Re: Vacation Car - 56 Patrician

Posted by HH56 On 2023/4/12 12:55:55

With it failing with 3 control switches, does the leveler move in both directions if you use a small jumper wire and manually ground the solenoid wires at the control box? Touching the ground to either double terminal at the outside end on each side will bypass the limit switches and directly command the solenoids. Since you are bypassing the limit switch make sure a bar is not close to or will be driven into the center of the compensator and only touch long enough to see if it moves. If that works then you can be reasonably sure the solenoids and wiring to them is OK and you can concentrate on the limit switch or control box.

If one direction does not move by grounding the double terminal check to see if there is voltage at that same point. The way the solenoids are internally connected, they need a ground supplied by the control switch to work. At the outside double terminals you should be able to measure 12v to ground which is the voltage coming thru the solenoid winding. A solenoid coil could have failed or some have mistakenly tried to use an ordinary starter solenoid in place of the type the TL needs. Some cars have also had solenoids where water has gotten inside and corroded things to the point the plunger could not move.

If all that is good, then back to the command circuits. Control box inner contacts -- even in NOS switches off the shelf -- can oxidize from sitting and not pass enough current to bring the solenoids in. The limit switch plunger can stick keeping the switch open and the wire where it fastens to the terminal on the back of the limit switch can break. This is fairly common on the switch near the driveshaft if the wires are bundled and pulled tight. You can test them by trying the ground again at the single terminal to either side of the center green power wire.