Hello and welcome to Packard Motor Car Information! If you're new here, please register for a free account.  
Login
Username:

Password:

Remember me



Lost Password?

Register now!
FAQ's
Main Menu
Recent Forum Topics
Who is Online
154 user(s) are online (110 user(s) are browsing Forums)

Members: 0
Guests: 154

more...
Helping out...
PackardInfo is a free resource for Packard Owners that is completely supported by user donations. If you can help out, that would be great!

Donate via PayPal
Video Content
Visit PackardInfo.com YouTube Playlist

Donate via PayPal



« 1 (2) 3 »

Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#11
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk

Crin
See User information
Thank you but I have no way of starting the engine. If anyone knows the cold valve lash gap please let me know.

Posted on: 7/20 16:25
 Top  Print   
Thinking (1)
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#12
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk

Crin
See User information
I found these numbers in a Motor's manual. Can anyone verify that the .001-.002 is the correct cold gap? Thank you in advance.

Attach file:



jpg  20250720_185624.jpg (2,334.42 KB)
227512_687d771c56ed0.jpg 4032X3024 px

jpg  20250720_185630.jpg (2,335.37 KB)
227512_687d77282ae2d.jpg 4032X3024 px

Posted on: 7/20 18:09
 Top  Print   
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#13
Home away from home
Home away from home

Pgh Ultramatic
See User information
Quote:

Crin wrote:
Thank you but I have no way of starting the engine. If anyone knows the cold valve lash gap please let me know.


Yeah he tells you how to do it either way in the video.

Posted on: 7/20 19:02
1955 400 | Registry | Project Blog
1955 Clipper Deluxe | Registry | Project Blog
1955 Clipper Super Panama | Registry
Email (Parts/service inquiries only, please. Post all questions on the forum.)
service@ultramatic.info
 Top  Print   
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#14
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

Owen_Dyneto
See User information
Secondary sources like Chiltons or Motors may have given suggested cold clearances but I'm pretty confident Packard did not. Yes, doing the adjustment on a hot, running motor isn't a pleasant task, but why not just do it correctly once and be done with it?

The .001" and .002" you've noted are not tappet to valve stem clearances. Hot clearances are 0.004" and 0.006" and cold clearances would be greater, not less.

Posted on: 7/20 19:08
 Top  Print   
Like (1)
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#15
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk

Crin
See User information
Hi all,

Just wanted to pick your collective brains. I did a compression test and here are the results.

120, 30, 0, 120, 90, 100, 120, 50

I just adjusted the valves and I'm not sure what this could be. Head gasket? But I don't see any oil in the antifreeze I just drained.


I probably put 500 miles on it since I redid the valves and seats. I also didn't see any oil in the antifreeze I just drained so I'm baffled. I just took it for a spin the other day and it started popping through the carb and it felt different like it had no power so I thought maybe I didn't tighten the generator enough and since it's driven by the timing chain... Maybe it skipped a tooth so I took the whole front end off, radiator front engine mount and timing chain cover only to find that the timing marks are still aligned. Then I thought maybe the valves needed a little adjustment. I adjusted them all to 0.008" and then did the compression test and here we are. I'm not sure what it could be to be perfectly honest. It didn't run hot, it didn't smoke, no oil in the antifreeze ... Just popped through the carb and low power...

Maybe I should just throw it away... Ugh...

Sorry I'm ranting... Any thoughts would be appreciated... Thanks

Posted on: Yesterday 18:48
 Top  Print   
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#16
Home away from home
Home away from home

kevinpackard
See User information
Sure looks like a blown head gasket between 2 and 3. That would definitely cause low power. Plus the low compression on #8 isn't helping at all. #8 could be any number of things. But I would suggest pulling the head and taking a look at the block. Make sure there are no cracks around the cylinders, check the head gasket and replace it, make sure head is torqued exactly as specified. Torque it again after heat cycling the engine.

Posted on: Yesterday 18:57
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
 Top  Print   
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#17
Home away from home
Home away from home

TxGoat
See User information
Too little valve to tappet clearance will cause low compression in affected cylinders. Cold tappet clearance should be about .003 to .004 more than hot tappet clearance. It is essential to have the tappet on the low point of the camshaft when adjusting each individual valve. Worn parts can make checking tappet clearance with a feeler gauge difficult, since the flat gauge cannot allow for irregular surfaces on the tappet and valve stem contact points. In such cases, it may be necessary to add several thousandths to the clearance spec, then go back and slightly tighten the clearance on any individual valve that is noisy.

Posted on: Yesterday 19:03
 Top  Print   
Like (1)
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#18
Home away from home
Home away from home

TxGoat
See User information
An intake valve that has too little clearance could cause popping in the carburetor. Are you absolutely certain that the plug wires are in the proper order?

Posted on: Yesterday 19:05
 Top  Print   
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#19
Home away from home
Home away from home

tsherry
See User information
Let me tell you what happened with my 37 115C when I first got it. I'll skip to the good part:

I needed to adjust the valves. I adjusted them to spec and it ran far worse; one valve was still sticking so the head needed to come off. The engine had been rebuilt at some point and I discovered the problem.

The tappet screws are supposed to have a slight crown to them; mine were ground flat. Not only that, but several of the valves had worn a depression in the screw. When I put in the feeler gauge, the valves were raised far higher than they should've been to contact the depression in the screw.

I pulled the tappets out, crowned all the screws on a cheap HF grinder with the tappet screws rotating in a cordless drill. Heat treated them, put them back in, adjusted properly. Perfect.

Do you have a similar condition?

Posted on: Yesterday 22:21
 Top  Print   
 


Re: No power and popping noises after generator installation '36 STD 8
#20
Forum Ambassador
Forum Ambassador

Owen_Dyneto
See User information
Without knowing the reason for the low compression numbers, it's just blind guesswork how to proceed. I suggest doing leakdown testing on cylinders 2, 3, and 8.

Posted on: Today 11:46
 Top  Print   
 




« 1 (2) 3 »




- Logged-in users will not see the following Adverts. Please Join (it's free) and Donate to help support the website -


- This above Google Ad-Sense Advert helps fund the cost of providing this free resource -
Search
Photo of the Day
1956 Packard Clipper, three-q…
Recent Photos
Recent Registry
Upcoming Events
AACA Fall Meet (Hershey)
10/06/2025 - 10/10/2025
South Pacific Packard Club 2026 Rally
03/22/2026 - 03/28/2026
Website Comments or Questions?? Click Here Copyright 2006-2025, PackardInfo.com All Rights Reserved