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

Vehicle spec: 1951, 300 sedan, 327, ultramatic.

Left the house this morning, all good, almost to work (5-6 minutes run time) and loss of power, big time loss of power. Could barely keep it running. Random (pops) missfires in the exhaust. Could not get above 15 mph. Barely made it into a parking spot at work.
Had a few minutes, checked fuel, got fuel. Accelerator pump is squirting in the carb.
FFWD to end of work day.
Engine rolls over, no fire. Check hat and spinner, look ok. Points, not so good.
Catch a ride home from wife. Start looking for parts, ie: points and condenser.
How many dizzys did Packard use ??? I have seen listings for Delco, Presto-lite, and Auto-lite.

Getting back to the car tomorrow to see if i can find a tag on the dizzy. And bring some more tools to test for spark.
Standard Blue Streak was my go to for years for point ignitions.
Anything better for a Packard ? (once i figure out which dizzy i have.)
Thanks

They used either Autolite or Delco-Remy but Prestolite and others offered aftermarket replacements. I think even Autolite offered Delco-Remy replacements and vice versa but I’m not sire! Point is (pun intended), you need to know which distributor you have before you can find the points for it and be sure to take a photo inside your distributor too just in case. Stores like Napa can often look up Packard but the points aren’t necessarily correct so a photo really helps.

Better check coil and condenser, and ignition primary wiring.

If the engine sounds abnormal when cranking with the ignition off, you may have a timing chain issue.

Points rarely fail suddenly, but the condenser might.

update: after todays testing i have a very ugly little yellow spark that cant even clear a 1/8 gap.
So, good news. Coil is trying, hat and spinner are co-operating, but i believe the condenser has left the chat.
New parts tomorrow.
Lets see how good i am with a feeler gauge, and a screwdriver.

Turns out its a Delco dizzy and my local parts house can have points and condenser by morning.
+1 for my locally owned parts store.

6 volt electrical systems are unforgiving of issues a 12v system usually handles with ease so everything needs to be in pristine condition with good clean connections and decent size cables. Even if things work after changing the condenser a good idea would be to check the voltage at the coil terminal that is fed from the ign switch with the switch on and the car just sitting. Check again while the engine is cranking.

If the starter is pulling excess current or there is an ign switch issue, or a dirty or loose connection somewhere, or too small a battery cable or a marginal battery charge or CCA capacity the voltage at the coil terminal could be dropping so low the coil does not have enough power to produce a decent spark when trying to start. Just sitting the coil voltage should be at battery voltage of 6.3v or maybe a tenth or so below that. Anything less start looking for connection problems. When cranking, if voltage falls much below about 5.5 volts things start to get into iffy territory and any of the items listed could be causing the weak spark problem..

Bought a set of Blue Streak points for the '40 120 i then owned in the late '70s. My retired aero/auto mechanic/machinist pilot took one look at them, exclaiming, "They're plastic. Take these back and get a set of Echlin." He was right. They were partially plastic. I've used Echlin ever since.

HH56 and the others give good advice. There's a nifty search bar to the above right of the home page for obvious, covered to death topics. But again, make sure you've got double aught (00) solid copper battery cables, ends both crimped and soldered. "Heavy duty" cables from the local car parts store in this 12-volt world still too skimpy. If you have a battery disconnect switch--which you should--make sure it's rated for more amps than your starter draws. Cole Hersee brass marine grade from any NAPA or online a good choice.

boatplicity.com/9029458-cole-hersee-m284 ... rm=2331583126725667&utm_content=AG1'

Once you get sorted -- and always follow the Packard shop manual -- make sure to clean out the distributor grease cup and refill with good black molybdenum-graphite grease and give it a turn every 1,000 miles. A worn distributor shaft will upset your timing.