I have this heater switch that I bought at a Barn sale in Penn. a few months back, I was wondering if any one can ID & how to wire it up. I have a new ride, a 41 chevy 2 Dr sedan with what lloks like to be a "stock" heater under the dash with the original motor mounted in the center of the heater core & a "newer" motor mounted on top of the old outlet on the heater!! I think this motor is 12v, the original is a 6v with shabby looking wire on it( I not using it)This one is directional with 4 spade terminals, one with a black dot a red dot a yellow dot& a brown or gray dot! only writing on it is "ark-les" USA. Thank s lot Jimv
Unknown, unmarked switches are a crapshoot. Are you sure this is an automotive type switch, or could this be a appliance switch? This can make a difference, as an appliance switch probably won't rated for the current you may find in an automotive use, although from looking at the wire-wound resistor I'll guess this is a automotive switch. The other thing strange about this is the 'indirect/direct' markings. The 'F' and 'S' are obviously fan speeds; but the 'indirect/direct' may be a fan motor reverser. This would require a motor with a power and ground lead. Another issue is most squirrel-cage type fans don't move much air if run backwards and most universal type DC motors don't run as well or as fast backwards due to commutator timing. If this is a reversing switch, you should find that you have one 12V+ terminal, one ground terminal, with the other two being the motor leads. As an example, let's say that the terminal at 12 o'clock is ground, 6 o'clock is power, and the 3/9 terminals are the motor leads (the actual arrangement may be different). With the switch turned to 'direct F', you should have continuity between 12/9 and 6/3 but not between either pair. Turn the switch to 'indirect F', now it should read between 12/3 and 6/9 and still not between the pairs. The 'S' position should read the same pairs, but you're now going through the resistor. If all you're trying to do is operate a heater fan, you may be better off getting an actual fan switch.
It looks like the center pole is the "hot in" pole and the two outside poles are the ones that go to a fan or fans. I wonder if that switch was intended for a rig that had seperate heat and defrost blowers. Best thing is to take an ohm meter and see what readings you get across the posts and go from there. One more thing and that is those switches get hotter than a two dollar pistol when they are on and will flat fry your fingers or anyone else's if they touch the switch it's self.
so if I just want to run it in one direction( Direct) & have 2 speeds what would it be then? And thank you very much. also if you notice the terminal with the resister wire got down to a "buse" bar .So would that be the hot(+) lead? Jimv
To run just one direction, find two terminals that have continuity when the switch is turned to 'F' and are open when off. Your meter should zero out for ohms at 'F', when you turn it to 'S' you'll get a value of more than zero. If the ohms don't change, try the other pair. Keep in mind this is an educated guess; you really need to check the switch with a meter to determine if it's really wired this way.
Which terminal should be the hot lead? the one with the resistor on it Or should that be the one going out to the fan? I seems like the red dot terminal is the light, it has continuity thru it when the switch is turned to any position. JimV
The resistor is in series with the fan motor to give you "low" speed. There should be another terminal which goes to the fan motor as well, for high speed. And yes, it sounds like the dot goes to an indicator light.
So, this switch has a built-in indicator light? If that's the case, you may be getting your ground through the switch housing. Best bet would be to check for continuity and ohms measured between the various terminals and the switch housing at each switch position and recording each reading. Once you have that, then the 'logic' of the switch can be deduced....
The switch pictured is a Ford '42-'48 for a hot water heater. I don't have a diagram handy but you can go to the Ford Barn & do a search. That question has been asked many times on the 'Barn".
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