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

Gents, Thanks for the caution about the cam follower arm and roller. I don't notice those on the diagram or parts list for the 1930 385. Could it be those parts are for later engines?

Could it be those parts are for later engines?

No.

The 385 and 320 engines had the roller cam followers and arms from the first to the very last, 1924 thru 1939. I'll enclose a pix or two for you. One thing that did change around was the substitution of forged arms to replace the early stamped steel arms. However the forged arms can also be easily bent.

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OK, thanks. Could you provide a little more detail on how to check if the valves are free? Or free them if they're stuck?

I'd suggest you read a good older general service manual , this problem occurs in all makes

Just went out and, using a small fulcrum and wide blade screwdriver, gently pressed up on the valve springs. I was able to test all valves except the two that are fully opened by the lifter, as their springs were already quite compressed. All 14 of the other valves are completely free to travel up and down.

Breathing a sigh of relief. Was a bit scared I'd really screwed something up.

As the problem is clearly not the valves, and the crank does turn, albeit with much effort, I don't know what else to conclude except the issue must be corroded piston rings. Can anyone suggest a different source of this sort of resistance?

I have 50-50 acetone/WTF in the cylinders now. I was planning on pouring a half cup or so down each cylinder everyday for a few days to compensate for any that flows past into the pan.

Owen D - Could the cam followers and arms be listed in the Service Parts List as camshaft rocker lever assemblies?

Probably, I haven't check the parts book for their description but you'll note the service letter excerpt called them rocker levers.

My guess is the resistance to rotating is due to rusted cylinder walls and/or piston rings. Forcing it to break free isn't going to be very kind to the internal surfaces.

I've had long stored engines where each valve will move but the overell resistance is high. On one engine it ran fine but at 40 mph it let out a clacking and I thought it had thrown a rod.. finally found a few valves were sticky and did not return fast enough thus the lifter hit the valve when the valve was going down. Pulled all valves, cleaned valves/guides with solvent, solved.

I'm not going to use the dead hammer again. I thought it might help to break the adhesion of the rings to the cylinder walls, and that's already been achieved as the engine has moved. If the ATF/acetone doesn't eventually allow me to turn the engine by hand, I guess the only alternative is to pull the pan and the head.

Owen D - Corroded rings are no doubt unkind to surfaces, yet I'm not sure how a person would get a corroded piston out of its bore without damaging the cylinder walls at least to some degree. Honing would probably be necessary afterward.

Fred - If the head comes off, the valves will get whatever treatment is needed.

"Corroded rings are no doubt unkind to surfaces, yet I'm not sure how a person would get a corroded piston out of its bore without damaging the cylinder walls at least to some degree. Honing would probably be necessary afterward."

I'd suggest that reboring would be required, maybe even sleeving if the walls have been rebored previously or the damage is severe. If you can get away with just honing that would be great!