Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Last year I had every possible lube point lubed. Put about 2500 miles on the car, with grease jobs and an oil change,

Figure to start the season with a lube and oil change and filter.

What else would you do?

BEFORE YOU REPLY, I am well aware of the lube intervals on the charts.... My question is not about the charts, it's about what you would do.

Front outer wheel bearings?

What do you do to assure longer component life by proper or improper lubrication?

I do not go by time unless i know the car has been subjected to a lot of rain or snow or unusual dust conditions. I mostly go by miles. i do it that way for EVERY vehicle i have. Engine oil is the most critical on the engines with no filter or bypass type filter systems as found in the Packard V8's. Engine oil change 1500 to 2000 miles. Filter i let go as much as 10,000 miles. I cut filter apart too for inspection.

A lot of it has to do with visual inspection of the engine oil on the dip stick.

Daily grocery getters NEVER more than 3K miles on oil changes. Filter at least everyother oil change. I don;t care what the manufactuer recommends.

But my driving, storeage and use conditions of my particular car may be very different from yours.

Either way, for vintage engines it's oil change every 1500 - 2000 miles is absolute for me. Filters and other lube considerations depends on a variety of factors that may vary from year to year usage or various other factors.

I'm probably overly conservative, but I go by time, not miles. Neither of my Packards generally sees much over 1000 miles a year, so typically they don't see too many long, sustained drives that tend to drive combustion byproducts (crankcase) and condensation from places like the crankcase, differential, std. trans, and the like. Probably at least half the mileage is trips of 40 miles or less, which tend to be hardest on cars.

I do a motor oil change every fall, regardless of mileage but it's usually about 1000, and a thorough chassis greasing at the same time. I drain and refill the differential and std. transmission every 3 years. Repack wheel bearings at about 10 year intervals. The 34 has a full-flow filter which Purolater & Packard recommended changing every 8000 miles; I do it at about half that interval. On the Carib, filter change with every other oil change. Brake fluid flush and refill every 3 years. Cooling system flush and fresh antifreeze every 2 years. Again, perhaps I'm being a bit too obsessive about it, but lubricants, fluids and my own labor are cheap, parts aren't necessarily so.

I've noticed over many years and a variety of different engine applications that some engines tend to have engine oil that remains very clean and clear-amber looking for a very long time. Maybe only about 20% of engines i've had in my own possession for long periods of time are that way.

While other engines the oil gets rather dirty looking first time i start it rite after an oil change. There seems to be no ryhme or reason to it.

Example:
My 56 Executive will have dirty looking oil directly after an oil change and first start up. This engine is one that i have had oil pan removed at least a dozen times over the last 7 to 8 years not to mention longitudunal main oil galleries closely inspected and they were clean and heads removed all at the same time at one time when i got the car. Bottom line: this is a very clean engine inside and was fairly clean when i first got it at 34K miles.

I've never really understood why some engines dirty the oil so fast while maybe 20% of others will go a long time with oil that remains very clean. However the engines that dirty the oil real fast seen to be oil consumers while the engines that use no oil at all tend to keep the oil very clean for a long time. Must be due to rings whether good/acceptable compression tests or not.

Breifly:
I have a piece of Ag equipment here with a 4 cylinder Contenental engine. Won;t dirty the oil AT ALL for long hours of operation. It won't burn a single drop of oil either. BUT it has very good throttle and choke shaft SEALS and the bowl vents to the oil bath air cleaner which i keep very clean. It only holds about 10 oz's of oil.

There is NO way for any atmosperic bebris to enter the carb unless the air cleaner is compromised in some way.

BTW it's a 1951 engine.

Combustion gases blowing by the piston rings are a primary contributor to the engine oil turning to a dark color early.

(o{I}o)

Combustion gases blowing by the piston rings are a primary contributor to the engine oil turning to a dark color early.

Absolutely the predominant reason. And exaggerated by a lot of idling time when the crankcase ventilation system is essentially inoperative.