highcking Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I recently acquired a '58 Roadmaster. I owned a '58 some years back that was in better mechanical condition than this one. The previous "mechanic" for this car disconnected all sorts of things and left them in place. Now the question. What looks like a factory-installed return spring is anchored to a small screw on the engine side of the firewall just below the windshield wiper motor. It is not connected to anything. It looks like it functioned somewhat vertically but there is nothing obvious in that area to connect it to. Other folks with '58s know what this spring is for?Bill ShieldsLuray, VA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Do you have a photo of the spring in place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 10, 2013 Author Share Posted April 10, 2013 Adam - I will post a photo later today.Do you have a photo of the spring in place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Adam - A photo of the mystery spring is below. While I have you "on the line," another issue arose today that I'd like your opinion on. I started the car to back it out of the shop for better light, and noticed that my oil gauge was reading zero. Up till now it has shown normal readings for cold, hot, low rpm, high rpm, etc. I let the car idle for some time and thought I heard an unusual sound from the oil pan area. I loosened the oil filter bolt slightly and oil pressed out past the seal. I'm trying to decide if I have a failing pump (these combo pumps for 57-58 were not so great) or if the line to the gauge is clogged with gunk. (I plan to change the oil shortly.) I got many thousands of miles of high-speed driving out of my '58 Century years ago and never had an oil pressure issue.Do you have a photo of the spring in place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I have the same bolt in my Roadmaster, as well as the Limited, but neither car had a spring there. I can't imagine what it would be for. My throttle return spring is attached to the throttle linkage on the carb.I'll look around a bit and see if I can find an answer.The oil pressure issue would make me very nervous. Have you ever primed an oil pump through the distributor hole? That is where I would start. If you can do that, and it feels like it is spinning freely (read: without pressure) then you need to pull the oil pan. It wouldn't hurt to pull it anyway...there's no telling how much sludge is sitting in that pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Adam - thanks much. I think I will delete the spring. I agree on the oil pan removal. You'd think a gear-type pump would fail rather slowly - until yesterday I had excellent oil pressure. But it's possible.I have the same bolt in my Roadmaster, as well as the Limited, but neither car had a spring there. I can't imagine what it would be for. My throttle return spring is attached to the throttle linkage on the carb.I'll look around a bit and see if I can find an answer.The oil pressure issue would make me very nervous. Have you ever primed an oil pump through the distributor hole? That is where I would start. If you can do that, and it feels like it is spinning freely (read: without pressure) then you need to pull the oil pan. It wouldn't hurt to pull it anyway...there's no telling how much sludge is sitting in that pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Bill,Just to chime in here, when you pull the pan and oil pump, check for a broken pressure relief spring in the pump, or a stuck plunger.In the Pre War forums, we have discussed polishing down the pump housing to .0025" clearance from the DRIVE GEAR to the cover plate, and checking the plate for warpage, to increase our oil pressure.I stretched my spring from 2.75" to 3.25" (and should have gone to 3.50"), but it did bring the oil pressure up about 10# @ idle.Just my $ .02Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Mike - thanks very much. I was thinking about the spring and plunger as possible explanations for a sudden drop from normal pressure to almost zero. Another possibility, perhaps less likely, is that the tiny oil line to the gauge is blocked with crud. I'll report back on this forum when I have some answers.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 A quick test would be to buy an after market gauge, unhook your gauge line and hook in the new one and see what happens. But I agree, dropping the pan is a GOOD idea. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Ben - I ordered a used Lisle pressure test set from eBay last night! That will be my first step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glassesguy Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Guys: Don't discard the spring! That is an anti rattle spring shown on page 48 of Buick Product Service Bulletin 2.432. Apparently there was a problem with the throttle equalizer shaft rattling on the lower equalizer shaft bracket. The fix was to install the 1/2" round head #8 screw on the cowl. The spring is a throttle return spring Gr. 3.459 #1178983. One end hooks on the screw on the cowl, the other end hooks under the retaining screw holding the throttle operating lever to the equalizer shaft. Apparently this puts some tension on the equalizer shaft to keep it from rattling. There was no recall on this. It would seem to be a fix only if there was a customer complaint so that's probably why some cars have it and some don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 Dave - thanks! That's a great piece of information. It sure does look like a "factory" spring that hooks to something. It's still hanging there on the firewall and I'll hook it up as you describe. As I mention above, this Roadmaster has suffered somewhat at the hands of previous owners. But I intend to have it right by the time cold weather arrives again.BillGuys: Don't discard the spring! That is an anti rattle spring shown on page 48 of Buick Product Service Bulletin 2.432. Apparently there was a problem with the throttle equalizer shaft rattling on the lower equalizer shaft bracket. The fix was to install the 1/2" round head #8 screw on the cowl. The spring is a throttle return spring Gr. 3.459 #1178983. One end hooks on the screw on the cowl, the other end hooks under the retaining screw holding the throttle operating lever to the equalizer shaft. Apparently this puts some tension on the equalizer shaft to keep it from rattling. There was no recall on this. It would seem to be a fix only if there was a customer complaint so that's probably why some cars have it and some don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartin Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I wonder if both of my cars had this installed, and then discarded. They both have this mystery screw, but no spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Yes it is as Dave Rex reports. I have had 4- 57's and all of them had this spring. When your taking off the carb it is the first spring to come off of the linkage setup. It goes to the linkage arm next to the lower throttle flap arm. It steadies the tension and firms up the overall mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Ben - dropped the oil pan and pulled out the oil pump - original style with vacuum booster. Here's what I found. (1) Screen had some particles on it and the pan itself had bits and pieces of gasket and silicone floating around in the remaining gunk. So cleaning is in order. (2) The oil pump itself seems to be in good condition overall. Can't really tell about the vacuum part though it is not damaged. (3) The spring and ball mechanism also looked good - spring had plenty of tension it in and the ball was free to move.I plan to rebuild and install a '59 pump. But the puzzling thing is that I don't see anything suggesting a cause for a sudden oil pressure drop. I'd suspect the gauge except the car was idling far more noisily than it had before the oil pressure plummeted. Ideas anyone? My current plan is to clean the sump, install the '59-style pump, bolt up the pan, install a conversion kit for a spin-on filter, fill with fresh oil, start and test pressure with my new pressure test kit.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_58 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Hello highcking,My 1958 Super has this spring as well. Please see attached picture (sorry, my engine compartment is not clean).Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Chris - thanks! That's how I hooked mine up. But your picture begs another question - I don't think I have a relay in the place pictured. Do you know which relay this is? (I am strugggling to put the car back together from a previous unfinished restoration.)Bill Hello highcking,My 1958 Super has this spring as well. Please see attached picture (sorry, my engine compartment is not clean).Chris[ATTACH=CONFIG]189392[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_58 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 This is the clutch relay for the A/C compressor. Unless you car has factory A/C this relay should not be there.If you need more pictures from other engine areas just pm me. My car is mostly original, so I am pretty sure everything is where it was originally put.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highcking Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Chris - no AC, so I'm OK there. I appreciate the offer and will probably be taking you up on it. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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