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

Gentleman
I am working an off the frame restoration on a 1940 Packard Coupe Convertible. One electrical problem remains I can’t resolve. My right rear tail light and my left front parking light are dimmer than opposite sides. I removed all the lights and polished up the contact surfaces by eliminating any paint. I removed all the light bulbs to ensure they are correct. And I ran an electrical lead from the battery ground to both dimmer lights to see if they brighten up but they do not. Has anyone had this problem before? Any suggestions what I need to try to rectify this issue? Appreciate your time.
Nick

Light bulbs get dimmer with age. Does the problem follow the bulb? Self-explanatory if so.

Quote:

First the problem needs to be identified.

Per Pgh Ultramatic's question "Does the problem follow the bulb?", have you swapped the bulbs side to side?
If the brightness moves with the bulb, it is the bulb. Try replacing them.
If the brightness stays with the position, it is in the circuit. Test the voltage at each socket and then move back through the circuit to the power source.

Along with the question about does the problem follow if the bulb moves is are the bulbs the same type and voltage.

If the problem stays the same and does not change with bulb moving, poor grounds to the light housings are an issue on almost all year Packards after age and oxidation sets in. Even if a car has been thoroughly disassembled, cleaned, and then put pack together, there are so many interconnects between sheet metal to frame or body contact points that almost any light housing can still have a high resistance somewhere in the path. Pot metal housings are notorious and on some of the postwar models there has even been a need to add a ground wire between the socket and a good ground on a frame or body point before a poor contact issue is resolved.

If the difference is SUPER obvious, then someone put 12V bulbs in instead of 6V. I've seen it in the past, though fortunately not personally.

Also, both front and rear of the lights for 1940 Packard are dual element and there were two different bulbs for various applications, not necessarily both on Packard. One has the alignment tangs staggered slightly and the other had them directly opposite. I don't recall which 1940 Packard had but it's possible that the socket slots in which the tangs go are loose enough that the incorrect bulb might have been out in reversed.