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

Hello all!

Last week I bought a 38 Packard Six.
Upon arrival yesterday I noticed that the engine has a ticking sound. It idles bad but the sound is not present, only at higher rpm. It drives pretty good with plenty of power.
The car mostly sat for the past two years, driven very rarely.
I am very new to pre war cars and flatheads, basically zero experience. I would love your guys input on this problem.

Here is a video with the sound present :

youtu.be/ASr6TnhsngQ?si=KbwufrwUV2P6xd9P

Many greetings.

It's hard to discern engine sounds from a video, but here are two common things to look for.

Failing manifold gaskets will often make a very sharp sound under load as exhaust gas shoots out past them, and if there are leaks on the intake ports the idle will be very poor.

Noticeable ticking at idle means the valves need adjusting. I suggest you test the manifold vacuum and report back.

These are very simple engines and their problems are usually also simple.

You can check for a manifold leak easily with a spray bottle filled with water and some dish soap. Just spray it on the gasket area and look for:
On the intake it will be sucked in and result in a dry spot at the gasket area.
On the exhaust there will be bubbles caused by the escaping exhaust. (Don't forget to shoot some around the joint the exhaust pipe meets the exhaust manifold too.)
Not a bad idea to also check around the carb's base too, again it will result in a dry spot on that as the liquid will be sucked into the area the gasket is failing.
This will also show up any cracks in the castings too.
If there are no leaks the solution you have sprayed will only act as a mild cleaner!
Have fun.
Bob J.

Be sure you’re running on fresh, clean gasoline too!

Thanks for the input guys! I found a huge crack on the underside of the exhaust manifold... Does this sound like a logical explanation to the symptoms or should I look further?

Good starting point to get that replaced. Certainly was not what the engineers had in mind when the engine was built!