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...and by the way, on the MGB I mentioned, the symptoms were different - oil pressure one minute, then no oil pressure, then back up again. We were sure it was gauge associated, but when you are running 8000rpm on the racetrack, you gotta be sure. Turns out this was partially heat induced (gear got hot, expanded and then separated from shaft), so look very very very closely for signs the oil pump shaft at the oil pump gear is not getting hot, gear enlarging and shaft spinning....

Vikki is in Innisfail. QLD, (Land of Oz). Mal or PeterT are you folks close enought to offer advice, or know someone in the area that may be able to offer in-person advice?

Thanks again guys,
Wade is checking to see if the roll pin is broken.
As the vehicle is converted to rh drive we will be a few hours getting the steering box out to check oil pump.
I promise to send some photos in and thanks again to everyone for your help. Will keep you posted.
Regards, Vik

I'd put my money on Peter Toet assisting with diagnosing over the phone. Call him on 2 6258 4975

Plenty of good things to check in the above posts. I would also ckeck that the relief valve spring under the large cap at the external end of the oil pump has not broken. Call me if you like. I would be happy to help if I am able. Best regards Peter Toet

Hi again,
We should have the Packard up & running by tomorrow morning. Touch wood. Roll pin replaced. Who knew a $2 part could cause such a headache. One more question, seeing as you guys are so awesome. What weight engine oil would you recommend for operation in a tropical (25-30 degrees c)climate? Our distributor suggested a Penrite straight 40 weight shelsley medium oil. I read on the forums about Chrysler recommending a 50 weight but is that relevant? Any suggestions from the men who know?
Thanks again for all your help. Regards Vik

On an original engine that hasn't been rebuilt I'd use Castrol 10W40. I have found that Castrol makes the best natural oil, and if it's a rebuilt engine, I'd personally use 10W40 Mobil 1 synthetic, but these are my personal preferences, take them as such.

G'day Vikki,

I'm Mal, the bloke referred to in Eric's post, I'm from Epping, NSW and have a '38 Eight sedan and '41 120 coupe but have only been a Packard owner for about 15 months. Looks like you've got your problem licked now, not that I could have helped, congratulations and thanks to the advice you received here on Packardinfo.

Also notice that Peter Toet, our Technical Officer in PACA(Packard Automobile Club of Australia Inc) was recommended as a source of more local assistance, if Innisfail to Canberra a distance of about 1500 miles could be considered local!

Is the owner of the hearse a PACA member? If not, there's a link to our website below and I can provide info on joining if he's interested. I believe there are a number of PACA members in north Queensland, not many but some. If he does join PACA we're having our National Rally in March 2009 in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales and we'd like to see him there.

http://packardaustralia.com/

I would stick to good old Mobil 20W-50 in the 38 120 engine. I would not use a 50 weight oil as I have had problems in one of my Packards, with the pump cavitating because it cannot adequately suck the oil through the pick-up screen. Mobil 1 is a fantastic oil for modern engines with minimal bearing tolerences. I believe that the Packard oil pumps are not high flowed nor designed to push 10W oil into bearings with clearances of 70 year old engines. We are getting some failures in the Sixties and Seventies motorbikes designed for 20W - 50 oils and now running 5W and 10W synthetic oils. But hey, it is your decision. Just remember that your oil distributor will not rebuild your engine if it fails. best regards Peter Toet

When did Chrysler recommend 50 weight oil? I have Chrysler owner's manuals back to 1951 and the only thing they recommend 50 weight for is the oil bath air filter.

They recommend 10W oil for cold weather. They also recommended multi grade oils and detergent oils as soon as they became available.

10W30 is a good all around oil. For your climate 20W50 may be all right too.

25 -35 centigrade is only 75 to 85 fahrenheit. Hot enough to be sure, but not hot enough to cook your motor.

Use 10W30 if your motor is in good shape. If the bearings are worn and oil pressure low, 20W50 will bring up the pressure.

I don't have a Packard manual but my Chrysler manual recommends SAE 30 for all temps above freezing. As soon as multi grade oils became available they changed this to 10W30.

This is for a flathead inline engine similar to yours. I'm sure the Packard experts will chime in if Packards are significantly different.

There is a lot of hokum out there about old cars "needing" some inferior grade of thick oil. Baloney. Multi grade and detergent oils have been around since 1947. If your car was made since that time, chances are it has never used anything else.

In the case of your 1938 model it is likely the garage man or owner has been using multi grade detergent oil for the last 50 years.

Now that you have had the pan off and cleaned it out there is no harm in running detergent oil. Not that there would have been anyway.