Packard Forum Index » General

Hi,


Maybe a stupid question, but I think I'm doing something not the way it has to been done... .

When I try to start up my '56 Clipper I have some problem to wake it up. ( with cold engine )
With a carburated car, I suppose you have to put the ignition on and flooring 2 times the accelerator pedal, then start it up without touching the pedal.
At this way I need several times to get it running, mostly with 'stepping' ( tapping? don't know the right word in English ) on the pedal.

I have allready bought the original 1956 owners Manual on Ebay.com but it isn't mentionned how to start it up.

When the engine had run a few minutes and then stopped. It can be started again just by turning the key, it starts up perfectly.


Can you give me some advice?

Thanks!

Xavier

xavier, I am not an expert on the V-8's but it seems that maybe the choke "butterfly" is not adjusted correctly and is open too much when cold. If you remove the air cleaner you should see that the choke is closed restricting air to the carburetor when the engine is cold. Generally the choke can be adjusted by loosening the three screws on the black bakelite choke housing on the side of the carburetor and turning it to close or open the butterfly. It may also be some other problem but I would look to the choke adjustment first if it were me. I am sure others will jump in here but I can send you instructions with photos on how the choke is adjusted if needed.

Xavier -

There could be many reasons for the cold starting problem that you describe, but it is nothing unique to Packards.

The first thing I would ask is how long the car sits unused between cold starts.

Since the the fuel bowl of the original carburetors used on these old cars is vented to atmosphere, the level in that bowl can become low over an extended period of time. That can also happen with a fuel bowl that has developed a slow leak. In either case, you would need to crank the engine over several times for a cold start so the mechanical pump can refill the fuel bowl before the engine will start and run well.

However, before you start the engine, you should check the operation of the accelerator pump next.

Remove the air cleaner and, while holding the choke valve open, give the throttle a twist and watch for a healthy squirt of fuel down the throat of the carburator. A dribble or weak stream could mean that the accelerator pump plunger is not sealing. The original construction used a leather cup, which can dry out and shrink over the years. If so, remove the the acclerator pump and soak the assembly in some gasoline; then gently stretch the leather cup open a bit with a dull tool, reinstall, and check the operation again. Otherwise, you meay need to replace the accelerator pump or rebuild the carburetor. If you see no fuel entering the throat of the carburetor at all, it could mean that the fuel bowl is empty, which would require deeper exploration.

If the accelerator pump exhibits a healthy squirt, then I would check the adjustment of the automatic choke next.

While some of these units have index marks, the thermostatic spring may have lost some tension or been misadjusted over the years. With the engine cold, set the choke to the closed position with a single, full twist of throttle. Then, loosen the three screws that secure the choke coil cover just enough that you can rotate the cover. Turn it so the choke valve is open a bit, then turn the cover the opposite direction until the choke valve has just closed.

After all these checks, don't forget to reinstall the air cleaner before attempting to start the engine!

If you still have a problem you may need to look deeper - especially if the carburetor is dirty or gummed up. It may be time for a through rebuild. Just know that the complete shop manual for 1955-56 Packards is available here for downloading, free, as a PDF file in the Packard Articles section.

Hello,


Thanks for the advice!

I will check it out. The period the engine was unused is 1 week. It is indeed possible that the carburator is loosing some fuel, I will make both controls.

@ Brian: What procedure do you use for starting a cold engine? How many times do you have to push down the pedal before cranking?

I drove the car for approx 25 miles to my house, there wasn't any lack of power after we cleaned the fuelfilter. Is it possible in this case that the carb should be dirty?


Thx,

Xavier

Xavier -

The carb could have some varnish in it, but if it runs good warm, I wouldn't worry about that until after you have check the other cold functions.

With the carb in good working condition and properly adjusted, you should only have to press the gas pedal down to the floor and release it just once. This sets the choke valve closed and dispenses a small squirt of gas down the throat of the carb. All other things being equal, the car should then crank and start with relative ease.

Of course, nothing is 100% failure proof. If the cold engine stalls, you may need to give the pedal another shot before cranking. Just be careful that you don't pump the pedal too many times or you could end up with a flooded engine - flooded with so much fuel that it can't start. You see, gasoline needs to be in the form of a vapor to burn.

In case of a flooded engine, you should press the gas pedal to the floor and hold it there. Then, crank the engine and release the pedal only as the engine catches and begins to run.

I think you'll get a feel for this quickly.

Unfortunately, I see far too many old cars in poor repair, and the driver tap-dancing on the gas pedal to get it started and keep it running cold. It's sad because these carburetors are not that difficult to rebuild - unless they are terribly worn.

I also shake my head at hot-rodders who have the choke valve tied fully open with wire (or worse). I suspect that is some attempt to get maximum air flow through the carburetor, but I think they would be better off converting to a manual choke, which would let them set the valve closed for cold starts, then open it manually (and gradually) as the engine warms up, and but pull it wide open when fully warm - all from the driver's seat. The manual choke conversion kits are widely available for a little over $10 US, as I recall.

Thank you Brian for your advice.

I will try tomorrow with the one time push down of the pedal. I have to mention that when the engine runs it stays on without touching the accelerator pedal!! It runs perfect. It's just the first start with a cold engine which has some difficulty.

Thank you


Xavier

My standard procedure for starting any car with carburetor WHEN COLD is to push the gas pedal to the floor rather quickly and then give about 2 more quick pumps of the pedal about 1/2 way down, then hit the starter/ignition.

I run my chokes fairly lean.

Hi,

I've tried again it this afternoon and the engine started as never before. It was since yesterday afternoon that the engine didn't ran and after pressing 1 time at the pedal it woke up as a beauty.

Great !!

Tomorrow I'll go to the technical control, when I'm passing the tests I can let the car register for a license plate and then... time to cruise !!!


Xavier