Where are the stop light and back up light switches?

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I am rewiring my 1933 836 8 cylinder sedan and can’t locate the stop light switch or the back up light switch.  The headlight switch is easy to find and rewire but it seems like the other 2 switches must be accessed from under the car.  I find very few wires under – battery and ground are easy but the only other wires I find are inside the frame rail, drivers side, going to the rear of the car.  Any help is appreciated.  Don Andersen

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Donald,

The brake/backup switch is located on the top of the brake part of the transmission. It is behind the shift tower.

In the picture below, if you look to the left and towards the top of the “4” tape tag, you will see a small square outlined with 2 diagonal holes in it (just in front of the red vacuum cleaner. That is where the switch is and the holes are for the screws that hold it on.

Bill

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Here they are assembled, this is a ’35 but I think ’33 is the same.

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Bill and James, thank you for your quick response and even great pictures.  You gave me exactly what I deed and more.  PAS is a great organization that has outstanding people.  I am very pleased with having joined.  Regards,  Don

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Hello Donald.  If your brake and backup light switches more resemble a lump of grease and oil, they can be carefully disassembled and cleaned inside.  The design of the internal contacts is subject to wear, so any grit inside accelerates the wear on the internal contacts and parts.  If the switches move freely and appear clean and not soaked in grunge, they should be good to go.

Please note: the back up light and brake light are ‘hot’ all the time.  The power to them is not switched.  So if your car is parked with the transmission in reverse, the light will kill the battery over a day or so. And yes that is from personal experience.  The same goes for the stop/brake light.  If your brake pedal does not return to the full up position, or the spring connecting the pedal to the switch is too ‘snug’, the brake light can stay on without a ‘foot’ on the pedal.

Greg Long

 

 

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Thank you Greg.  You have been very helpful in my trying to get my PA back on the road.  I did find the switches, cleaned them, tested them and reinstalled them with new wires. I still have lots to do but am pleased with the progress to this point.  The car hasn’t been driven for more that 40 years so everything has to be checked and corrected.  Regards,  Don

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Hi from OZ——–Something to check———-Some time back I had a grinding/clicking  noise in the gearbox. Removing the gbox top revealed bits of brass between the gear teeth. Mystery—where did it come from? Eventually it turned out that many years ago someone had lost the plunger that activates the reversing light switch & had replaced it with a plain piece of brass rod. This had after many thousands of miles eventually slid forward & dropped into the gearbox. The original had a retaining flange or a split pin to stop this happening. Fortunately the only damage was to the drivers nervous system!!

Enjoy————-Jak

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Jak    Thank you for that bit of info.  You never know about these old rigs.  When I can get mine on the road (another year?), I’ll be listening for any strange noises. Regards,  Don

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