Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

This weekend I am going to pull both the Governor and the solenoid to check them out.
When I bought the car, the OD did not work because the solenoid was bad. It had been in a private museum for a while and got very little use, so I had the cooling system, the brakes and the suspension sorted out so I could drive it regularly. While doing that, we replaced the old solenoid, (which was toasted) with another one which was not rebuilt, more like a spare. The OD worked well for a few months and then began to develope the "machine gun" effect. Recently the fuse blew. I had assumed that the noise noted was due either to something in the solenoid or to something in the balk ring area (it was hard to tell if it was electric or mechanical).
Now with the OD not attempting to engage when it should (the fuse is still intact) I am pretty sure it is electrical. I am good mechanically, but not with the electric system. You guys are a great help and have given me a couple places to start looking.
For me, working on the car is one of the pleasures of owning it, provided I can fix it (if not it is just a frustration).
There is a great thread on the post-war forum on systematically working through the electrical system on an OD unit. I tried using this to work through mine, but it seemed there were some differences that made it difficult. Probably due to my lack of familiarity.
I do appreciate the input from everyone and really look forward to getting this operating correctly.

It was a good weekend for working on the Packard. I got a number of things done.

Although there may be a couple issues with the electric on the EC, I went through and performed the mechanical adjustments for the clutch and had great results. Everything (almost) now seems to be working properly on the EC. I can start the car in neutral, shift into any gear without touching the clutch, start from a dead stop in reverse, first or second, and go through the gears and everything works well with one exception. When it is time to upshift, there is a short delay between letting off the gas and engagement of the clutch. The result is a little slowing action as the trans starts to slow the car.

It appears to me that either there is an adjustment I need to find that engages the clutch more quickly as the gas is released, or the trans should be free-wheeling at that point.

Is it necessary for the EC to work properly that the OD be engaged? In that case, the free-wheeling action of the OD would address the situation. I don't see anything in the manual that says they need to be operated in tandem but I belive that the EC was only available on cars that also had OD.

As an update to the electrical tests, upon re-checking, the low/reverse solenoid test (solenoid and circuit, not the switch) failed. I do get positive results that the windings in the solenoid are continuous, but I get no light when in first or reverse (or any other position). Not sure how definitive this is, given that everything seems to be engaging and working pretty well.

I could not pull the governor this week end as it requires a very large and fairly thin wrench and I had nothing that would fit it. I did not want to use anything that would apply pressure to the sides of the unit, so it'll be another week before I get the time for this.

Less luck on my OD this weekend. I am starting a new thread on that as it seems to be independent of the EC at this point.

As always, all input and insight is really appreciated. I feel like I am making some real progress and having a lot of fun doing it.

Your persistence with the EC is very commendable!! Many (myself included on my 48 Custom) would have just shoved a cork into the vacuum line and pulled the fuse after that amount of effort. Now you've really got something unique that you can demonstrate. Of all the EC-equipped cars I've ridden in or driven, I can only recall one where the unit worked flawlessly, that at the 2001 Canandaigua PAC National, and I was really impressed. Kudos!

Thank you. I really enjoy working on the Packard and getting things to operate correctly.
This forum is great for undertaking these kinds of things because it really makes you feel like you have a deep bench and don't need to be afraid to move forward. Reading manuals is great, but direct interaction really makes things seem a lot less daunting.
I really thank you for all your input because it is so helpful and your knowledge of these cars is amazing.