Date: 201507
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Aircraft: B767-300 and 300 ER
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
Aircraft component: Air Conditioning and Pressurization Pack
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Second reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Not Flying
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Aircraft In Service At Gate
Result: Flight Crew Became Reoriented; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Manuals; Procedure; Aircraft
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: After push and engine start; got a 'Left Pack Temp' EICAS alert. Ran LT PACK TEMP QRH; reset pack temp control to STBY N as directed. Light did not extinguish; so we waited for 5 minutes and reset the pack as directed. Alert extinguished and QRH checklist was complete. We looked at the MEL; but there didn't seem to be anything that applied. We contacted Dispatch/Maintenance Control and got a 'roger.' We felt that we had a successful reset.Only after takeoff did we realize that we did not comply with the post dispatch process as required by the FOM. We contacted Dispatch; they contacted Maintenance Control and told us via reply ACARS that no MEL would apply and to write it up and inform local maintenance upon arrival. The more we thought about it; the more that we felt that Maintenance Control was wrong; as we operated the Left Pack in the Standby mode; not the Normal mode.Both crewmembers had turned from East Coast cities into the flight. The sort was late; pushback crew had slow response to the plane after the beacon was turned on. The flight plan had a statement 'TIME CRITICAL FLIGHT//FLY FAST MACH' which; unfortunately; had us armed to take off quickly after a lengthy delay. Failure of Maintenance Control to contact us after we alerted them to a maintenance issue.Better verbiage in the QRH that matches the name of the switch as indicated in the cockpit companion or revision of the cockpit companion to better match verbiage used in the QRH. The two documents; in this case; do not provide assistance in attempting to resolve issued. Stay focused and keep after Maintenance Control for input. The only input received was after takeoff.


Second narrative: After starting the engines the EICAS alert 'L PACK TEMP' drove us to the QRH which said to place the L Pack in STBY N mode; then wait 5 minutes and try to reset. After 5 minutes the Pack Reset switch successfully removed the L PACK TEMP EICAS alert. The checklist is complete in this case (step 4).The checklist does not say to then place the L PACK back in AUTO. We had a good airplane with two operating packs and we departed.We had alerted Maintenance Control during our 5 min wait that we may need to start a post dispatch maintenance process; but then we figured we had fixed the problem.The captain said after takeoff that we probably should have initiated a post dispatch maintenance process. I initially didn't think we did since we had two operating packs and no EICAS messages. We sent a message to the dispatcher who confirmed with Maintenance Control that this was their belief as well.We then looked up in the MEL what relief might be required; but I was unable to find any initially. The guidance on the PACK switch in question labels it a 'PACK CONTROL' switch. The MEL does not have a deferral for the AUTO mode of such a switch. I disregarded all mentions of 'PACK TEMPERATURE' modes in the MEL because I believed the TEMP controls were referring to the three Compartment temperature controllers.Then after further investigation we settled on the MEL: 21-51-03 Pack Temperature Control Systems - AUTO MODE as potentially our problem. I'm still not sure that this would be the post dispatch maintenance process; because the assumption would be that the AUTO MODE is not working. We don't know that to be the case; since the QRH doesn't have us try the AUTO MODE again after successfully removing the EICAS alert.I think the AUTO MODE should control the pack temp and since it did not; and the checklist doesn't have us test it again; that we should have assumed it was faulty and initiated a post dispatch maintenance process. But I still remain unclear; as the guidance from the dispatcher and Maintenance Control seems to disagree.My (apparently) erroneous belief that the removal of the EICAS message and the working pack did not require a post dispatch maintenance process to continue; along with my misinterpretation of the MEL that would apply to this particular switch.I should send Maintenance Control a text prior to departure with our exact scenario and ask them if they felt we needed a post dispatch maintenance process. The time constraints of a time critical flight that was already delayed after a hub turn should not factor in to my decision making process.If the burden falls on the pilot to locate the MEL for relief; then the MEL and our documentation of the names of the switches should match.


Synopsis: B767-300 flight crew experiences a 'Left Pack Temp' EICAS alert; after push and engine start. The LT PACK TEMP QRH procedure is to reset and run the pack temp control in STBY N as directed. The pack is reset and run in STBY N but no MEL is applied.