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

Unless you know the person working on your car I wouldn't take it any commerical place.

For example: I knew a girl who had a lube bay ruin the motor in her brand new car. And it's not uncommon.

Most of those volume shops rip off labor so bad you are not going to get the job done right - period. They hire the dregs of humanity as managers and have no compunctions about ripping everybody off - especially skilled labor because the government supports it.

I've known the guy that works on my cars all my life!

Be sure to drill a small hole in the thermostat to let the thing burp. It will help prevent air pockets. And install it the correct way - otherwise it will make the engine run very hot.

It is also a good idea to make sure that your vacuum advance is working and your distributor is rotating as it should. Ernie

I put a new thermostat on and had the coolant flushed, however, it still runs hot, idling or not. Seems to heat up more while driving faster... Around 35 mph. The thermostat was from napa and 180 was the listed temp. I'm thinking a water pump issue, could it be timing? I have not yet switched the battery cables back to its proper pos ground either, could it but lack of spark? High hydrocarbon out should cool the engine though... Not sure what's going on...

If it hasn't been checked, the distribution tube being clogged or deteriorated has been an issue for many with the hot engine symptom. Not something easy to check on a whim but may come down to being necessary.

For mine, I'm not sure if that is an issue or not. I rebuilt the carb. Now it runs hot. Figured running lean. Have tweeked the float level. Still ran warm. Pulled the housing to change the thermostat only to find there wasn't one. OK. Put it back together without one for now. Adjusted the timming a bit towards advance as everything I have found and been told that retarded timing can cause a overheat issue.

Retarded ignition timing is one of the classic causes of overheating.

I went for a short drive. It's close to 80 degrees here, the temp gauge climbed rather quickly. Almost to the "H". Went home in case there was an issue. Opened the hood while it was still running, got my temp gun and the hotest reading was right on the #8 plug at 205. The thermostat housing was about 190. Right at the sending unit it was about 185. The top rad tank was below that, and all along the side of the head ran from 180 to 190. Might have a tube issue only to the fact is seems warm to me for not having a thermostat. The rad did not overflow on to the ground like it did before I changed the timing. Makes me wonder about the sending unit also. Any idea what the value should be if I put an ohmmeter across it when it's cold.

A 180F thermostat may work in a well functioning cooling system, but may be too high for one that is compromised with age and build-up. There is not very much cooling leeway from the time the thermostat opens and the system starts to overheat. I would recommend a 160F rated thermostat for starters.

(o{}o)