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29 Packard 4 door, dome light doesn't work. Can't figure out how to get it apart to check bulb. Looks like power comes from R rear cigar lighter which I fixed but also doesn't have power. Can't find where under dash? it gets power. This is a restoration so don't know if wires run to original place but look to be proper wire harness at rear cigar lighter and at dome light switch. I have wiring diagram but can't find wires under dash or where they would connect.Dome light

Wish I could help but unlike the chassis wiring diagrams in the 24-29 parts manual and in some service letters not much is available for body wiring. There is an almost illegible diagram in Service Letter Vol 3 #1 of Jan 1, 1929 showing a chart dealers could order which apparently is how Packard handled body wiring diagrams back then. Unfortunately I can not read any labels showing where they might be taking the power from in the various body illustrations.

Even as late as the immediate prewar conventional body cars about the only thing they showed on the chassis diagrams was to have a wire labeled body feed or some such coming off an aux fuse or some other component used as a tie point. Most of the time nothing to show where the wire went or what it connected to. Body wiring even though more complicated by then was still diagrammed on separate sheets that for whatever reason didn't seem to get distributed like the chassis diagrams. It wasn't until 48 that a decent body wiring diagram was included with the chassis drawing and even then most accessories were still detailed separately.

Possibly one of the few early era guys who post here will see your question before it disappears and will have the chart or some experience with the wiring or dome light or can look at their cars to help out. If not I am afraid you may be on your own to "re-invent" the proverbial wheel.

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G'day henryh,
to PackardInfo, and I invite you to include your '29 Packard in the Packard Owner's Registry.

Henryh, can speak to your exact year and model but in the early to mid thirties the dome light circuit was only powered when the headlamps or parking lights were on. The assumption was the light wasn't needed during daylight. And to access the bulb, press the bezel upward and rotate.

This shows the dome light wiring but it is a bit hard to read, I tried to enlarge the area but you might be able to obtain a better copy from the source.

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Hey Henry,
I guess it is my turn to step up and try to help. I have mentioned in other posts that have an "unmolested" '29 Seven Passenger Sedan. Well, the wiring underneath my dashboard looks like it has been attacked by rabid mice, and as some of you probably know, the wire coatings in these pre-war cars tend to crumble in your hand after 90 years, when you touch them. However, having dispensed with the disclaimers, I would be willing to investigate the wiring in my car to see if I can help with the conundrum. If you would like to pm me, we can swap emails and photos and see if my car is in any better shape than yours. At the very least, the whole exercise may prepare me for the task that awaits me.

John Wogec

G'day again henryh,

See, that since my request to add your Packard to the Registry, you've made 3 unsuccessful attempts to do so.

Don't give up, keep trying with one of those entries or a new entry altogether. We WANT to see your Packard there!

This FAQ might be helpful?

Once you've added your Packard to the Registry I'll delete any extra entries that shouldn't be there.

Well, mine was restored maybe 20 years ago and is in really good shape. Wires look like they were replaced at that time with original type wire. The thing is... I have found that restorers are really good at everything except understanding the electrical stuff. I think I will have to lift the carpet to see where the wires end up when headed for the dash. (nothing under car) They may be dead ended somewhere, can't find them coming up under dash. Some firewall wiring is still a mystery but no extra wires hanging down. I had tried turning on the lights to see if that mattered, still nothing. While I figure dome light bulb is ok, still can't be sure there is one as I don't know how to get to it without breaking something. The attachment must be something like on the cigar holder but can't find a way to release it. I can use an ohm meter at the cigar holder with dome light switch on to see if there is continuity but figure why not get power to it first to see what happens. Dome light power is after cigar lighter and there is no power there and I don't think they were only allowed to smoke after dark.

Hi Henryh,

I have a '39 and I know we are talking about a '29 here, but I just wanted to add a tacit suggestion. I did a lot of testing and tracing to try and get my dome light to work and it turned out to be a fuse in a tray under the dash. Replaced it and no problems since. I DID figure that if the fuse was blown, there must be a short somewhere and the fuse may go again, but it hasn't. Who knows what happened to pop it initially, but so far, so good, with just replacing it. Not sure how your '29 wiring is laid out, but if you haven't checked for fuses, might be something to look at. Chris

As a teenager, I was often told by my neighbor across the street and forty years my senior "when it comes to electrical problems in cars the majority are bad grounds". As it was mentioned above,the headlights might need to be on in order for the dome light to work. If you have tried that and "Don't see the light", then measure the voltage (one at a time) on the two wires coming to the bulb to ground. Try it with headlights both on and off. If you see 6 volts on one of them, then you have a ground problem.

On my '32 901, the ground is behind the lower back seat cushion on the drivers side. It runs under the headliner to the upper, left, rear corner and then down to almost the floorboard.

P.S. When I asked him why grounds he said "There are a hell of a lot more ground connections in a car that you count with your fingers and toes."