Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

I suggest wiring the heat riser closed (in the warmed up position, blocking off hot air to the carb) and trying again. A heat riser that is malfunctioning can cause ALL sorts of driveability issues. May not be the only thing, but it is certainly going to contribute to issues.

BigKev - During the rebuild there weren't any issues noted with the timing chain so it was reinstalled. It certainly could be a contributing factor, but I'd like to check through the other/easier possibilities first to rule them out. Getting to the timing chain will be a much bigger job.

DM37 - The shielded ignition cable was removed because of a short. The first time we tried to start the engine after the rebuild the ignition wire nearly caught fire....it melted and burned the entire length of the ignition cable (12V). So I had to disassemble and modify the ignition switch with a new wire (link). I did not use the shielded cable. So there should be no short at all now. But perhaps the wire should be a lower gauge?

Ken - It was wired closed before, and I removed it to try and get the valve operating properly. But I don't have all the parts I need. I don't remember which way to wire so it is closed....not sure if it's the same as my '54.



Can anyone comment on the distributor shaft wobble seen in the video? I need to know if that's normal play or not. If not then the dizzy gets pulled to send off for a rebuild.

On the heat riser, weighted arm down is the warmed up position.

On your distributor, that shaft play looks very excessive. You can also use a timing light, with the car warmed up and idling, to determine if the timing is wiggling. With my old distributor, the needle would oscillate by a few degrees just because of play in the distributor.

Been a while since I've made progress on this car. But I ended up sending the distributor out for a check/rebuild to Parker's Packards. What he found was that the condenser I had installed was causing a slight interference with the cam lobe. The bracket was slightly bumping it, causing metal dust/shavings to go everywhere in the distributor. He cleaned everything up, changed to a better condenser, cleaned/adjusted the points, and checked it all on the Sun machine. Everything worked well at that point and nothing further needed to be addressed.

I finally got around to reinstalling it the other day. Had to get #1 back to TDC to time it right. It took a minute for the fuel pump to get fresh fuel back to the carb, but it started up. Messed with the timing but will need a better timing light to confirm.

There are no specs for RPM at idle. Anyone know about what it should run at? Let in mind the Super 8 may be different than other models.

Also changed out the oil in the air filter and cleaned it up. Turns out this one had rusted through in the past like my '56. Someone in the past has done quite a bit with JB Weld in the reservoir. Dumb question, but what is the correct level of oil? There is no indication.

Quote:

The Owner’s Manual says you use a pint.

Quote:

Thanks, I missed the pint part. Other sources that I was reading were more vague. The sticker on the air cleaner says "fill to the indicated level".