Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I’ve been trying to get my headlight switch working and have little luck. On the 1st push I should get the tail lights and parking lights to come on. I get nothing . On the 2nd push I get tail lights and headlights come on. My brakes and turn signals work. I get my beam light and headlight indicator on.
I have no instrument lights or turn signal indicators either.
I am really going in circles.

Can almost guarantee you will have to take your headlight switch apart and clean it. It is simply not making contact on the first push.

The instrument light switch is fed from the tail light circuit on the headlight switch. If the tail lights come on, then either the instrument light switch also needs cleaning or you just can't see them unless the room is dead dark. Or they are all burned out by too much jump starting off of 12v in the past.

The turn signal tell-tale is fed by one terminal on the flasher. If the turn signals work it is most likely that the bulb is out..Much less likely that the flasher is bad.

Quote:
A true statement if the car has the original TungSol thermal type flasher but if someone has replaced the original flasher with a so called universal 6v replacement such as the 535 sold by Napa and others, those are only partially thermal. The thermal part operates a mechanical contact to work the outside lights and the outside lights will work in all cars.

On cars with indicator lights driven by the same circuit and "L" terminal as the outside lights, those indicators will work too so in that instance the flasher is universal. For cars like the Packard that utilize the "P" terminal of the flasher to power the indicator bulb, the 535 has a transistor which powers that terminal. Use of the transistor makes them polarity sensitive and without changing the transistor to a different type, the indicator light will only work on negative ground cars.

Here is a bit on the two flashers. Note the TungSol shown is the screw terminal type used on the 47 and earlier. Don't remember if 48 still used the screw terminals or went to the later same type flasher but with 3 straight tabs for a socket. If you do have a replacement flasher, options are to find an original flasher on ebay or change it out to a full electronic flasher. The full electronic type are polarity specific but are available for both positive and negative ground cars.

Attach file:

---

  229d and 535 flasher.jpg (37.78 KB)

Quote:
Here are some photos Jeff took of the disassembled headlight switch. Possibly a dirty or damaged contact as Ross said, or also a possibility someone took it apart before and there was an incorrect reassembly.

Since you never get instrument lights and those go thru a switch you might need to clean it too. Did you actually take a bulb out of the cluster and ground the socket to see if it would light. Remember the car has the Flite-Glo luminescent cluster so the bulbs are covered with a UV filter and visible light in the cluster is only a very dim purple. It might not be bright enough to be seen in daylight. The instrument lights are only powered from the tail light terminal so until you get the headlight sequence sorted make sure you are trying them in the switch position when the tail lights are working. I think there is a resistor on the instrument switch too so make sure it is good.

Also check that the wires going to the various lights are on the proper terminals of the switches.

Attach file:

---

  5012_526460a18dc97.jpg (84.88 KB)


  5012_526461022d1f9.jpg (79.01 KB)

if you can't get yours cleaned and working I have one Dell

Has anyone tried reversing the C & E connections on the transistor in the flasher?

Quote:

The transistor would need to be replaced with NPN as so.

Attach file:

---

  npn vs pnp 54 flasher.png (243.78 KB)

When I did the flasher comparison, another poster with a 53 Dodge and positive ground had the same issue of no indicator light with his use of the 535 flasher. He changed the original transistor to an NTE 123AP and that solved the problem. The NTE transistor is available on ebay and if you have a local electronics store, they should have it or something comparable in another brand.

Attach file:

---

  NTE 123AP.jpg (80.30 KB)