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

I can understand why this applies to cars with Delco-Remy starters, Auto-Lite have more torque, a considerable amount more, but sill drawing the same amperage..




Last fall I was having trouble with my freshly rebuilt Delco-Remy starter, the Bendix didn't always fully disengage, and I could hear it dancing on the flywheel. I'd have to shut the car off and then restart it, annoying!! I grabbed the starter off my 53 Patrician parts car, which is the Auto-Lite with the Over-running Clutch and put it on. Wow, what a difference, it works better than my freshly rebuilt Delco-Remy. The Auto-Lite is still on my car, and my rebuilt Delco-Remy is on the shelf.

My '53 has the carb starter switch which must be good for more amps than the '54 ignition switch.

Somewhere in this forum is instructions on how to wire a small relay. I did one for my 54 Convert and mounted it on the hydraulic pump bracket. It helped a lot. I recall that that the relay cost about $10.
Another reason for doing this in a 54 is that the starter switch bezel is unique to that year. I was never able to find a different starter switch with threads that fit the 54 bezel. So if your switch goes bad, the only option for replacement is the OEM switch if you want to keep the factory bezel.

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As I like originality even if a dealer installation, I’ve been looking for the relay kit that Packard offered but no lick so far. I’m sure the relay was something right off the shelf so it would be nice to find out what it was and where it was to be mounted!