Re: KPack's 1954 Panama

Posted by HH56 On 2024/1/31 14:18:42

Clippers should have the Bendix type starters with small solenoid but if it has the large pinion shift solenoid type those pull a lot of current thru the ign switch. In addition to sometimes adding and powering heavy draw accessories from the switch which causes them to overheat, 54-56 Packard switches seem to be a bit underrated for the large solenoid current and have failed with symptoms of sticking or erratic action. That has often been traced to a burned or melted starter contact. You can see that result in the photos of the switch above where the small starter contact on the diagonal strip has a hole melted thru what should be a solid rounded surface contact like the others. To alleviate this issue some have added a relay in the start circuit to take the heavy solenoid current out of the switch. If there is anything in the start wiring that seems strange perhaps something like that was added.