Re: Headliner installation on '53 Packard

Posted by HH56 On 2010/4/24 12:53:29

Little curious how you had or have things hooked up. Is the 12 battery by itself and feeding only one thing or tied into the rest of the car somehow? The fact the fuse didn't blow or when the kickdown switch was engaged, the engine didn't die by ign coil grounding thru the solenoid coil is very interesting. Also don't understand how the solenoid was even coming in to go into overdrive if the coil voltage was going to the ign kill contacts instead of the coil.

Nothing in the car is polarity sensitive other than possibly the factory radio in some circumstances. Many are running neg ground in their car either on purpose or accidentally because a mechanic installed the battery backward at some time in the past and with no ill effect.

In order to have the red light show there had to be some kind of feedback path that allowed the different voltages to interact driving enough through the indicator light for it to glow. The light works by having one side of filament at battery voltage and other side reaching ground thru generator windings. When generator not putting out voltage, then a path is there to light up. Once generator is outputting voltage anywhere close to battery level, then both sides of filament see the same potential and no light. To have it light only when OD selected indicates either generator wasn't charging with enough output because of a huge draw or somehow that 12v had to be on one side of bulb and 6v on the other.

I would be concerned something else may be at risk or possibly already damaged.