Re: Headlamp circuit breaker mount
Posted by HH56 On 2016/5/10 10:18:02
Firstly, am a bit concerned why a one year old breaker would fail. I would strongly suggest examining the wiring carefully. Pay particular attention to the trunk where things could get shoved against a taillight or part of the loom. Places where wires exit thru a hole in the sheet metal for license lamp or go thru clamps for trunk light etc. Since so many lights are fed off that breaker there could be any number of other places. Dimmer switches are a known problem as are sockets for dash lights. If you still have the old original fabric covered wiring then that opens up any number of other possibilities. The least disturbance and that insulation can crack or fall off in chunks.
To the problem at hand, with the photo not showing I can only guess where the break occurred but from past reports and seeing other broken switches will take a guess. The part most concerning is if the break happened to pass thru any holes where the terminals are riveted or if the long brass bar the breaker is attached to is affected. If so, then you could have a terminal loosen or even fall out and that would require another switch. Technically the breaker doesn't need the broken board only portion to work. It is just there to support the incoming wiring. If there was a way to ensure the wires couldn't pull the breaker and possibly short then you could probably get by with the switch terminal end as the only support. The first photo is a typical switch with the line showing where they usually break.
I seriously doubt you will be able to repair the board but having said that, if there is enough material left intact on the back of the switch and break didn't go thru any terminal holes you could buy a small piece of 1/16" Hard and Strong Garolite sheet (phenolic board) from McMaster-Carr or MSC etc. Cut a piece off that sheet and epoxy to the remaining board and broken piece. Quite frankly, I wouldn't bet money it would last as long as it takes to type this reply but maybe worth a shot.
There are a couple of other options. The brass bar is the switch terminal and as long as that is intact you could mount an external breaker. If the wires that normally connect to the broken end are long enough you could buy a universal breaker with mounting ears which is similar in shape to the one on the switch. Find or drill for a convenient screw close by you could use for mounting. Transfer the wires that went to the broken part to the new breaker input. Run a short heavy gauge jumper wire from the breaker out to the brass terminal and attach with screw and nut.
Alternately, you could go to the parts store and buy an ATA style fuse holder and 30amp self resetting breaker. By removing the fuse cover and reworking the end of holder slightly the breaker will mount just like a fuse. The tabs on the breaker can be trimmed as needed so the breaker sits snugly but if desired you could use some heat shrink or tape to ensure the breaker stays well seated. Add some terminals to the wire ends and you have an inline setup. You could connect the wires as before using screws and nuts on both ends in place of a terminal strip or splices. Just be sure to get the 30 amp fuse holder and insulate the wire connections well.
Attach file:
(45.74 KB)
(25.89 KB)
(60.00 KB)
To the problem at hand, with the photo not showing I can only guess where the break occurred but from past reports and seeing other broken switches will take a guess. The part most concerning is if the break happened to pass thru any holes where the terminals are riveted or if the long brass bar the breaker is attached to is affected. If so, then you could have a terminal loosen or even fall out and that would require another switch. Technically the breaker doesn't need the broken board only portion to work. It is just there to support the incoming wiring. If there was a way to ensure the wires couldn't pull the breaker and possibly short then you could probably get by with the switch terminal end as the only support. The first photo is a typical switch with the line showing where they usually break.
I seriously doubt you will be able to repair the board but having said that, if there is enough material left intact on the back of the switch and break didn't go thru any terminal holes you could buy a small piece of 1/16" Hard and Strong Garolite sheet (phenolic board) from McMaster-Carr or MSC etc. Cut a piece off that sheet and epoxy to the remaining board and broken piece. Quite frankly, I wouldn't bet money it would last as long as it takes to type this reply but maybe worth a shot.
There are a couple of other options. The brass bar is the switch terminal and as long as that is intact you could mount an external breaker. If the wires that normally connect to the broken end are long enough you could buy a universal breaker with mounting ears which is similar in shape to the one on the switch. Find or drill for a convenient screw close by you could use for mounting. Transfer the wires that went to the broken part to the new breaker input. Run a short heavy gauge jumper wire from the breaker out to the brass terminal and attach with screw and nut.
Alternately, you could go to the parts store and buy an ATA style fuse holder and 30amp self resetting breaker. By removing the fuse cover and reworking the end of holder slightly the breaker will mount just like a fuse. The tabs on the breaker can be trimmed as needed so the breaker sits snugly but if desired you could use some heat shrink or tape to ensure the breaker stays well seated. Add some terminals to the wire ends and you have an inline setup. You could connect the wires as before using screws and nuts on both ends in place of a terminal strip or splices. Just be sure to get the 30 amp fuse holder and insulate the wire connections well.
Attach file:
(45.74 KB)
(25.89 KB)
(60.00 KB)
This Post was from: https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=176602