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Hello! Last month, I bought a 1948 Packard Super Eight LWB that needed some love and a good home. It's got what I think are a few issues, but coming from diesels I really don't know (I've no experience with flatheads):

1) the exhaust makes a fairly regular put-put-put sound, which my gut tells me is a misfire (it occasionally doubles up too)

2) the engine has what sounds to me like minor lifter noise, a regular "tackatackatack" sort of thing.

3) when originally purchased, the motor was overfull with what felt like 0w20 oil, about a quart's worth. Smelled like gas, too.

Originally I thought #3 was due to a bad fuel pump, but after doing some reading I found out that some people overfill their Packard v8s to quiet lifter noise. Again, my gut says these are all related issues (likely a stuck valve or something like that), but I really have no idea. I've no idea what the oil pressure is, and the odo (for what it's worth) reads 97k.

Any input would be much appreciated!

For #1, see if you can get a compression test done and report back. Surely a cylinder or two are not firing but that could be spark, mixture, a vacuum leak, or bad compression. Gotta sort them out one at a time.

#2, if it is still a super 8 engine it might have hydraulic lifters which can get noisy in their old age. Or it might have solid lifters that simply need adjusting. You'll need to take off the side plates and have a look.

#3 the overfilling trick is only for the 55-56 V8 engines. If your oil is overfilled and smells like gas then it is likely the fuel pump has failed and is leaking into the oil. That will thin the oil and will increase the likelyhood of #2. Get that stuff out of there and put in some 30 weight. You are then going to need a fuel pump rebuild, or bypass it and use an electric pump for a while till you get thing sorted out.

Gas will thin out oil, so most likely you got a ~qt of gas(or something else) in the oil system. Lack of lubrication and improper viscosity will make noises, cause excessive wear. This oil should've been changed before ever try to to run it.

When these things sit and there's no history, one needs to check everything before firing them off, if you don't want more issues and cost.

Diesels just don't have spark(ignition) and operate at higher compression. The valve train is just on the side, not overhead. Otherwise, your just burning fuel in a compressor running "backward" - producing power instead of consuming power. Same basic technology.

g'day Icarus,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your '48 Packard Super Eight LWB in the Packard Vehicle Registry.

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I should mention that the first thing I did was change the oil and hook up a 12v fuel pump for diagnostics. noise and misfire didnt go away, but it's definitely not making oil!



[Quote]For #1, see if you can get a compression test done and report back. Surely a cylinder or two are not firing but that could be spark, mixture, a vacuum leak, or bad compression. Gotta sort them out one at a time.[/quote]

I ordered a compression tester that appears to have the correct fitting (these plugs are weird). I'll report back once the test is done!


[Quote]g'day Icarus,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your '48 Packard Super Eight LWB in the Packard Vehicle Registry.[/quote]

Thanks! I'll do that after I get a decent picture.

I'd just like to say that this site is *amazing.* It has every bit of information you could possibly hope for for keeping these old girls running, the community is extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and the information is actually GOOD. So many car forums (especially the Mercedes ones) are so full of bad info and worse help. I can't believe how much easier it is to find info on this 74 year old car from a defunct make, versus a 40 year old car (which was made by the million!) from a still-in-business company. Thank you guys!

I'll do a comp test and pull some stuff apart, and report back with the findings. See you guys then!

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Most compression testers that I've seen also have a rubber push-in device that makes fittings unnecessary and they are also faster for a quick test as no need to screw in and unscrew the device. You simply hold them with a little pressure by hand into the spark plug hole while doing the test.

Good Morning...Packard Don is a big strong dude and can hold a compression meter in place with one hand...those of us who are smaller might need both hands! Ernie in Arizona

Well, thank you Ernie! That was actually the way I’ve always done it except on certain engines where the plug holes are hard to reach. On one of my non-Packards, they are under the exhaust manifold where I can’t get the right angle to hold it in by hand. This is the type I was talking about and it takes little effort.

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I got one pretty much just like that!

Update on the situation: I did the compression test, and the cylinders came back 105-115psi across. I'm astonished; the motor has 97k miles on it, and it's pretty much brand new. Turns out cylinder 2 had a bad plug, so I ordered new ones. 1.50 a pop, may as well do the bunch.

Man, plugs are cheap (relatively). Always do the bunch. Besides, these engines are so easy to do, and you have that big lovely work surface there, too, to make things easier.

I just wish that Bosch made a plug for these engines - or maybe I just haven't found it yet.