A newbie question about dash lights and controls

[gatsby989]

Greetings all, I am new to Minors, and I'm afraid I need some really basic help figuring out the various lights and controls on my new-to-me 1957 saloon. Here's a pic of the dash. What are the items with red arrows pointing to them? The left-most one is a green light. The bottom one looks like a rotary switch missing its nob. It says "SMITHS" right above it. The knob to the right of that??? Sorry if this is dumb, but I am completely new to minors. [frame][/frame]

[robberred1993]

Every one needs to start!

The Bottom one should have a black knob on it to control your heater, failing finding one a pair of pliers will work

The one on the Right. Is a push button for the heater, Never used mine so not sure of the effects

and the top one on the left, I believe is not standard could this be the windscreen washer

Hope this Helps

[Alex'n'Ane]

The bottom right one could either be the heater switch, pull and push it to open/close the hot water pipes from engine to heater. Alternatively it could be a hazard warning light switch. As said the 'non standard' button would be windscreen washer at best guess.

[MarkyB]

Follow the cable from the right hand knob, if it ends up at a little lever then it allows "fresh" air into the heater from behind the engine.

The operation of the missing knob is a bit counter intuitive, maximum is next to off ( turned fully left ) turning it more to the right will slow the fan down.
The decision whether you want hot water in the heater or not is controlled by a valve with a small wheel on top at the back of the engine.

[mike.perry]

Turn the ignition on and push, press, turn or whatever the switch does watch for anything working and listen for any noise. If a control has a stiff wire atached then follow it and see where it goes.

[pao7psb]

You may also have a foot operated dip-dazzle button on the floor to the left of the accelerator...I dscovered this when I took the car back to its garage to complain that they had adjust the lights incorrectly...

[gatsby989]

Thanks all! Looks like the knob on the right controls a small lever at the base of what I'm supposing is the heater, based on Mark's response. Thanks! Turning the bottom most knob, nothing happens. Should I be able to hear the fan?

Haven't had a chance to sort out the green light on the left. It's on all the time.

pao7psb: Hee hee, yes I found that... I actually had a '88 ford bronco as my first car that had an almost identical type of thing for the brights. I remember it took me about a year to figure out what it was.

[MarkyB]

The fan is pretty quiet, especially with the engine running.
If you can't hear it or feel air blowing out with just the ignition on it's a bit pooped.

The only way to find out what that green light means will be to trace where the wires go to as it's not a standard fitment.

[RTanguy]

I have a similar button to the one on the far left in my 1961 saloon which is a non standard window washer button, you have to pump it a bit to get it to do anything! Not sure if it will be the same.
I also have the far right button and I am yet to figure out what it does! Ive tried it but seems to have no effect.. I'd be interested to find out what it actually does!!

[liammonty]

The bottom right hand knob just opens a flap when pulled out- (it only moves a centimetre or so) and that allows fresh air from outside the car in to the heater. It helps a bit with stopping the windows steaming up in weather, and you also get a little bit of 'ram' effect through the heater if you're moving and don't have the fan switched on. Push the knob in, and no air can get in, so the heater just recirculates what's in the car already.

[britab1967]

Our '59 Traveller also has a white "Rotak (??)" switch on the far right under the dash which is just a remote isolator for the fan. Might be worth checking that you don't have something similar. I guess it saved the previous owner reaching for the rotary knob to turn the fan on.