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

I am finishing a ring and valve job on my 1950 288, 2300 series Deluxe Touring Sedan. The factory book says to set the valve lash with the engine hot and running. They must be out of their minds! The valve adjustment is difficult with the engine cold and the exhaust pipe off the car. Hot and running must be nearly impossible, so I plan to use a cold setting and compensate for the thermal expansion of the valves. After running for I while I plan to check the valve lash hot, on the few valves that are easily accessible.

The exhaust valves are most critical. Using valve lash values developed for a Hudson engine the Packard should be set about 0.015 clearance on the exhaust valves cold. Does anyone have experience with the cold valve lash on a Packard? I feel I am not the first Packard owner in all the world's history who wants to use cold settings to avoid the burn injuries to the arms and oil in the face.

I think your 0.015" for exhaust is a bit too much, I didn't check Packard's specifications but Motors says 0.007" intake and 0.010" exhaust, hot and running. Doing them hot and running isn't exactly a fun job, but isn't all that bad and I really recommend you try it before you give up on it. Others may have better advice what correction to add if you must do them cold, but these valves have fairly short stems compared to the older senior engines, I'd think in the range of .003" additional at the most.

I would follow Owen's recommendation for cold clearances if you are doing an initial setting to get the engine running for the first time. If you are adverse to setting the valves with the engine running, you can run the engine to operating temperature, shut it off, check and set a few valves for the factory recommended clearances, and repeat until all valves have been checked and set. All of the valves are assessable with the manifold installed and the engine in the car.

If u set them COLD, engine OFF, then there is a particular sequence of MANUAL engine rotation vs valves adjusted that must be followed. WHat is the firening order??? That will determine the sequence.

I seem to recall that there are special long handled wrenches mechanics used to adjust valve lash to avoid getting hands to close to the manifold. Maybe if you could located some a set of those it would be easier on the hands and arms.

Get ahold of a Snap On catalog, there's a LOT of specialty tools in there, and I believe there's some long handled thin wrenches in there that are perfect for valve lash adjustments.

Yes, you'll want tappet wrenches; the extra length is nice to have, but more important is that the faces are much thinner than standard due to the space restrictions.

As to the sequence, you can do it the hard way and just keep turning the engine to bring each cam lobe down, or you can follow the sequence published in Motors, Glenns, Chiltons, etc. You only need two different positions to get all the adjustments.

Used tappet wrenches are a pretty common find at auto flea markets, usually $1 or $2 each.

A third hand really helps also!
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A third hand really helps also!

Boy, is that an understatement! Deserves to be in BOLD and underlined!

Done and done.
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