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

Okay, got the dash lights working in the '29, the switch was bad. Dome light still doesn't work, car had been completely rewired, can't imagine they overlooked it. Switch on the pillar is getting juice, not lighting up, so I assume the bulb is blown.

I don't want to break the cover or glass, so how does this seemingly simple thing come off? Thanks guys!

If it's the same as earlier and later closed Packards, press up on the bezel and rotate a few degrees one way or the other.

Thanks, will try that. I will say, the service manuals for these cars is nearly useless except for engine rebuilding specs and tips. On just about everything else, no matter what it is, it's not very helpful.

Example, adjusting the shocks (turns out mine are frozen and dead anyway). Simply says, "adjust shocks". And it's like that all over the place. How to remove the generator? "Remove generator." It's as big as a phone book and if you don't know how to do the job already, it's really not much use at all! Thanks again - been quite a while since I messed about with these things and a lot of stuff I never messed with. So, learning and relearning curve underway - appreciate the patience!

Yep, I've noticed the same about the vagueness of the Packard repair manual.

Be sure that your dome light circuit has a good ground. The switch could be getting power but if the flow of electricity can't return to the battery, then it won't work.

I think a lot of it stems from that the mechanics at the time would have experience or someone to ask, so the imprecise/unscientific stuff did not seem necessary to describe in detail.

For me, something as simple as removing the back seat: The manual says "lift out the rear seat cushion". I'm sure most here will know that you just lift up the front then pull it forward to slide it out of place, but having never done that before, it was far from obvious and it took me a couple minutes to figure out that it's not actually attached anywhere (i.e. there was nothing to disconnect first), just held in by gravity and upholstery friction.

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Agreed, and in Packards case I believe the fact there was not a lot of big changes from one series to the next and that mechanics tended to stay in place a long time also lessened the need for covering a lot of detail. It wasn't until the postwar manuals and what is probably a lot of new people working on the cars that they tried to supply a bit more information on the entire car. Even then small items and accessories were usually not covered. The prewar manuals typically just detailed the few mechanical items that might have had a significant change in a new model or series.

Okay, for what it's worth, you can press up on that bezel all day long, it doesn't turn much at all and it's exhausting to get it to move at all. Fought with it for an hour, it never moved more than 1/4"! Probably why the bulb was never replaced before!

God knows how they've got it up there but I don't want to bugger up the headliner, so I'll live with it until cooler weather!

Did get the oil changed out, fixed the frozen shocks out back, rides way better! Now the horn quit working! Cleaned the motor quite a bit. Previous owner had no business having this car, so much that's wrong is just pure old neglect.

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If it's anything like the later bezels, it doesn't have to turn much. Just enough to move the dimples from their notches, then it should pull off but might take some effort.

It worked me to death! Tried again this morning when it was a little cooler. Will move about 1/8 to 1/4" pushing up on it with every bit of energy I've got, then it just sticks. Won't budge, won't pull down, nothing.

Headliner was redone very nicely when they restored the car, don't want to mess it up, heaven knows, they may have mounted that thing someway non stock and crazy. Will wait until winter, not like I'm driving it in the dark anyway!

Did pull the dash bulbs and going to order some of those LED softer glow replacements. Got some more cleaning done. Just too hot out there. 10:00 am and it's already 80 with 75% humidity!

Thanks guys!

It may have a tab and spring clip style lock. You push to one side against a spring and careful pull the opposite side down. I think that is how the dome lights are held in on a Cu8 convertible. On the touring cars the little oval lights are held in with pips which is probably why those lenses are so hard to find. The lights fall out because the little pips suck.

Another method is the thing slides over the screw heads. Some of those old dome lights are for sale on junkbay, and you can look at those. Some have pips, some are bayonet, etcetera.

Anyway, if you want to fix the light I strongly recommend fusing the power lead with, say, a 5 amp fuse, but I would check the bulb draw with a multi-meter and select a fuse that is 5/4s the current draw.