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Hi everyone,
My partner is fixing a 1938 Packard Hearse for our local funeral director and has hit a dead end. Some idiot was let loose on it a few years ago and really he shouldn't be calling himself a restorer, more like a butcher. He is ashamed and won't answer his phone so we can't get any info on what was done and wasn't done. we had perfect oil pressure yesterday and none today, with absolutely no indication why. To compound the problem we are in Australia and no-one over here knows much about them. Can anyone help me with a copy of a workshop manual? The boss has told me to find one no matter what and I can't disappoint him, I'll never hear the end of it!
I'm willing to pay whatever it costs and all postage.
Thank you to anyone who can help us, we are eternally grateful.
Regards,
Vikki76

Hey Mal, this one's right up your alley!

First and foremost - the Packard Shop Manuals of those years arent too helpful - perhaps we could help here if you'd just tell us SPECIFICALLY what you want to know - what you are working on.

Be sure and tell us what KIND of Packard. There are Packards and there are PACKARDS in those years - for all practical purposes, two ENTIRELY different factories turning out two ENTIRELY different products - there is NO parts interchangeability between the so called "small" Packards - the so called "Packard Eights" ( actually a continuation of the "120" series) and the so called "big" Packards (for which I DO have the Shop Manuals - but again, they wont help much).

So - let us know SPECIFICALLY what mechanical issues you are working on - perhaps we can help.

Thanks for such a quck reply guys.
Let me say I'm not a mechanic, my partner is. I just yelled to him and he has told me the following:
Yesterday we had 45-50 poun oil pressure, this morning when test driving we lost all oil pressure. He has checked oil pump clearances, the pick up, tried testing oil pressure at several spots on the motor and still 0. He is just in the process of trying something else but is not talking to me as he's under the bonnet (something different)
Thanks again everyone!!

Sorry, forgot to tell you.
The vehicle is a 1938 Packard Straight 8 120
Thanks again.
You guys rock!!

First thing I would do it drop the pan and see if something plugged the pickup tube, or if the tube is tight on the pickup float. Start at the source and work your way up from there. If the long distance charges weren't so high, I'd tell you to call me here in Kansas and walk you through a few steps.

Thanks for the reply, we have already checked that and it seems ok. He's still under there though, plugging away, hasn't come up for breath since this morning.
Any other suggestions? This one's a real mystery.

Hop into the chat room and I can help you in real time.

First, there are plenty of Australian folks who can be of assistance. Are you familiar with the Packard Club of Australia? Where are you? Worst case I know an American Packard expert that is trespassing on Australian soil this week, "on vacation". But I also know this probem is solveable - just please don't start the engine, or even turn it over much while trying to diagnose. As to the oil pump, there is a relief spring behind the large single bolt that is crosswise to the other 4 at the "cap" of the oil pump. Possibly this spring has broken and is "relieving" any pressure at all? Second, the oil pump is driven off the cam, there is a gear pinned to the bottom of the pump shaft. The distributor seats into the center of this gear. Since you infer the vehicle still runs, I will surmise the pump shaft is turning, meaning you have not spun the gear at the camshaft end. Even if the internal oil pump gears were worn, I suspect there would be some pressure to register, and I suspect you are testing along the 4 oil galley plugs above the oil pump, one being where the oil pressure line is now, so I will surmise you have eliminated a gauge problem. Yet you say you were driving this with NO oil pressure? YIKES! OK, how about remove one of the galley plugs and crank the engine a few times - must be pushing some oil out? how about the filter at the other side of the engine, over by the generator - any oil moving there? NO oil moving...well the only thing I can think of is the oil pump gear must be spinning on the oil pump shaft. I don't know this to be common the 120's at all, but I have seen it happen on MGB's....so its definitely worth checking - remove the oil pump cover, gears are visible plain as day - possibly it will be obvious, like maybe the pickup pulled up something that jammed the gears, and shaft spins but not gears? For my two cents, I vote you have an oil pump issue, most likely the gear is spinning on the shaft, but hey, my vision is a little bit blurry from here... please report back, thats what this forum is for.

Just a question. Have you tried to hook up an external mechanical oil gauge to the block. Perhaps it's just a bad gauge or sender.