Inoperative Clock

[ernie d]

Hi guys. What's the best way to get my clock going again on my 69?:cool

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Rebuild it with a quartz kit that all of the vendors sell.

 

[RMS73]

For my '73 I removed the clock and sprayed it with a electrical contact cleaner, sprayed it down two times making certain it was dry between sprayings. I cleaned up the contact points with an ignition file. Then I put a drop of very thin oil, from my HO train stuff, on all the shafts. Connected a 12 volt power supply to the clock and let it ran to a day to verify it was working properly. Make certain the cleaner will leave no residue. Anything left on the shafts or gear teeth will attract dust and deteriorate to a film that will just "gum' the clock movement up.
Roger

 

[old coot]

and check your ground


dave

 

[Tom73]

I have also read of people pulling it out and then soaking it down with WD40. They then let it dry out, reinstalled it, and worked perfectly.

Me? I replace mine with a quartz.

tom...

 

[dlrshort]

How hard is the clock to remove in a C-3?

Dave S.

 

[Robin7TFour]

RMS, how accurate is your clock? i got mine work ,but it runs too fast.. i guess i did too good of a job fixing it..

robin:L

 

[jmp]

How hard is the clock to remove in a C-3?

Dave S.

Easy. Well, in my 72 anyway. Later years are different. IIRC, you remove the passenger side dash (the map pockets), unscrew the remaining screws on the center gauge console; note the screws situated in the heat vent (pointing up).

Remove the two little side panels -- these are hard to explain: if you have the rear window defogger, then the driver's side panel has the control knob for the defogger. If you don't have this option then: each panel is on either side of the center tunnel, right at the front, basically beside and underneath the radio.

Anyway, remove them to get access to the radio, in case it is bolted in and/or in case the center gauge console has anymore screws hidden behind these panels (I can't recall exactly why I had to remove the panels, I just remember that I did).

Pull the gauge console forward from the top. It isn't necessary to completely remove the console. Just move it enough to gain access to the clock. I think you have to remove the connection to the wiper switch. You'll also have to lift the console up a bit as you pull the top forward.

Remove the screws holding the clock in. Remove the wire connected to the clock. I think I may have had to remove a bulb too.

Sounds complex but it isn't really. Just a matter of finding all the screws and connections that prevent you from pulling the guages out!!

 

[madvette74]

contacts

i took my clock out the other day, i am going to clean it, and see if it will work, but i noticed that the arm that stays stationary, it's contact is worn in a way that it looks cratered, could i still try to clean the contacts with a light file, or is there some type of material i could use in place of this,

 

[ChuckG]

You can slow down or speed up your clock by a simple adjustment. Been awhile since I've done it, and you might want to check your owners manual.

As I recall, if your clock is too fast, if you re-set it back 12 hours, that will slow it down by about 3 minutes per 24 hours. Too slow? Do the opposite. If nobody else posts the correct numbers, I'll try to look it up. Chuck

 

[madvette74]

clocks working after 14 years

just cleaned my contacts very lightly with my dremel, then sprayed the parts with wd-40 then used a blow gun light pressure waited 15 minutes did again, wired up clock to battery and then did once again with wd-40 it's been working fine for 2 days now, it"s nice to see all the gauges working again

 

[RMS73]

Myclock is very accurate right now in over two months it has not lost or gained any time.
It took about four months of every week or so the adjust the clock to the correct time and the clock regulated itself. At first the clock was fast and after three or four resets it became too slow - about two weeks in week. After several more resets, to speed up and then slow down it has stabilized.
I read Chuck G's reply above but I don't remember having to due the 12 resets.
Roger

 

[theo]

Chuck - that adjustment is interesting... Do you think it applies to the mechanical clock in my 80? Would you be able to look it up for us (if you're not sure of the actual numbers)?

There's also some adjustment inside the clock itself, which i discovered when i took it apart to fix a while back - you move a tiny little "clamp" (for want of a better word!) up and down on the main spring - this effectively shortens or lengthens the spring and makes it oscillate quicker or slower. Thats all very well, but I think it must be a fairly coarse adjustment, since it's gone off time now. If there's a way to fine tune it with without ripping it apart, that would be great.
I'll try the numbers from your memory in the meantime, but if you could dig out the actual figures that'd be cool...

Cheers!

 

[ChuckG]

From the 63 owners manual:

"Resetting the clock provides automatic regulation providing there is an error, either fast or slow, of at least 3 minutes. No regulation will be introduced if the clock is reset for an error of less than 3 minutes. When resetting, pull out the small knob and turn in the direction in which you wish to set the hands---clockwise if the clock is slow, counterclockwise if the clock is fast. Do not move the hands past the correct time. Your clock should be cleaned and oiled periodically, normally every two years."

The 69 owners manual says EXACTLY the same thing, word for word, except the last sentence "Your clock should be cleaned and oiled periodically, normally every two years" is deleted.

SO.... it doesn't specify "how much" regulation is introduced when you reset it, but maybe??? one could assume that this would be 3 minutes per 24 hours??

Chuck

 

[Gunther]

Thanks Chuck.

Since I oiled my inoperative clock of my 68 last winter, it run far to fast. Thought I need to remove it again for adjustment.
Now, I'm happy that I saw your post and will try this.

Gunther

 

[Ala75Vette]

Rebuilt mine with the quartz rebuild kit from MidAmerica. It works great now, and it sure is nice having a clock that actually works. One thing I discovered along the way, though, was that the clock fuse was blown in my fuse panel. Hmmm. I may not have had to actually 'fix' it, but I'm glad I did, anyway.....

 

[theo]

Thanks Chuck, I'll have a go at that....
I guess the "easy" fix is to do the quartz conversion. But personally, (like many folks, i suspect) I'd like to keep everything as original as possible, even if mine is of later vintage!