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Gentlemen
I am restoring a 1940 Packard 120. The Deluxe Heater has a switch with 4 posts to attach 4 wires coming from heater motor. Is there a diagram showing what color wire attaches to what post? Appreciate the help.
Nick

What do the 4 wires go to in the heater, and what is the switch function? For example, is it a 3-speed switch?

Is the heater electric, or connected to the coolant system?

There appear to be two versions of the 4 wire deluxe heater and from what I have been able to document, the wire colors appear to be hooked up differently. At that time Packard typically supplied wiring drawings for accessories on a separate install document shipped with the item and so far, I don't believe anyone has posted or maybe even found a factory deluxe heater drawing for the conventional body cars. The question seems to be if the field and armature are wired with the same colors and if so, whether it is the Brown or the Green wire connected directly to ground.

There are two or three different versions of the switch too. In one version the knob faces toward the passengers, turns right or left and lights up when the heater is on. Another version has a toggle lever under the face plate which kind of rotates thru the positions. A third known version is a push-pull type switch for use in the Clippers. All are motor reversing, two speeds in each direction.

In operation, the defrost position turns the motor in a direction so the blower wheel is turning and the vanes are most efficient. It will supply a good stream of air to the defrost tubes. The heater uses a bladed fan which in the defrost setting is in effect turning backwards so only a minimal amount of air is able to get out the heater doors. In the heat positions, the motor is reversed so fan is turning the proper direction for a good supply thru the doors but the vanes on the blower are now backwards and not able to push much so there is a minimal amount going to the windshield.

This wiring and photo is documented by Joe Santana from his 40 with a rotary type switch. The second diagram I have is the factory Clipper version of that heater and pull type switch which is wired a bit differently. Since Joe supplied the wire colors and photos from his car with a working heater I will only post that one.

Some switches are color coded with a very small depressed dot of color. As Howard explains, there are 5 positions on the paddle switch. Two speeds turning the fan clockwise and two speeds turning counter clockwise and off. The switches are delicate, especially the thin resistor curls. I may have an extra switch, but I paid too much for it.

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Thank you gentlemen for all the information. Big help. Included
photo of my 1940 heater switch.

If you carefully clean the indentations on the bottom of the switch with a q-tip and alcohol, you may see a trace of color. Switch looks in very good condition all around.

Both rotary switch applications appear to use the same switch with exception that the light bulb illuminating the center of the knob is used on the version with the knob facing the passengers. The switch may be exactly the same, just not having a bulb installed on those with the lever type facing downward such as yours.

Here is what the switch looks like internally. The terminal connections from the back are labeled with the white lettering as BAT hi or lo, ARM1, ARM2, and FIELD. BAT hi is the direct battery in voltage while BAT lo is voltage fed thru the resistors on either side of the BAT connection terminal to lower the speed of the motor. Using the end view of your switch, terminal locations are the same as the line drawing although I am not sure the red and green wires are correct as to side. If there is still paint in the small round depressions near the terminals you should be able to get those correct. If the motor does not turn in the proper rotation for the heat or defrost functions as labeled on the faceplate just reverse those two wires..

Inside the switch, the red dots are the moving wiper positions and indicate how the connections are made for the various functions. The line drawing is what I believe is the overall wire color and connections between the motor armature and field. Reversing the direction of current flow thru the armature is what controls rotation direction. Joe has a red wire connecting the BAT terminal to the ign switch in his car but black is also used on other heater models. There is typically a 20 amp inline fuse in that feed wire.