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

If you come across the bulletin, please post as I am interested in doing it to mine just to relieve load on the switch. After my last post here, I suddenly had the problem described (hot or cold) which I never had in decades of owning the 1954 Patrician!

Trying to understand where the high average through switch comes from? The starter power feed is direct from the battery to starter solenoid.

Unless the solenoid is pulling that high current is its larger actuator style solenoid.

It that case a heavy duty relay could be used to provide power to the solenoid and triggered by the ignition swtich.

Yes, the large solenoids on the Senior cars draw quite a bit. Not only is that hard on the ign. switch, but it ends up dropping the voltage available to the coil whilst cranking. The factory fix was to install a relay on the firewall near the starter to power the solenoid. Sorry, I can't point out the bulletin. The bulletin recommended this as a cure for hard starting as damage to the ign switch probably had not accumulated yet.

Here's the bulletin
54 factory service bulletin