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new to packards have quetion about a 51 200


Guest deathrodder

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Guest deathrodder

I just got a 51 packard 200 that runs great and i want to keep it that way and was wondering what type of oil does it take and trans fluid it has a strait 8 i was wondering if any one could tell me where i can get parts for it and if there is a packard club in px az any help will be a big help thanx

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If you will also visit Packard Info, www.packardinfo.com there is a great deal of information available for download on the post war cars. Several members have cars identical to yours and most if not all your questions can be answered there or have answers already in the FAQ section. Many members from the Arizona area post there.

Edited by HH56 (see edit history)
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Oh boy the good ol' straight 30 oil gag.

Deathrodder you should use a good name brand 10W30 or maybe 15W40 oil. In real cold weather like below freezing 5W30

Your car was built about the time multigrade detergent oils were first put on the market. Chances are it has never used anything but 10W30 in its life. I worked in a garage in the sixties and that was the default choice for everything that came in the door.

We did keep good ol' straight 30 oil but nobody bought it except people with broken down oil burning klunkers who wanted the cheapest oil we had. Nobody ever put it in a good motor.

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Guest deathrodder

well i got a hold of a packard repair book and service book it says to use 20 wieght oil and atf fluid ??

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The old type A fluid Packard recommended is long gone. Current recommendation is type F is closest to the type A and should be used if the original bands and clutches are still there but even that is getting harder to find. Several have had good things to say about B&M trick shift, particularly if the car has sat for awhile and is being taken out of hibernation. That is apparently very similar to type F but with some dye and friction modifiers added.

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What year is the Packard repair book? I also have repair books and owners manual from the early fifties. They often recommend single weight oils with a chart telling you which to use for which temps (weather). If you read a little farther they recommend using "heavy duty" oil which is detergent oil, and multigrade oil if available.

As I said before, your car probably never had anything in it but 10W30 for the last 50 years. This was what we used when the book said 10,20, or 30 because it covered the whole range. 15W40 will work but may be thicker than necessary for such a low mile engine. It will quiet down an hi miler though.

Personally I would use 5W30 and give it several oil changes in quick succession to clean out the sludge. For example, change oil, if it gets black real quick change at 500 miles then another change at 1500 miles and depending how it looked, another change at 2500. Then go to a normal 3000 mile interval with 10W30.

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Dexron fluid is the closest to type A. Some Packard owners have changed the fluid and filter and cleaned out the pan then changed to B&M fluid and reported the trans worked better.

There is a discussion on various fluids at the Packard Info forum FAQ under Ultramatic Fluid. This is one of those subjects that tend to get a lot of discussion and opinions.

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Experiencing direct drive clutch lockup chatter and groan with Dexron and having it go away after a few hundred miles with Type F has been reported rather regularly. Ditto for B&M's "Trick Shift" as eliminating the problem. Dexron may be a good choice if your friction linings have been replaced with modern GM-origin linings; may not be such a good choice if they have not. As HH says, lot's to read on this topic, lots of individual experiences on both sides of the question.

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Guest Albert

I had problems with my 54 , where the lockup converter clutch was not unlocking when comming to a stop,, and i put in a bottle of transmedic in it, and has been fine since but it was off the road for over 20 years before i got it, i replaced all the wheel cylinders and brake lines, rebuild the powerbrake unit.. all you brake wheel cylinders and the master (non power brake) you can get at a local napa, have all the number, use to be a spred sheet on this site,, or check Packardinfo.com...

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Guest Albert

yes i use Kanters for my packard parts as well,, but get as much as i can locally, ie points, and wheel cylinders,, back ones for mine are the same as a Ford f150 to 1999. so easy to get,, had to replace the upper control arm bushing on the Patrician,, found they are the same a used on a checker taxi cabs,,

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Guest 51Patty400

I've been using 20/50 in my 327 1951 Packard 400 since last year. It seems to run smoother than using other oils. Rusty has a good point about getting the sludge out first.

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