I have a 1936 120 Business Coupe & replaced the headlight switch with a rebuilt from Max Merritt because occasionally when pulling the switch through the various positions, the headlights would either go out unexpectedly and/or the ammeter would peg negative indicating a possible short.

The new switch initially seemed to fix the problem, although now the problems have returned and I think the first question is whether it is in the switch or the wiring.

It is hard to get the problem to replicate, although it does appear that at or near various 'stops' when pulling our or pushing in the switch - it has regular 'on' for the headlights (low beam only) and also 'country' (with high beams) - I can get it to peg the ammeter or the headlight and dash lights will cut out.

One possibility, since 2 switches have now had about the same problem, is that the momentary shorting or cutting out was a 'feature' in 1936 as opposed to a 'bug'. Or I got a bad rebuilt switch from Max Merritt, or the problem is not in the switch at all, but in the wiring.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Doug

Thanks everybody.

The car has an Autolite 3rd brush generator which I was able to adjust using the instructions in the 1935 Packard 120 Shop Manual (available on this site, pg. 36), by removing the covering strap and pushing the brush in either direction.

The ammeter behavior is now more reasonable - peaks at a little over 20A and backs off to just charging with the headlights on after the car has warmed up.

I have added the car to the Packard Owner's Registry.

The attached photo was taken by a prior owner in front of the Packard Building in Philadelphia, PA, which was originally a dealership and is now luxury apartments.

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I have a 1936 120 with the GBR Autolite Generator. The ammeter seems to stay pegged at 30A once the car is past idling. One person told me this is normal, that the device on top of the generator is an 'interrupter' not a regulator, and that it's only purpose is to stop current from flowing back into the generator when the car is turned off to prevent it from 'motoring'. The manual seems to indicate that it is a regulator. I'd appreciate any info on whether I have an interrupter or a regulator, and if it's an interrupter if there is something I can do to prevent overcharging (by adding a regulator?), and if it's a regulator, whether staying pegged at 30A indicates it may not be working correctly.