Re: Hydraulic stop light switch
Posted by HH56 On 2019/6/27 19:05:25
I truly don't know what all is going on with your car but it sounds as if someone has done some modifications and who knows to what or where the wires are going.
If everything was still stock, the wires in the trunk should be a yellow going to the Rt tail light & would be the brake/turnsignal wire coming from the black plug at the base of the steering column which connects to the turnsignal switch. The brown wire to the Lt tail light is the brake/turnsignal for that side also from the black plug. Neither wire should have any fuses but who knows what has happened in 65 years
The black wire hanging under the dash is not a ground as Packard only ran a couple of grounds via wires and those are in the engine compt. Normally grounds were done by a component just being screwed to the body metal. If the wire is coming out of the steering column it may be for the bulb in the Ultramatic shift quadrant. If so, it plugs either directly to one side of the double terminal in the center of the ceramic portion of the head light switch or if it was too short, possibly an extension wire with a mating plug coming from the switch.
I don't think you are going to be able to do much more without checking some voltages or maybe taking the car and a copy of the wiring diagram back to your mechanic. You could also just replace the brake switch since those are the usual reasons for suddenly having no brake lights. If it fixes the problem great, if not then you have a spare switch for when it does fail and can troubleshoot farther to find the real cause of the problem.
If you don't have a meter possibly you could pick up an inexpensive test light. Amazon has the one pictured and Harbor Freight used to have and may still carry something similar. All you need to do with the light is ground the clip and with the pointed end touch the various terminals and see if power is present. If voltage is present the bulb will light.
If you do buy a light similar to the one in this picture then because the pointed end looks to be long and bare it would be a good idea to wrap most of its length with tape just leaving maybe 1/2 inch at the tip exposed. If there is a clear plastic shield that comes with the light to cover the probe then the tape would not be necessary. Covering the probe will go a long way to prevent shorting anything in close confined areas.
To check the brake switch remove the orange wire completely and stick the probe in the hole so the tip touches the metal terminal inside. If it lights you have power. Plug that wire back on the switch and then pull the green wire off and when someone steps on the brakes test the exposed terminal on the switch. If the light works there too the switch is OK and you need to start checking the turn signal switch or maybe find a broken wire somewhere. If no light on the orange wire the brake switch is not getting power and you need to find out what has failed or what someone has modified.
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If everything was still stock, the wires in the trunk should be a yellow going to the Rt tail light & would be the brake/turnsignal wire coming from the black plug at the base of the steering column which connects to the turnsignal switch. The brown wire to the Lt tail light is the brake/turnsignal for that side also from the black plug. Neither wire should have any fuses but who knows what has happened in 65 years
The black wire hanging under the dash is not a ground as Packard only ran a couple of grounds via wires and those are in the engine compt. Normally grounds were done by a component just being screwed to the body metal. If the wire is coming out of the steering column it may be for the bulb in the Ultramatic shift quadrant. If so, it plugs either directly to one side of the double terminal in the center of the ceramic portion of the head light switch or if it was too short, possibly an extension wire with a mating plug coming from the switch.
I don't think you are going to be able to do much more without checking some voltages or maybe taking the car and a copy of the wiring diagram back to your mechanic. You could also just replace the brake switch since those are the usual reasons for suddenly having no brake lights. If it fixes the problem great, if not then you have a spare switch for when it does fail and can troubleshoot farther to find the real cause of the problem.
If you don't have a meter possibly you could pick up an inexpensive test light. Amazon has the one pictured and Harbor Freight used to have and may still carry something similar. All you need to do with the light is ground the clip and with the pointed end touch the various terminals and see if power is present. If voltage is present the bulb will light.
If you do buy a light similar to the one in this picture then because the pointed end looks to be long and bare it would be a good idea to wrap most of its length with tape just leaving maybe 1/2 inch at the tip exposed. If there is a clear plastic shield that comes with the light to cover the probe then the tape would not be necessary. Covering the probe will go a long way to prevent shorting anything in close confined areas.
To check the brake switch remove the orange wire completely and stick the probe in the hole so the tip touches the metal terminal inside. If it lights you have power. Plug that wire back on the switch and then pull the green wire off and when someone steps on the brakes test the exposed terminal on the switch. If the light works there too the switch is OK and you need to start checking the turn signal switch or maybe find a broken wire somewhere. If no light on the orange wire the brake switch is not getting power and you need to find out what has failed or what someone has modified.
Attach file:
(51.52 KB)
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