So I have this clock out of my '53 HT and I want to reapar the damn thing. Problem is I have never tried to repair a clock before. Anyone done it before and have any tips?
Quite often the only thing wrong with an old car clock is that it is filthy dirty inside. Take it to a watch shop and ask them to clean it for you. It shoudl only cost a few dollars and then you can see if it works. Is it wound by hand or electrically wound? In that era few clocks were actually electric in operation.
Thanks alot smart ass... It's hand wound I have the face off of it. I try cleaning what I can. otherwise the watch shop it the next stop. Thanks fellas.
You can give it a try yourself. Like Pasadenahotrod mentioned- Most are only dirty and have burned contacts. Heres a quick description of what to do on most clocks.... Take the clock apart enough to get at the gears (usually only remove the housing). First it will need cleaned- Hose it out with an electrical cleaner which is safe for plastics- Try not to get it on the face. Now if you look, you will see a coil and a small arm with a contact on it-- the arm will most likely be touching part of the coil end. the contacts on this arm are usually burned and need to be filed (sometimes they are fused together and need to be separated). File carefully with a small file until both contacts are flat. At this point, reflush with the cleaner. If the contacts are too far gone, they will need to be replaced. Next you will need to relube it- Get some Mobil1 synthetic motor oil and add a drop to every pivot point- use a needle or toothpic and just drip a drop on it. look to see that none of the pivot holes look worn out. if they are, it will need repair by someone who does clocks. every moving arm and gear has atleast 1 pivot point. lube ALL of them. Now you can test the mechanic of the clock. GENTLY push the solonoid arm (the one with the contact you filed on it) away from the coil- only a short distance, no need to fully "load" it. The clock should start moving on its own. If it does not, look for any location you might not have lubed. If evrything is lubed, add a drop more to each spot. Once the clock moves on its own, you are ready to test it. Hook power to the clock. If everything works, the solonoid arm will slowly move closer to the coil as the clock operates. Onc ethe arm contacts the coil, the coil will abruptly push the arm away from it. This is what reloads the clock mechanism. the clock should continue to operate and reload as lon as power is connected to the clock. Congrats, you just fixed a clock! And if you are too scared to try it yourself, I charge $65.00 (S&H included) to do what is described above in my shop- PM me if you need help.
True that! Thanks alot RadioJoe. I'll give it a shot myself and see if I can pull it off. Thanks a bunch!
Another thing you might find is a sort of built-in circuit breaker. There is a wire coil with the end of the wire coming out to a small metal tongue and soldered in place. There is tension on the tongue so that if the contacts stick together, the electricity will heat the coil to the point that the solder will melt and the tongue will snap away from the coil to prevent burning out the coil. After cleaning and lubing, make sure the wire is still soldered to that tongue, or there will be an open circuit. Another clever thing about those old auto clocks is that the knob used to set the time will also help keep it accurate. If the clock is too slow, every time you advance the time forward, it will speed up the movement just a hair. It also works in the other direction if it runs too fast. Eventually it will keep good time, so there is nothing inside you need to set.
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