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Hello all, I'm getting ready too drop the oil pan on my 41 110. Can the pan be dropped as it sits or do you need to raise the engine to get by the pump. This will be my first Packard. I also was wondering if there any tips, must does, or tricks.

Thanks in advance

Depending on the front engine mount, ie how much it has sagged due to age, you may or may not be able to drop the pan without raising the engine. Another thing is that, depending on where the crankshaft is positioned when the engine came to a stop, it may interfere with the pan being dropped. Easy to overcome though, just turn the crank a little. Either by hand using the fan belt, if that'll work, or by "bumping" the starter motor just a little. Don't think the steering linkage will impede you but, if it does, just disconnect the offending piece/s.

Mal gives good advice. I might add that you may need to remove the clutch-flywheel cover.

After you get the pan off look at the edges where it bolts on to the engine. The edges may have become dimpled due to tightening of the bolts. This is easily remedied by placing the edge on a flat surface and carefully striking the area with a hammer to restore a flat surface.

Make sure the engine surface has been thoroughly cleaned of old gasket material and cement when you get ready to install the pan. Cement the new gasket onto the pan and use a small amount of grease to coat the surface facing the engine. This will ensure that the gasket will come off cleanly with the pan the next time it is removed. The grease will let the pan slide around without disturbing the gasket while lining up bolt holes. Snug up the bolts, but don't over tighten. Don't forget to clean the oil pump screen.

Pat, re Mal's tip on possibly raising the engine if the front mount rubber is excessively compressed, (which it probably will be unless it's obvious it has been recently replaced) and you have to raise the front of the engine, I would be careful not to 'overlift' it as the back motor mounts on the tranny are locked down and I wouldn't want to push the envelope on how much twist they would take before separating. Expensive to have redone too. I suppose you would probably hit the firewall with the head before you got too far, but a point worth considering nonetheless. Chris

Thanks all, i have thought about the front mount already and think ill get that replaced/re-done (sagging pretty good) before i attempt the pan and see if that will help me get the pan off. The oil trick on the block side gasket i have heard of before on the Model A forum i frequent.....but i just cant bring myself to do it lol just doesn't seem like it would seal too me im sure it would because i have heard it so much before, but i think it would drive me nuts and i would be looking for leaks at every stop!!!!!!

As for the pan dimpling i have some body dollys and i believe i have one that will fit that edge.

On the crank being in the way i may be screwed on that i have the generator,VR, starter and distributor with Jason at AER, when i took the distributor out i took pics and made sure i know where the clocking on the distributor is so i can drop it back in where it was at, i think (chevys are this way) so if i move the crank or bump it i will lose my clocking for the distributor so that may need to wait till i get that stuff back from Jason????

Pat, not sure if your car is the same as mine, but if you have the hole in the bell housing with the needle to point to the timing marks, you should be able to crank the engine to wherever you want to get the pan off and then just go back to TDC when you're ready to put your distributor back in and you should be fine, no???

Hey Newbie......like i said im learning the Packard as i go if yours is a six i would assume they are the same......im glad you said something about that cuz i was going to look for the timing marks up front like on GM's engines....now my Model A has a hole in the timing cover and you stick a pin in there and when the pin drops in a recess in the cam gear your at TDC, you dont even have to worry about it being on the compression stroke . Soooo this timing mark on the Packard is on the bell housing???? is there a mark on the flywheel to align it with???? and do i need to worry about it being on compression or exhaust stroke?????

Pat, I am presuming you have a 245 CID six. If so, I believe they were pretty much the same for quite a few model years. The hole (on mine, anyway) is on the driver's side beside the starter - about a 1 1/2" opening in the bell housing and there is a needle mounted on the inside. The timing marks are on the flywheel with TDC and about 10 or so degrees advance and retard marked on either side of that. Note: each tick = 2 degrees.

Re the need to be on the compression stroke - I am not sure; somebody that knows more about this than me will weigh in and clarify that, to be sure. Chris

Thanks Chris

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Pat,

Concerned as you are about losing the timing for your distributor when turning the crankshaft I think that by a little ingenuity, in conjunction with the two tips above, you can get around this.

First, mark the flywheel tooth the pointer is currently pointed to with white paint or other means of identification.

Then, rotate the flywheel by levering the ring gear tooth by tooth(out of gear, of course) from below through the opened up clutch-flywheel cover area by means of a big screwdriver or a tyre lever until the offending crankshaft counterweight or conrod big end no longer interferes with removal of the pan.

Last, reverse the levering direction on the ring gear after you'e done what you need to do. Returning the flywheel so that the pointer again points to the gear tooth you marked earlier.

After all that your distributor should slot back in to where it was previously.

Believe this should work but if anyone sees any flaws in my suggestion I'd be happy to hear about them now rather than later with Pat experiencing failure by following this advice.

Of course there's always the possibility that the crankshaft came to a stop without being in a position to interfere with pan removal. You can hope!