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

Here is a question that I have not seen asked on any posts yet but I am hoping that somebody will have an answer to this one. I would like to COMPLETELY drain the coolant system on my 1951 "300". I have referred to the 1951 Owners Manual and the directions that it gives are to "...first remove the radiator cap and then open the radiator drain cock behind the front bumper near the center of the car and remove the drain plug from the cylinder block near the starter." Herein lies the question... can anybody provide a picture of what this "drain plug in the cylinder block" looks like, as well as a good description of exactly where it is located? I looked all around the starter and found a couple of bolts in the block. I am not comfortable just pulling screws out of the engine block without knowing first what they are installed for (I am a novice after all that is why I am here seeking your knowledgable advice). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Patrick,

Attached is a pic of my '41 120 block, not the same as yours but probably similar. The drain bolt in mine can be seen on the lower edge of the water jacketed part of the block. It is above the steering box and between the middle and rear welch plugs but on the bottom edge of the jacketed part of the block. Click on the pic and it will enlarge. Hope this helps.

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Here is a picture of my engine, which will be similar to yours. The Drain Cock is circled in Yellow.

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O.K. here's my 2 cents worth. It's on a 356 cubic inch engine. But yours will be almost the same.

Sorry! I tried to submit a PNG file. I'll try again.

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Here is mine on my 288 ci from a 1950 sedan. Circled in yellow.

From a previous thread you will see that I had quite a struggle with this one!

1. Broke of original in block!!!
2. Had to drill out very carefully! the piece left.
3. Searched for 3 months for a replacement plug - must be brass/copper.
4. Found a replacement on a junked block at a wreckers.
5. Must remove this to do a good flush.

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I know this is off topic...

Barrie,

I find it interesting that your oil filter is plumbed exactly like my filter was, which everyone kept telling me was wrong. As it was supposed to be in a By-Pass configuration with a 4 way "T" (Inlet, Outlet to Filter, Outlet back to the Top End, and pressure sender) at the sender. Also I see that your inlet is on the bottom of the filter, just like mine was. (The bottom port of my filter was stamped INLET).

Now one thing I discovered when looking at the original brass 3-way "T" (like you have) that came with my car, is that it has a built in restrictor on the outlet to the filter. Not sure if yours has that, but I would think that would have reduced oil pressure to the top end since it was not originally plumbed in a bypass config. I am hoping that did not do any damage to mine.

Now this is putting questions back in my mind again...hmmmm

I may have to send a note to Albert as when I cant answer a question on my '54, I go to the '54 Guru.

Big Kev,
Still ! I noticed the same thing. But I was flailing around the internet trying to find out if there was a difference between the 356 and 288 when it comes to hooking up the oil filter. In blowing up the photo where the lines cross, it looks to me like the inlet is at the top of the filter and the outlet at the bottom (like mine). At least that's the way I see it.

I was under the impression on those type filters, you want the inlet to be at the most surface area. That way, the dirt particles will have a greater surface to encounter so filter life and flow should be longer. If the inlet were on the bottom or center, the dirt would fill the small area around the core quickly and filter life and flow would be greatly reduced. That sounds logical to me but am willing to be educated by those with different ideas.

I agree w/HH56 completely and I think there was a brief discussion of this in an old thread. But... look at what I found in my 1941 180 'Preliminary Shop Manual'. Unless I'm going completely blind, the output from the oil pump is directed to what certainly appears to be the bottom of the oil canister. Based on this diagram, it would appear that there would be canisters out there with the bottom labled 'INPUT'. Does the 288 have the same number of oil input/output connectors to the engine as the 356, one out from the pump, one into the lifter gallery and one back to the oil pan? I don't see one back to the oil pan on Barrie's 288, at least not where it would be on my 356's.

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