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JW. The type of battery cable/clamp in your pic above is real pretty type to look at. However they are rather short service life. I've seen some of that type where the cable was only stripped back maybe 3/8 inch and would eventualy work loose because they are not heaviry crimped or cast with terminal good enuf.

Same type of cable on my 5 exec ran ok for about 15K miles and then suddenly dropped out of the terminal one day.

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Howard, good observation and thanks for the comment. There is another, heavier, wire that also goes to the BAT terminal on the ignition switch. Perhaps the next installment will clarify things.

(o{I}o)

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Keith, Thanks. The ground cable is a new one and the power cable is one that was on the car. Both look like they are well connected to the terminal ends. I will look at them again and watch for any bad connections. The terminal for the lead to the ignition switch is soldered to the wire. I may relocated it to the battery side of the starter switch.

(o{I}o)

If it has anything to do with the neutral safety switch, then it should be wired from the start position on the ignition switch, the wire should travel to the neutral safety switch, then from there to the start solenoid.

Typically nothing should be wired directly to the battery except for the main battery cable itself.

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RE the "regular suspension" that impressed Nance: My father would not be suprised by this comment, if Nance had more experience with the '55 and '56 cars WITH the TL suspension. Dad maintained to his dying day that TL did not have a "fantastic ride" at road speed, especially on grooved pavement or gravel, because the torsion bars naturally transferred more vibration to the chassis and hence to the body, especially the floor. They were real cushy at slow speeds, and handled spectacularly for the time on the highway, but they were often not especially smooth at these speeds. As a passenger for about 12 years (from my first memories at about 4 until I started driving myself) I noticed this as well, compared to times I'd ride in other cars of the era. Vibration was a lot more noticeable in our Clipper with TL.

Re the "neutral safety switch" my guess is your starting problem is somehow related, as I believe that with most of these switches, the engine will refuse to turn over if it "thinks" the trans is not in neutral, and I "think" that this is what the problem is. Somehow the switch is crossed up so it doesn't get the "all safe" command.

Hello All,

I am going to jump ahead two subsequent garage sessions to describe continued work on the "Mysteriousgreenwire".

I concluded that I had a starter switch problem, and contacted Ross Miller for a replacement. I received the used switch from Ross and was ready to have it replace my "broken" one. I checked the replacement switch and it checked out electrically, just as Ross had claimed. It was a little rougher working than mine, in that it did not automatically return to the ignition position from the spring-loaded start position. This was something I was willing to tolerate for a functioning switch. Getting ready to change out the switch I removed the glove box door and compartment cardboard liner. This made it easier to remove the wires from the switch and remove the switch from the instrument panel. I got the old switch out easy enough. Then, I decided to check the electrical operation of the switch I had removed to see if I could tell why it was not working. It checked out electrically, just like its replacement.

This got me to thinking it was the relay on the starter at fault and not the ignition switch. I decided to re-install my switch and then get ready to jack-up the car and deal with the starter relay. I re-attached the wires as I had taken them off except for the previously referred to "Mysteriousgreenwire". I left this wire off as I was still not convinced it was connected on the correct terminal on the switch, even though I found it on the accessory terminal (to the best of my recall).

The "Mysteriousgreenwire" must have been originally attached to the neutral safety - reverse light switch, which was discarded when the transmission was swapped, and to the accessory terminal on the ignition switch (to the best of my recall). Where the "Mysteriousgreenwire" had been connected after the transmission transplant I did not know as I had discovered it dangling free during the engine compartment field day.

While working around the switch I inadvertently left the battery cut-off switch on. I accidentally bumped the "Mysteriousgreenwire" against the starter terminal of the switch and the starter engaged. Wow! That accidental test eliminated the relay and the starter as the problem.

The problem was where to connect the "Mysteriousgreenwire". I decided to connect it to the battery terminal and see what would happen. I turned on the battery cut-off switch, no fire or smoke or other indicators of something being shorted. Interesting. I then went into the car and turned on the ignition switch. Everything came to life as it was supposed to do. Previously, nothing electrical worked until the ignition switch was turned on. Now everything was working as designed. Accessories and equipment meant to work without the switch on worked, and accessories and equipment meant to work only with the switch on worked.

Okay, let's try and start the car. It started and ran just as it should. No hesitation or balky starting, just turn the key and the starter engaged and the engine started and continued to run. I did some more checks and decided everything was working normally. Problem solved. Anyone need an ignition switch with key for a 1955 Packard or Clipper?

After that I replaced a couple of fuses for the correct size and capacity and two burned-out instrument cluster light bulbs. The instrument lights have a nice golden glow when illuminated. A most pleasing effect.

Thanks to your reviews and comments I am still not convinced the "Mysteriousgreenwire" is connected absolutely correctly. Two wires on the battery terminal of the ignition switch does not seem right. Perhaps I will try connecting it to the start terminal on the ignition switch and then to starter solenoid. I'll let you know what happens when I do this. I need to study the wiring diagram more closely.

I know this is a bit long-winded and probably shows my ignorance, but it is part of the adventures.

Take care,

(o{I}o)

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WRT to this mysterious green wire, since your car has the optional back-up lights, I wonder if this is some leftover from the conversion to standard trans.

The backing lights run on circuit #33, which involves dark green wires, but the feed comes from the heater blower circuit, which appears to be a harness splice.

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That sounds very possible. The original switch is no longer there so there should be an extra 2 wires--unless the regular backup light switch for standard trans was installed and wires run. If that's the case, then still a mystery. If the mystery wire happens to be the dk green with white tracer, then hooking to the battery would do everything you said. The path would be back thru the heater fuse to the buss bar where the normal fuse feed end would be common to several other fuses. Via fuses and splices would then supply all the regular places including the ign switch thru the heater fuse first.

Interesting they would choose to feed the backup lights off the heater circuit instead of somewhere else such as body feed or more typical light places. Wonder what their reasoning was.

Brian and Howard,

The two wires for the backup lights are still there, but unconnected since the Neutral Safety - Backup Light switch has been removed. I know these are the wires to the backup lights because I connected them together and the lights illuminated. They are Brown.

The "Mysteriousgreenwire" is a single one, not Dark Green with a White tracer, and was not included in the wiring loom. I may have been misled about it because of the plug-in type of terminal on the engine side which I thought was original.

Maybe someone who has done one of these transmission conversions can shed some light on the subject.

Everything seems to be working normally, but I don't understand why.

Thanks for your concerns and comments, I appreciate it.

(o{I}o)

Your car gets curiouser and curiouser. The two brown wires having something to do with the lights make it more interesting.

According to wiring colors, brown would have been for the departed neutral safety start switch. With sticks not having that, would think those would have been connected together during the changeover. The only green I can see that would have had a terminal & connected to ign sw acc post originally & might have come loose would be a short length over to the the fuse block radio fuse input. Since radios were an option, that probably would not have been in a loom. I believe the terminal was a straight tab or slide on type.

At any rate, you got it going with no smoke and flames so that's what matters.