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Hi Everyone,
My mechanic was checking the electrical system on the wiper motor of my 47 Custom. I have a complete electrical system schematic for him to follow as he checks. He says that power is getting to the wiper motor but not to the switch on the dash that controls the wiper on/off and speed controls. He believes it's the circuit breaker at fault but hasn't worked on those units.
What is the process of replacing the circuit breaker? What type is used, and is it a protracted process to fix? Could it be another issue that's causing the switch not to operate effectively?
All help is greatly appreciated!
Dave

Packard used at least 2 versions of the S-W electric wiper and I don't know if this 645-E version was on the Clipper or conventional body. There is a paragraph on changing this version breaker on page 3 so even if the wrong version for your car it might help.

EDIT: Just found another older post that said the 47 Clipper used the 645-H version and that E info won't help. We don't have any H version info on site so if anyone has something they could scan and contribute it would be appreciated.

There is also a 1945 patent update with improvements that shows different drawings from the earlier version -- unknown if it is the H -- and downloading and reading thru the description and drawings on that patent might give some clues how the breaker can be removed.

Hi Howard, I did some more searching, and I found an NOS wiper switch with the circuit breaker as part of the unit. My mechanic will check the switch tomorrow; if it is defective, it might solve the problem. Your help is always appreciated!

Howard - My mechanic got back to me and said the power is not going through the circuit breaker on the wiper motor itself. His questions are: "Is this switch (dash switch in the previous post) a separate circuit breaker that installs on the wiper motor? It looks like it is attached to the switch. This is a different setup than yours. If it's designed to replace the existing one on the motor, it might work as long as it has the correct load rating. If the load ratings are the same, then I can bypass the one on the motor by routing power directly to the switch. If you buy the new switch, if it is designed to run the same type of motor, it should work."

I have not seen that particular switch and it is very different than the one on my 47 which is like the one shown in the 645-E booklet -- only wires connected. Can't see enough detail in the photo to tell what might be on the other side of the bracket and how many and where all wires connect. I am wondering if the item on the switch could be a combination breaker and resistor as is mentioned in one of the descriptions of operation. If that is the case, then with just the external switch like we have a similar item should be on the motor assy too. You need to confirm exactly what is on the switch. If any of the resistor components are on the motor assy and might still be connected when the old breaker is bypassed and that new switch is substituted, there will probably be some issues.

I found this actual wiring diagram on one of the early patents. At a quick glance it appears to be what I have . 186 is the breaker, 188 is the low speed resistor and if another resistor still active on the motor assy is placed in series the resistance is doubled so motor will have issues and might not move, if placed in parallel the resistance will be about half so less than needed and there will be very little speed change or maybe two higher speeds instead of a high and low speed..

Hi Howard - Again, thanks for the detailed information regarding the circuit breaker. I've passed all the information regarding the SW unit and your notes along to him. Fingers crossed,he finds a solution.
Dave