Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Good evening,

I've put a battery into the Clipper to see if the motor would turn over. After trying the starter, smoke came out of the reversing relay for the transmission and I turned the power off. The transmission was installed prior two my getting the car and it had never been tried.

I have pulled the actuator motor and it had been put together with the brushes out of position as is noted in other warning sections of the forum.

I now need to replace the brushes but the edge damage has obscured some of the markings. I can only see the M12 part of the marking. Would anyone be able to tell me the rest of the part number and if they are available from any parts dealers? The rest of the motor looks ok.

With regards to the reversing relay, I've removed the cover and the points are fried and the resistor is cracked. Are replacement relays available or do I need to try to fix this one? If they are available, could you please let me know where to look for them?

Thank you for your help.

Bob

Mr Pushbutton can probably help on both items but if not you can buy brushes for small motors by measurement from this companyhttp://www.carbonbrush.com The usual vendors have the relay and maybe Ross does too.

I have bought brushes from CarbonBrush (Arrowhead) on a few occasions so if there is enough left of the original brush to get a decent measurement expect you can find something to fit.

Before buying a new relay, I would clean up the relay points and check the operation of the coils. If they are OK then check the resistor to see if it is burned open. Autolite specs say resistor is .5 to .6 ohm but no mention of the wattage. I would guess at least 50. The resistance is most likely too low to get an accurate reading with a typical ohmmeter but if there is continuity it is probably usable. Ultimately you should replace the relay but you might be able to get some use before then.

If you haven't downloaded the Autolite service procedure for the unit, it might be worthwhile to do so.https://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/AutoLite_ServiceManual.pdf

Thank you Howard.

Hi Bob, your timing is amazing, I too am on the hunt for a reversing relay after getting this text from my mechanic...

"Hi. Had sparky (auto electrician) here all morning and he has now left to go and commit hurry curry (suicide). In spite of that we need the 6 terminal reversing relay. Existing one not doing its thing and no equivalent we can use. Changed to new push button unit as old one missing a vital bit for neutral start function. How quickly can we procure one. Cheers"

Keen to know if the relay available??

Cheers
Russ

Russ,

Took some time off from this, sorry for not responding sooner. I bought a new relay from Max Merritt Auto.

I've started tracing out the wires again to correct a number of incorrect connections so I haven't had success yet with seeing if the actuator motor will operate the valve shaft yet.

Nothing makes me wish that I had hair to pull out more than this car.

The brushes are available, when I get home tonight I'll look up the X-reference #. Be VERY CAREFUL when re-assembling the motor, it is a difficult thing to get the brushes back into the holder and the commutator inserted into the brushes. IF someone pushes against the brushes too hard you will crack the phenolic board that holds the brushes, and then I have to make a new one. I only do that as part of a total rebuild.
I have a special fixture and brush hold-back clips I built for doing this on rebuilds. I have also done it under a car, lying on the cement, and that is no picnic.
Be aware that in order to replace the brushes you also have to work around the primary wire connections to the motor, and the lead from the field coils. If you are not an expert solderer I would not recommend trying. I end up with all of those units eventually, and I just really wish they had left it alone and sent it to me in the first place. I've seen it all, cold solder joints, big balls of solder connecting everything to everything--you name it. It's like any other solder joint, cleanliness, surface preparation and the proper heat are needed to insure a good lasting joint.
There is an outstanding diagnostic flow chart in the AutoLite service manual here on Packardinfo.com, if you follow that it will tell you if there is a situation with the fingers/contact segment plate that led to this state of affairs. Be on the lookout for an over-traveled contact segment, and don't force it to turn back in the other direction without first removing the finger bridge, you will bend the fingers and be in worse shape than before if you don't.

P.S.--Do you have a wife named Angela?