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

Thanks for all of the assistance guys. The radio is now in and working nicely with Harold Rushing's nice work on overhauling it. The only tough part was figuring out where the Z bracket went, and after that was solved, making a new one to fit. But done and working. I can now listen to Rush and the all time old Country Western stations!

I had my radio redone on my 52 got the antenna to go up and down ,,now theyve both stopped working ,is there a common fuse?I was wondering what I could check before pulling out everything .

If they are installed as per factory, the antenna would get its power from ign switch GA terminal. That also feeds the aux breaker BAT terminal where the radio was to be connected. The ign switch would be the common point but if turn signals, oil & bat lites and gauges work, then that power would be OK since it supplies them as well. If you want to check with a voltmeter, the GA terminal would be the easy place. It's the long terminal on ign switch.

There was no fuse for the early antenna but it is possible one has been added. Some 51-2 antennas did have an automatic reset circuit breaker in the motor which apparently caused some problems since it was removed on later ones. If antenna was replaced, then an inline fuse might be between the ign switch and antenna switch. Do you hear the motor trying to do anything or any lites dim when trying? If not, any chance the ground has loosened?

The radio should have an inline fuse a few inches away from the radio. If you hear the vibrator buzz then input power is OK. Assuming the radio itself is OK then I would look to antenna signal or speaker problems. Is the antenna plug tightly connected at both ends? Depending on what was done to get the antenna moving, such as if mast was rotated there may be a wire broken internally connecting the mast to the lead in socket or the mast could have gotten shorted to ground. If it has a rear seat speaker, the plug in connector and lead between radio and speaker switch would be a place to look.

WoW
thanksfr the great answer !
Ill check for in line fuses and loose antenna terminal in the AM when its light out .I didnt notice the lights dimming when i tried the antenna switch and now that you mention it before I had it fixed ,the antenna switch used to dim the lights slightly when I hit the switch b ut didnt actuate the motor .I had a working one put in and it was working ok .
Hmm maby I lost a ground .
The radio was recantly rebuilt, but the guy couldnt find a new vibrator so he installed a "good used one" I'll listen for it buzzing after I turn it on ,Should I go lay down on the floor board wiith the ignition on and turn on the switch and hear a buzz ?After reading your note I suspect the unit isnt getting power.Does the car need to be running? Or just the ignition switch turned on? Ive invested in a simple as possible volt meter but am intellectualy chalanged along these lines Someone in the forum had mentioned the poles off the ignition switch which was very helpfull when I replaced the switch .Im not sure if the mechanic who installed the radio did it by the book ,and am doubtfull if he put fuses in the right place because of the positive grounding ,and the correct amperage fuses because of the cars age .

where is the auxillary breaker bat terminal you mentioned?

at the voltage regulator? To answer your diagnostic question the oil /battery lights and all guages are working fine .Is the radio dial supposed to light up when its turned on and has proper power,mine doesn't ,whould that be a no power tip?
If the antenna was disconnected as a no radio culprit ,wouldnt the radio hum or make some scratchy noises when I turned the tuner dial with the radio on? I dont have a back speaker ,the fron speaker is part of the radio assembly as I remember
I went through a lot of battery /generator issues so a fuse is a great candidate for trouble and Ill be lucky if thats all it is Thank You for being so helpfull !

The radio fuse should be a SFE 14amp and only the ignition switch has to be on. Unless burned out, dial light will be on and vibrator will have a soft buzz or hum as soon as radio is turned on. You should be able to hear it without any gymnastics.

The aux breaker is in the center of instrument cluster below the speedometer. NORMALLY the aux breaker is the one on the left nearest temp gauge, then larger instrument regulator in center, and main body breaker near the clock. As I recall, they can mount either way so hard to say which would be the BAT terminal. I would check the one to the left as that is the one shown in all the wiring diagrams.

As to any static, mostly silence with no antenna as I recall. You will just hear the vibrator hum. If the volume control is dirty there will be a scratchy static noise when turned but unless there is a very strong nearby station which overpowers the circuity, no sounds. Same holds if antenna is shorted to ground.

Thank You ,is the breaker a fuse? or a breaker like a button that could be reset ? Did they do that sort of thig in 1950? also at a quiet moment I did note that I indeed do have a whir from the antenna motor ,its just much quiter after the rebuild ,but no light dip or up and down

If the repair person changed the holder then hard to say what to look for. The original radio had a fuse in a metal cylinder inline with the feed wire. It was an SFE 14 which means a specific size ( fuse length = 1 1/16) fuse and holder. Some have been known to change the holder so a regular 3AG (length = 1 1/4) size fuse will fit.

If the antenna motor runs it means either the pinch rollers are too loose as some lucky few have found, or in the worst case, the nylon track has developed a divot because the mast jammed and rollers wore a groove in the nylon. If that is what happened, there is no easy repair I know of.

AH Getting closer ,Dorothy sings !!(thats her name ,because the first 52 I had that got katrina'd came frm kansas )The radio was powered by a splice from the hot wire that came from the center breaker off of the instrument panel ,It wasnt off the left one .I undid the splice and put the hot wire to the radio directly on to the on to the same post ,it read 5.9 volts on the volt meter that I may have figured out ,voila ! it was a bad splice and I hear the vibrator humming ,it sounds like someone using an electric razor in the next room ,unfortunatly where I live all I can get is rush limbaugh .Is this post o.k.? There is a modern 10 amp fuse in the line .
when I go down the hill I should be able to get some oldies and mexicano on the am radio if the antenna connection is all the way to the mast .I can pull the antenna up and down ,and the motor for the mast whirrs but theres no movement .I saw that the antenna lead was in the radiaq and attached to the side of the mast .Next is to tear down the antenna?

Harold Rushing can get you new solid state vibrators if you need one. There are three different version - 6 volt positive ground, 6 volt negative ground and 12 volt negative ground. You have to have the correct one. The supplier is Antique Automotive Radio, inc.
Website is www.radiosforoldcars.com. They only sell to radio vendors, but you can check on the website for a supplier near you. The vibrator is about $30.

Also, if the vibrator was replaced with a new solid state version, like the one in my rebuilt radio, there is no hum. But the light should come on when the radio powers up.

Hello thanks for the tip! The radiao now works fine ,after fixing the power supply issue ,
Im not sure if the antenna ia acutually hooked up inside the antenna mast assembly ,the cable looks fine between where it plugs in to the mast assembly and on the other end to the radio,I do get several channels ,would I get anything at all if the internal connection was bad?

Mystery question : I was enjoying the radio with the ignition turned on so I could listen with the engine off while I was removing the TRICO motor for its rebuild ,(I found the Hindi channel on am ),and the coil was getting warm .Is this normal or have I miswired something ?