further to engage the choke unloader. With a cold engine you only want to push the throttle to the point where the starter engages. With a hot engine and with one possibly flooded you want to push the pedal beyond the point that the starter engages so that you also trip the choke unloader.

I see it differently. The difficulty is starting when the car is hot, when it is hot the choke is wide open and whne trying to start the car depressing the gas pedal just until the switch engages or pushing it all the way to the floor will not open the choke any further.

Agreed Fred, I had a "senior moment" mental lapse.

Good Morning...I have a question for Owen and Fred.

Somewhere along the line, a prior owner added a push button start like a 49 Ford, right next to the key switch on our 1949 288 Deluxe. there is no evidence of the original starter switch on the carburetor or in the wiring that I can find.

I have noticed such buttons on a number of photographs of 22nd/23rd series Packards. Was a button like this a dealer option or did this sort of thing happen at an after market garage someplace?

When Miss Prudence is warm/hot out here in the desert, I use the starter button without touching the throttle and she usually starts right up. Do you guys know if the hot starting problem was the occasional reason for the addition of the starter button, or was it just some owners personal preference?

Thanks, Ernie

I can tell you that in my fathers case it was personal preference. He had one installed under the dash edge and out of sight on his 51 300 and I believe he said he had also done it on a 40s Buick. IIRC, his reasoning was when the the engine failed to start, each time the pedal was pushed it added another squirt of gas and usually flooded the engine before he finally got it going. Using the button allowed the gas to clear without any more being added. I am not sure why he had issues unless possibly it was because the engine needed work and the 300 did not have the second version starter with the anti-kickout Bendix. He probably added a button to his 400 as insurance although I can't ever remember needing it all the years I drove that car.