Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

On the fourth test drive of my 56 Deluxe, it started to get too hot. I have an additional temperature probe just above the thermostat. I found a place to pull over as it passed 230. I let it cool and limped back to the garage with another stop. The radiator temperature range was wide, so I was thinking it was a lack of flow.

After cooling I ran it with the radiator cap off until the thermostat opened. I had tested the thermostat before installing it. There was no visible coolant flow.

So it could be the radiator, the water pump, or the coolant passages.

The radiator had been boiled clean and tested. There was no measured test to see how it compared to the 30 gpm min spec. The water pump had been rebuilt by Gould. I think they used the original impeller. The water pump has the plastic impeller. There was no noise from the pump when running. The block and heads had been cleaned in a hot tank as a part of the rebuild. This problem shouldn't be happening.

Since you can only test the pump installed in the water manifold, I needed to remove it find some way to test it.

Attached are pictures of the test stand. The manifold is mounted on the stand with the thermostat removed.

It took only seconds run on the test stand to see that the pump was not pumping. I removed the pump and found that the plastic impeller had separated from the metal core.

Has anyone else had this problem with the plastic impellers? Should I replace it with a NOS plastic impeller or get a metal one?

Thanks.

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I was just speaking with Parker at Gould Rebuilders today at Hershey; if the rebuild was recent, give them a call as I expect they would make good on the job. When I rebuilt mine I chose a stainless all steel impeller but I have many friends with Packard V8s running the plastic impeller for years and years with no problems.

Unfortunately I was doing the have it rebuilt when you take it off method so it has been a couple of years. I think they used the original impeller. There isn't a list of parts replaced on the invoice, only a note (plastic impeller).

Where did you get the stainless impeller? Is someone making replacement impellers? What about the cast impeller? I understand that you can use one from a Hudson pump.

Thanks.

I have no knowledge of what Hudson did, I would have assumed that on the Packard-supplied engine they used the same water pump as the Packard version.

My stamped steel impeller came with a pump I picked up in a flea market somewhere, don't know it's origin but it's been in use on the engine for nearly 20,000 miles and functioning just fine.

Again, for your problem I'd go back to Gould, or Terrill if you prefer and get their advice on the problem. They've both been dealing with Packard water pumps for decades, no one is more familiar with them and knows best how to manage their issues. For those who didn't know, Gould Rebuilders is now owned by Parker Roaf of Parker's Packards, a Packard service and restoration business up in Holden, MA.

parkerspackards.com/index.html

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