Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Well I know they worked the night the car was delivered because I turned them on. I was looking at the wire diagram and couldn't determine which wire is the power wire to the switch could someone more knowledgeable than I am point me in the right direction?

Referring to the 1940 1806 & 1807 AEA diagram available at the PAC site, the headlight switch is powered all the time and is fed from one of the ammeter terminals. Here is a small section of the diagram showing the feed wire colored in orange.

The two aux fuses on the switch are supplying power to various components and the ignition switch also appears to be fed from the same terminal on the light switch. If the components are working the switch is getting power. If power is present it could be the thermostatic relay for the headlights that is built into the switch has failed. On some switches I believe the thermostatic relay has a set of open contact points and if that switch is one of them perhaps some dirt has gotten between the contacts.

Attach file:

---

  (77.00 KB)

Was thinking you might check the dimmer switch too. Those have been problems in the past and if it didn't complete a switch and has hung up between terminals it would result in no lights. A wire could have also come off a terminal.

The 20AMP fuses on the bottom of the light switch are easy to access under the dash. You could do a continuity test with each of them in place, or pull them out with a little fuse grabber and test them. I've had them blow at the end when you can't see that the filament is broken.

Well apparently somehow the arm that pulls the switch that turns the headlight on got loose so managed to get it in and there I had lights back.

Attach file:

---

  (274.60 KB)

Glad it turned out to be simple. If it happened once it could happen again.

There is a short flat spring steel piece mounted at an angle on the tongue of the switch. That spring being mounted at an angle is supposed to make an interference fit adding some tension and keeping the end of the shaft tight in the hole in the tongue. Normally to remove the shaft the spring is pushed down flat so the holes in it and the tongue line up but if the spring has become flattened or broken then there is nothing to prevent the shaft from coming out again.

Attach file:

---

  (19.90 KB)