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

My brakes lights come on when I put the gear shift into reverse when it is parked and the engine is not running this is not normal is it? And what is the fix or is it just shorting out somewhere.

Normal intended function, no fix needed. A brake light switch on the brake linkage activates the brake lights when the pedal is depressed. A backup light switch on the rear of the transmission activates the same filaments when the transmission is placed in reverse to alert people that the vehicle may be about to back up.

So...to avoid coming back to a dead battery, don't leave the car in reverse when parked unless you use a battery kill switch.

Thank you so much for that information.