Re: 55 patrician. New owner, dumb questions

Posted by HH56 On 2022/3/13 13:17:55

Congratulations on your recent purchase.

All knobs are rotary except the headlight switch and the power antenna option. If your car has a radio the Patrician will usually have the pwr antenna also.

The side courtesy lights are two function. There is a dimmer bulb that is always on when the headlights are on and another bulb which comes on and is much brighter when a front door opens.

Like the side courtesy lights, the tail lights and license plate lamps should also be on anytime the headlight switch moves out of the off position. The headlight switch push/pulls and turns. The first pull notch on the switch turns the parking lights and tail lights on. The second notch turns the parking lights off and the headlights on and keeps the tail lights on. Dash lights are fed from the tail light terminal so will also be on unless the switch and dash light dimming function in the rotary section of the headlight switch has turned them off. Rotary section has essentially 3 positions. All the way to the left turns the front courtesy lights on. A little to the right in the second detent turns courtesy and dash lights off. Third position is a rheostat section and continued turning dims the dash lights. The working range until the lights are too dim to see is about 1/2 turn maximum. Oxidation buildup just from lack of use in sitting cars causing the dash lights not to work is an issue with the headlight switches.

The tail and license lights are powered from the same wire that controls the side courtesy lights. Since the courtesy lights work I would look for a disconnected or broken wire in the loom coming into the trunk from the passenger compartment. Poor grounds via corrosion in the pot metal housings are fairly common and can lead to many interesting light issues but since brake lights work and use the second filament part of the same bulb doubt ground is the issue.

I believe you are speaking of the vacuum reserve tank under the left fender. The tank stores and provides vacuum for a couple of assisted brake stops if the engine is not running -- provided the hoses and valves in the brake booster and the main check valve at the rear of the carb or intake manifold are functioning properly so the residual vacuum does not leak.

If you have not found them already, in addition to almost all factory service bulletins, service manual, and parts manual there is a 55 wiring diagram and an owners manual in the literature archive section of the website. All are available for free download.