Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Recently, my 5677 Executive got a punctured tire. While waiting for new tires - we plan to replace both at the rear - we disengaged TL (what has to be done, anyway, for the wheel change). The idea was to see if shut off/on TL could help to hold the car's tail on the correct level. It was too high.

Problems occurred immediately, as TL refused to start. So, we have a Packard that can't be moved, sitting in a cramped lot in the low basement car park with a flat left rear wheel.

Is there a recommended procedure to solve the remedy?

Your advice is much appreciated.

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Check fuses...in engine compartment...7.5...and 20 amp..

A question on how the rear end was moved down. Were you doing something to try and move it to the height you wanted or did it just go down by itself.

If the car is at rest and sitting up or down in the rear, the centering adjustment is covered in the manual. If I recall right, all you need to do is turn or unturn a turnbuckle under the center of the car.

You don't have to go to extremes to change a tire: sit on the trunk till the car relevels, then shut off the TL, with a small toggle switch under the drivers side of the dash near the door. Hopefully you can use a floorjack, NOT the OEM bumperjack. Skirts come off with one bolt on the rear end of the skirt.

Radials on all four tires would be a major ride improvement if you currently have belted tires.

this site has the manual as a series of printable PDF files. You need to take a look at them.

michaelk -

Before you go crawling underneath the car, you might be able to "manually" level her out from the engine bay, since the T-L solenoids were relocated to the back side of the left front fender splasher in the 56th Series.

Unless there's a blown fuse, the solenoids that activate the compensator motor should always have a hot feed, from the battery. Check the copper buss bar with a 12V test light to verify voltage is present.

In turn, either solenoid is activate by a respective circuit that runs through a limit switch and is grounded by the control box. If wired correctly, the UP solenoid is activated by an orange wire (the DOWN solenoid is activated by a blue wire).

So, if you momentarily connect a jumper wire from ground to the solenoid terminal with the ORANGE wire, the motor should come on and raise the car. Remove the jumper just as the rear of the car comes up close to level.

Then, using a floor jack with its saddle placed under the frame rail, ahead of the kickup for the rear axle and near where the X-member is attached (but careful to avoid suspension components), jack the car up so you can remove the rear fender skirt and, then, the tire/wheel.

The caution I'd raise is jumping at the solenoids bypass the limit switches. Not knowing the position of transverse bars and what is causing the current issue, if something failed and caused bars to cross over and switch sides as happened with at least one unit not too long ago, driving more without knowing what is happening or watching could cause damage.

michaelk,

Check out my post herehttps://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7181&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0

especially post #5. Hope this helps and I hope you don't have as many compounded issues. Maybe just the fuse(s). Good luck

Relax a minute. Chances are the car does not "know" it is not level--it only checks the position of the wheels, not the position of the floor.

Turn the leveler on, then have a friend who has eaten too much R?sti sit on the rear fender. If it comes up, turn the leveler back off and deal with the tires as you wish.

If the leveler does not come on, then try some of the other recommendations you see here. Left to myself in this situation, i would leave the leveler turned off, and with a short wire raise the rear of the car by grounding the small terminal of the upper solenoid mounted on the rear face of the driver's inner fender. Operate it only enough to get the jack under the frame. As long as the car is still going up as you operate it, the unit has not overtraveled. The instant you see the motion is slowing stop at once.

We did nothing else than deactivate TL by using the toggler switch under the dash.


There are quite few things to check now. Thank you all for your help. I'll give an update soon.

What happens if you push down on the front end of the car as it sits in the picture?

Since it is in a tight space, can you put a jack under the frame as far as you can, then jack it up, put a jack stand under it, then move back the jack so you can change the tire? Then move the car to a Larger area to correct the TL system.