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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Home away from home
 
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Some questions so we have more information to go off of:
1.) Is this a new-to-you car, or have you owned for a few years and just haven't driven it? 2.) How fresh is the gas? If the gas has been sitting a few years I would probably not use it. If the gas is going bad, then it can quickly gum up your valves and make them stick. Getting them unstuck is definitely doable, but it's some work. Fresh gas is always best. If you aren't sure of the condition of the fuel tank, you can use a gas can hose for now to get it running. If the current fuel tank is questionable, replace it with the new tank you have coming. 3.) Have you looked at the current ignition set up in the car (points, condenser, cap, rotor)? Are the points burned, rotor/cap contacts burned? Cap cracked? For the fuel issue, you'll want to check the system methodically. Check the condition of the existing tank. If you already have a new tank coming I would just empty and drop the old one. Disconnect the flex line at the fuel pump and blow compressed air through the hard fuel line to make sure it is clear. Visually inspect the line as well to see if there are any kinks or leaks. A small leak on the suction side of the fuel line will lead to no fuel getting pumped. If you don't know when the last time your fuel pump was rebuilt, I would plan on rebuilding it. A good chance the rubber on the inside is shot. Also, the filter screen on the fuel pump could be clogged with debris if your fuel tank is rusty on the inside. Once those things are sorted it should pump fuel reliably to the carb. Then it's just a matter of dialing in the carb. It may or may not need a rebuild. No spark could be a lot of different things. Points, condenser, etc. I would just replace all of that with new. I know you ordered some, but you can also buy spares at NAPA. NAPA will also have a coil should you need it. Or Dwight Heinmuller at packardparts.org. I also highly recommend watching Ross's video on setting up the dizzy once you have spark. My guess is replacing the above items will get you spark. As long as the parts show up quickly I'm pretty confident you can get this thing started and running by May 4th.
Posted on: Yesterday 20:37
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Kevin
1954 Clipper Super Panama "Van Halen" | Registry | Project Blog 1938 Super 8 1605 | Registry | Project Blog 1953 Clipper Deluxe Club Sedan "Rusty McRustface" | Registry | Project Blog 1956 Packard The Four Hundred "Tanner" | Registry | Project Blog |
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Home away from home
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If you are getting clean fuel up to the glass filter bowl near the carburetor, the fuel pump is probably OK. There's a good chance the ignition points have oxidized. Filing them will usually get them functioning again. The accelerator pump may work better if it sits overnight with fuel in the carburetor. Old gas in the tank will cause a lot of problems. It's best to drain the tank and put in fresh gasoline. If you have fresh fuel and spark, the engine should run. In the interest of reliability, replacing or rebuilding the fuel pump and installing a carburetor kit and tune up kit is probably a good idea.
Posted on: Yesterday 20:43
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Not too shy to talk
 
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1. Purchased in 2020. Driven for three summers regularly.
2. Gas is about 2 years old. It's 100% rec fuel. Never used fuel with ethanol. How do I run it off of a hose? 3. I have opened up the distributor but don't know how to diagnose/assess. Cap is not cracked. See photo. What's the proper part numbers for the coil and points from NAPA? I'm going to start draining the fuel as instructed. Not sure how to inspect inside the tank. I've had the hardware soaking for a day. Hopefully the bolts come off clean, but I have new hardware on the way anyways. I also have the fuel pump rebuild kit coming - I'll start working on the fuel system as advised. Thanks for your confidence. Quote:
Attach file:  PXL_20250427_213900813.jpg (4,257.58 KB)
Posted on: Yesterday 21:17
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Home away from home
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If the fuel is ethanol free, it might have done better than normal pump gas. A quick sniff can help in determining if it's good or not. Bad gas doesn't smell like gas anymore. It smells more like paint thinner, or sometimes has a fruity scent. Either way, it's good practice to ditch the old gas and get new stuff in there.
Part numbers for your dizzy will depend on what type it is. Delco-Remy or Autolite. Check the metal tag on the side of the dizzy to see what type it is. Then check the Parts Cross-Reference here on this site (left hand side of the screen, under Main Menu). Distributor parts will be under Electrical. But to make it quicker for you here they are: Condenser: Autolite - Echlin AL-71 Delco-Remy - Echlin RR-134 Points: Autolite - Echlin CS-16 Delco-Remy - Echlin CS-77 Rotor: Autolite - Echlin AL-65 Delco-Remy - Echlin RR-159 Coil: Autolite - Echlin IC-7 Delco-Remy - Echlin IC-9 To inspect the inside of the fuel tank you will need to drop it or use a small borescope. With the tank dropped, remove the fuel sender and have a look inside. If you have a borescope you can send it down the fill tube, or up through the drain plug. That can be done without dropping the tank.
Posted on: Yesterday 21:31
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Kevin
1954 Clipper Super Panama "Van Halen" | Registry | Project Blog 1938 Super 8 1605 | Registry | Project Blog 1953 Clipper Deluxe Club Sedan "Rusty McRustface" | Registry | Project Blog 1956 Packard The Four Hundred "Tanner" | Registry | Project Blog |
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Forum Ambassador
 
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Won't swear to it but believe the IC9 coil has been discontinued. The IC7 is a good universal coil which so far seems to work well in the 6v models.
Don't forget about the plugs because long periods of cranking without a start like you mentioned doing before parking the car can cause them to get fuel or oil deposits over the electrodes which will dry and possibly foul the plug. Having new plugs would be good but the old should be serviceable if you want to reuse them. Before trying to start the engine again I would inspect, clean, and check the gaps.
Posted on: Yesterday 21:45
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Howard
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Not too shy to talk
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Smells like gas. I've got the drain bolt soaking... it seems frozen - forgot to do that one when I did the strap bolts yesterday.
I disconnected what I believe is the fuel supply line as well as the flexible one on the fuel pump. Is this the line to blow out? See pic please. Edit: Verified that was the correct line. Blew it out. Vent line was rock hard. Had to cut it. Supply lines were flexible. Removed drain bolt. Slowly removing the fuel and putting it into a container. There's sediment coming out of the tank. Not sure what I blew out of the line as I foolishly didn't have it emptying into a container. Strap bolts are coming off smoothly first few turns. I'll finish that up once I finish draining the fuel. Auto Lite - thank you. I ordered all of those except the points and coil. I'll verify I can get those. Thanks. No borescope so dropping the tank. Also, is this insulation doing anything positive on my fuel line to the carb? Quote:
Attach file: PXL_20250429_024912230.jpg (3,016.43 KB)
Posted on: Yesterday 21:56
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Not too shy to talk
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Quote:
Plugs looked fine. Recently changed but I have a spare set on hand. What's the gap recommendation? Thanks for the info on ic7.
Posted on: Yesterday 21:58
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Forum Ambassador
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Quote:
.023 -- .028
Posted on: Yesterday 22:08
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Howard
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Re: 1954 Packard Clipper Deluxe - No Start. Need guidance/assistance.
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Not too shy to talk
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Quote:
Thanks.
Posted on: Yesterday 22:54
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