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IF it's a digital multimeter. For an analog meter (with a needle) the polarity must be correct but you'll know right away if it isn't because the needle will move below the increments on the face. Personally I would prefer digital too but my shop gets so bitterly cold that the LED displays freeze and are thus permanently damaged.

Agreed, however if the meter is an analog unit the needle will 'pin' downscale. Most digital meters will indicate a 'negative' voltage value if the leads are located incorrectly . . . emphasis on 'most'.

dp

Alright, so I got up underneath the dash again tonight and tested the two terminals on the headlight switch circuit breaker. The light probe wasn't giving me anything (probably not a good ground), so I tested with the multi meter. Both terminals gave me 6.23 volts, which is the same as the battery terminals. Side note, on my multi meter it doesn't matter which probe goes where....if it's wrong it will just be a negative number.

While I was there, I poked the lead into whatever plugs I could reach on the switch to see if any of them had power. I didn't get anything. The ignition was on to "accessory" and the headlight switch was all the way out.

The switch is gritty when engaged due to the effects of sandblasting. I'm assuming puling it and cleaning it will help, but is there something else going on here?

-Kevin

No, nothing else is going on. You will have to pull the switch and clean it. That has probably been covered here before as a search will reveal.

Yes Kevin your right, it doesn't matter which way you have your leads (just as long as you know what your looking for), only to us old guys who are used to an old analog meter with a needle that would peg out when connected backwards. Oh the good old days!
Little humor (very little).
Wes

Thanks Ross, that's what I figured. I'll work on pulling/cleaning that switch this week and hopefully get it working again.


Last night I got distracted by a very large box that showed up on my doorstep. I was excited to see that my new fuel tank and sender had arrived from Auto City Classic. The new tank seems well made and is painted in a silver color.

The new sender is stainless, and is a slightly different design than the original Packard one.

The fill neck (as noted elsewhere on this site) is slightly different than the original. Once mounted the cap is still in a good position.

Auto City Classic does not have fuel tank straps or strap liners, and two of the old liners were trash. I cut new ones from an old inner tube, and used the two good old ones as well.

I cleaned up the mounting straps and quickly painted them, then mounted the tank. The T-bolts gave me some trouble because of corrosion, but I eventually got the tank up nice and snug. I ran out of time last night trying to get the fuel line hooked up (wouldn't thread), so it's not quite ready to go yet.

-Kevin

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Dragging a multimeter around under the dash can be a pain if all you need test is hot continuity rather than a voltage reading. Here's a couple I used back in my 6V days. A cheap Harbor Freight 12V test light will work and detect 6V with a bit dimmer illumination. Also, I soldered test leads to a 6V taillight bulb (used only one element)) with colored leads to one element and the bulb ground.

Hope this helps.

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Tinman, back in the day I made a tester similar to yours. I sharpened a short length of welding rod; soldered it to a one element lamp socket; and then soldered a wire with an aligator clip to finish the tester. Worked well and easy to use.

JW,

I sharpened a short piece of coat hanger and stuck it in the alligator clip as a probe.

Joe

I took my wife out on a super unromantic "first drive" in the Panama. I got the new fuel tank all the way hooked up, she helped me bleed the brakes so we could actually stop, then she sat on the bare metal floor surrounded by tools, while I sat on my plastic crate and we cruised up and down the gravel driveway.

It was dark by then and I hadn't fixed the headlight switch, so I used an actual headlight(headlamp) for illumination. She was a good sport....we both got dust in our eyes (no windshield) and big whiffs of exhaust (holes cut in the floor and missing rear exhaust pipe), but she still had fun. It gives me motivation to keep pushing on the car. I can't wait to be able to drive her on date nights to a nice restaurant, or take our kids to get a shake or ice cream.

-Kevin

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