1951 Mercury 6V O/D Relay Alternative?

The other day, my Merc stopped shifting into Overdrive. I gave the relay under the hood a tap, after checking the fuse. Turned the key and it went up in smoke. Question is, has anyone ever found a more reliable, easier to find, modern relay?

 

Don't run a relay. Just use a spst switch instead. You can keep the governor in the system this way.
Butch

 

www.fifthstreetgarage.com

I just got my solenoid rebuilt there and saw relays in their catalog. Not cheap. The fuse should have blown before smoking the relay. Isn't electricity fun.

 

The fuse is just sitting there without a scratch on it. The wire from the relay to the ignition switch melted. I saw no signs of a short. Something in the relay seemed to short out, probably because I tapped on it when it stopped working. I'm just curious if there's an alternative to the stock relay, since it's so expensive. Butch, what is an spst switch and how does it work?

 

Butch, I looked it up, so now I know what you meant. Pretty simple.Is there any danger of burning up the governor by using the spst switch?

 

I think you were meaning Fifth Avenue Garage

www.fifthaveinternetgarage.com

PS: I wonder if it had the right fuse, slow blow maybe.

 

Find out what fuse value it is suppose to be, then find a simple 6 or 12 volt dc relay (Radio shack) that has contacts rated at or above the fuse value and install. Sounds like you had way to big a fuse and the wires and relay decided to morph to fuses.

 

You can use any heavy duty relay rated for continuous use.

 

Can I use a horn relay for the same car?

 

If the wire from the ignition switch melted then the wire from the ignition switch to the relay is touching metal somewhere. The relay shouldn't be the problem or the fuse would have blown. The fuse should be a 30 amp and would blow long before the wire burned. Check to see if the wire is touching the firewall or the relay metal case.

 

Definitely do NOT use a horn relay. It is not for continuous use and will get hot and burn up in a matter of minutes.

 

Perhaps a headlight relay instead.

 

Or the big relay used for airconditioners on GM cars for many years is a stout piece. Earlier ones are tin, later black plastic, same innards. can be switched by power or ground If I remember right.