Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Looking for some assistance on what to check as the starter will not crank. Resting voltage is at 12.68 volts. Car started fine a few months ago then wouldn't crank when turning the key. The only thing that changed between the two points in time was new transmission lines. I know the starter works as I tested it. Put in a new solenoid and still nothing. Have all dash lights, solenoid doesn't click. What else can I check? Based on the wiring diagrams, the solenoid is wired correctly. Tried a new ignition switch as well. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Shane

If the car has an Ultramatic how about the neutral safety switch. That is a switch with at least 2 brown wires on it mounted on the steering column a few inches away from the firewall. Sometimes the switches fail or the adjustment between the gearshift tube and the switch slips and the switch is not made in park or neutral. If you also have backup lights the neutral switch will have 2 additional green wires connected.

If no Ultramatic the brown wire should be a direct connection from the ign switch to the solenoid. In either configuration you could put a meter on the brown wire at the solenoid to see if voltage is present when the key is turned.

You didn't mention anything about the battery or the cable connections. It nay not be pertinent with no sound at all coming from the solenoid but a low battery or one with a failing cell can supply enough power for lights but as soon as a large demand like the starter comes along it can't supply it and acts as dead. Same with the battery terminal connections. If a layer of oxidation has built up between the post and terminal it acts like a huge resistance when a large current tries to pass thru.

Thank you Howard. The battery is now at 12.6 V resting. The terminals and cables are clean. Do you know what the colts should be at the brown wire on the solenoid? I was thinking of replacing the safety switch next. It does ha e the ultramatic transmission.

As measured to ground, when you turn the key to the start position if the ign switch and wiring is good the brown wire will go from reading 0v to something very close to battery voltage -- maybe a tenth or so less. You might also do a similar test at the battery. With the leads across pos and neg terminals the voltage should stay very near to 12.6 when the key is turned to start position. If it falls significantly the battery has a problem.

Before replacing the neutral switch you can remove the two brown wires from the switch and connect them together to bypass the switch temporarily. Just remember to make sure the transmission is in park when you try to start the engine.

It appears to be the neutral safety switch. Does anyone know where I can find one? I'm having a bit of trouble locating one.

Thanks in advance.
Shane

If our regular vendors or no one on this forum has a parts car or a switch Gerry at Packards Southwest gerry@packardssouthwest.com might have one or Mike Dulinski who I think might be fairly close to you could probably find a switch on one of his multitude of parts cars.

Have you tried adjusting the one on the car or is there any significant play in your gearshift lever when you are in a detented gear position? If linkage or something else has loosened or is worn possibly the weight of the lever is pulling down and moving the shift tube enough to let the switch think it is out of park or neutral.

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The gear selector does seem off. I have to jam it to get it into park. I also do not have reverse which I though was a trans issue. I'll try messing with the linkage to see if there is any improvement. I appreciate all of the insight Howard, learning as I go.

There is a lever inside the 55-6 transmission held by a setscrew which has a tendency to loosen on the shaft. It may not be directly related to the starting problem but needs to be ruled out as the possible cause of no reverse. You can disconnect the long linkage rod at the trans and move the lever on the outside to check for any play. If the suspect lever is tight to the shaft the top of the outside lever should not move more than a slight amount -- just the amount a couple of fairly snug pins connecting the inner linkage to the lever and manual valve would allow. If there is more motion than the small amount at the outside lever the regular linkage may not be able to move the manual valve all the way to the end to select reverse. If the screw is loose the end stop held by the setscrew could also have twisted out of position preventing full travel.

Another possibility is a bellcrank assy connecting the vertical and horizontal rods that form the linkage. It is located between the side of the engine and the frame and mounted in some rubber bushings. Bolts holding that assy can loosen or the rubber can deteriorate causing lost motion..

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You say you have to jam it to go into Park and it won't go into Reverse. Both of those require that you pull back on the selector lever. If the selector lever does not pull back, check for hardened grease at the other end of the column where the linkage exits. Pulling back on the selector lever moves a tube inside the steering column and moves some spring loaded parts at the other end. Mine wouldn't budge and I had to remove and disassemble the steering column, clean, and grease everything to get it working. There is a grease fitting on the column to lubricate this mechanism, but in my case it looked like it had been missed.I also found that the detents, which are in the collar below the steering wheel, were severely worn indicating that sticking had been getting worse over a long period of time. I also replaced the collar so I now have all of the detents.

Shane,

You did not mention how you determined it was the neutral switch. As a FYI, the ignition switch itself is an electrical weak point as it was under engineered. The contacts on an old ignition switch wear out in such a manner that when the key is turned to the start position the switch does not provide enough current to engage the solenoid.