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1938 Packard Six Electic Choke Problem


Guest wishbone

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Guest wishbone

Howdy, I've yet to post on this particular forum, but have on others on this site (Lincoln, Hudson, Dodge). All along I've had this Packard 6 cylinder car that I tinker on here and there and have just about got it ready to test drive, when all of a sudden the electric choke wire started to heat up and melt all the way back to the ignition switch. Dang. Not sure why. I removed the coil and decided to test for resistance between the terminals, between the terminals and the housing, everywhere. At all points I got infinity...no resistance. Hmmm...? Any ideas? I looked the thing over and it physically looks fine.

Your thoughts would be welcomed.

thanks, Erik

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Guest wishbone

Well, that makes sense...I was looking around in my Motor's as well as my 38-39 Packard service manual, and nothing was matching up. I would really rather have the original type carburetor, than to mess around trying to get this one to work properly. My car runs, but not as smooth as it should with a rebuilt motor. Any ideas where a fella could locate the proper carb? My manual says that early 38 (which I think mine is...the date code on the motor is actually 1937) uses a Chandler-Groves AOC-2. I would feel lucky to find either the early AOC-2 or the later AOC-25.

thanks, Erik

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The Chandler-Groves carburetors are generally reviled as just plain poor designs, most owners I know of trashed them years ago. I suspect if you check the 37/38 Shop Manual and Service Letters you'll find info on what Packard ultimately did to replace them, I believe Carter WA-1 was one of those choices.

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Guest wishbone

Right now on Ebay someone is selling some Packard carbs. One of them is the same BXOV-26 stromberg that mine is...except it's using a heat riser tube off the manifold. If I were to buy this one, I'd have to make my own tube. It looks pretty straight forward(??). The fella is asking $340 starting bid (rebuilt). Kinda steep, but it's not like I can get one off the shelf at NAPA. Thoughts?

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Without researching the issue completely (in other words, memory):

In 1937, Packard used a Carter WA-1 plus 3 different Chandler-Groves on the 6

In 1938, Packard used a Carter WA-1 plus 2 different additional Chandler-Groves on the 6

In 1939, Packard gave up completely on the C-G, and added a Stromberg BXOV-26 (with hot air choke) as their second vendor on the 6. Packard also released "factory service carbs" by both Carter and Stromberg to replace the Chandler-Groves.

If you REALLY want an original C-G, I will sell you one, but I won't guarantee it to ever start the car, let alone run it.

Stromberg made a ton of different BXOV-2 and BXOV-26 carbs (many were universal aftermarket for Chevrolet and Plymouth). Make certain that what you get is correct for the Packard.

Jon.

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Guest wishbone

Thanks for the info Jon. Every little bit is helpful in narrowing down a solution. One other thing that is now coming to mind is that when I noticed the choke wire smoking, I rushed to turn off the engine and disconnect the battery...being not sure what all was happening under the dash. Now I'm recalling that the lighted knobs for the radio delete seemed a bit brighter that usual. I also happened to glance at the amp gauge before shutting it down and saw that it was charging about half way to the + side. Which was surprising, because I was not getting a charge before....I was saving the charging issues for last. I was running the idle at a medium rpm to warm everything up for another valve adjustment and head torque. First time at this idle so maybe the gauge wasn't reading at the lower speed...?? Hmmmm? Wondering if the regulator is not working. Would this only affect the battery, or would it affect everything electrical?

Suppose I should make sure that it's indeed a 6V generator/regulator set up. I just cleaned up the parts and bolted them on after rebuilding the engine.

I guess I should say that I bought this car with the engine and transmission completely disassembled, but all machined and ready to put back together. I have no personal history with the car other than the zillion hours of evenings spent nursing this girl back together.

thanks again for the advice.

-E

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Wishbone - if your carburetor is a Packard application, the carburetor identification number will be STAMPED (not a raised number) on the top casting. Check this link for more information: http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Carburetor_ID.htm#IDStromberg

The code number for Packard is 10.

Again, if Packard, this link will tell you if it was an original Packard installation: http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Kpackard.htm

If a 10 prefix, and not here, then it could be a factory service unit.

As to the electrical gremlin, not my field, but maybe a stuck starter???

Jon.

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