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

Hi guys,

Ive got myself a nice project a 1954 patrician.
It needs a lot of work before it will be in good driveable condition.
Did some work on engine, automatic gearbox, brake system, and did a little drive. It does not run great yet but i will get there.
Ive got 2 issues that and want to tackle first those are i think a blown head gasket car runs and drives but hoses are very hard and it always throws some (a bit) coolant out after a shut off and can hear air moving.. some bowl movements..😅 but adress that in a other topic.

The one i notice now is a lifter tick when engine is warm/hot it also then starts to run a bit rough and got little backfire in the exaust.
Checked valves and blasted them with wd 40 and got some visegrips on the stems to rotate a bit first i taught maybe a stuck valve but that all checked out. Oil pressure was at 35 on startup and droped to 25 did the wacher in oilpump trick and bumped up the pressure to 50 max and 37 idle for testing.
The tick takes longer to come up but it will come back (only at ilde) with driving it is better.
The bigg question is can the lifters come out without removing the head? So remove spring and push up the valve and take the lifter out?
Or does the head has to come off? Maybe a no brainer if a head gasket is blown just to take it all off and do it all at once. And does anybody know where to get the lifters? I've seen a set from kanter 16 new lifters but dont know what the quality is from the new lifters.

Car has not been driven for leas 7 years and old owner also said overheating was an issue(thermostat was/is removed)
Engine had 4 oilchanges (leftover oil for flushing) and dropped the pan to clean pan and pickup now running clean oil and filter, crackcase all looks clean.

I would keep an eye on the oil level and condition and look for any leaks anywhere in the cooling system. A good quality 10W30 detergent oil is fine. Lifters need clean oil. **Be sure the correct radiator pressure cap is installed and that it is actually working. /// I would drive the car for at least a couple of hundred miles with fresh oil and a clean oil filter before I started taking things apart. Lifters will often clean up and work just fine after some road miles. The engine will run better with the right thermostat to keep it at the proper running temperature. !!!If the thermostat is missing, it can cause problems like gurgling or coolant loss out the overflow.!! ** I'd replace all the hoses if they are in poor condition and look for any signs of leakage or bearing play in the water pump. There are several ways bad hoses can cause problems besides just leaking.

First, make sure you have a copy of the service manual. It's here for download:packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/archive/content.php?op=&catID=10&ContentID=4

Reference also the literature archive at left.

If you think you have head gasket problems, why not buy a new head gasket and check out the lifters at the same time? Though I don't doubt the previous advice that they might clear up on their own, I think it's pretty obvious that if the head is coming off anyway, then to clean and leakdown test them would be the best course of action.

To answer your question, the head and valves must be removed in order to remove the lifters but more importantly, go through the brakes, rebuilding all the cylinders including the Treadlevac and replace all the brake hoses, before driving it an inch. Drain and clean the fuel system or run only from an external can of fresh gasoline. Once those things are done, then you can worry about the tick although I may go away on its own eventually too.

G'day Green,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your '54 Patrician in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

I would agree with other posters here that the lifter noise may go away with a change of oil and it won't hurt anything to run the engine with the tick. The head does need to come off to replace the lifters but Packard heads are easy to remove. All the nuts are easily accessible and there is very little else in the way. Does your 359 have it's original aluminum head? The aluminum head will have "359" cast into it. If it does, then you definitely want to remove it and inspect the mating surfaces. Your head gasket problem may be related to a corroded head or an improper head gasket.

Many of these engines have a replacement cast iron 327 head but your car came with a 359 ci engine with an aluminum head.

If you eventually do need a new lifter, i can recommend the Kanter lifters. I put in a whole new set in a 1954 359 and it is the quietest engine that I have ever owned.

Quote:

First thing you should do is post some pictures of your new car!!!

If you're going to open up your engine I would clean, test and measure everything you can. Such as: Cylinders, Pistons, Rings, Valves, Valve guides, Lifters, etc.

You can clean and test your lifters to know if any need to be replaced.

Sounds like your cooling system could use a good cleaning/overhaul as well.

Keep working on projects and little by little she'll get there. Before you know it you'll have a good reliable car that you can drive as far as you want! They're very fun cars to work on!

Thank you all,

I've orderd some parts, complete gasket set and thermostat and housing , lifters, and rebuild kit for the treadle vac booster.
So i have something to do the next few weeks.
I hope but dont think the lifter tick will go away by it self, the car runs good when cold and with warming up .... the happy lifter comes alive ggetting harder when the temp increases. If it would tick when cold then i would think it could maybe be clogged or gummed up..
When i bought it i did check engine, gearbox , brake system, oil in rear axle before getting it on the road(around the block) break booster needs an rebluid shaft seal sweats and piston had some pitting, wheel cilinders honend but in time will change them. But firt the beating heart the engine... i also changed heater hoses these where leaking a but so got the old ones off and got the radiator out flushed the radiator out with a garden hose form top and bottom. Also did the block thats when i see the thermostat was gone) but one plus now i could flush the block with water. It was dirty but not exessive. What i want to do now is first get a good compression test hope this will we good... and then take off the head and yes it is the original alu head, check it for deformation, corrosion, and all the bad stuff.. check the surface of the block and get the valves lose check these and maybe get some grind paste and grind them an bit to get a nice seating. Check the bores en pistons. And change the lifters that are bad. Hopefully all will be good en slap it back together. I do have a question the head studs can these be removed easy? Makes life easy checking surface and with cleaning. And these heads if they are warped is it advised to let them get milled flat a bit or is it a risk with these heads becouse they are biggg/long and quite thin.. and with reassembly does de headgasket go on dry or is it best to coat it with copper coating or someting like that?

Sorry if my english is't that great doing my best.😄

One of these weeks i will take some pictures and register the car.
Aint a show car but a bit of a very rusty old lady😅
But won't see a lot of these in the netherlands, it did btw drove in new jersy till 1988 sticker still on the window, then ended up here.

Sounds like it when engine is hot but it will have this sound and it will run a bit rough with some small backfires in the exhaust.