How to Fix an Antique Car Clock

As the title suggests, this is a video about fixing an antique car clock. The clock is from a 1965 Plymouth. I had to cut quite a bit of content to make it shorter. It is about half its original length. Perhaps I'll upload a full-length version at some point. Since I could not fit everything into the video, here are a few extra details: before taking the clock out of the car, make sure there is power getting to it (you could use a test light or measure the voltage at the terminal for the clock using a multimeter), and if there is power, test to see if there is a complete circuit within the clock (disconnect the battery and use the multimeter to measure the resistance between the terminal and a nearby ground such as the clock case); make sure the battery is disconnected before removing the clock from the car; if it won't run when wound up manually, then you've got a different problem on your hands involving the mechanism itself which is not addressed in this video; the wiring or the solenoid could also be bad, so those should be tested to eliminate that possibility; when bending the contact, you need to be extremely careful not to apply too much force otherwise you could make more work for yourself; I simply used a small pair of pliers to bend the contact; you could use a 12 V (or whatever voltage the car runs off of) battery to bench test the clock without having to put it back in the vehicle, I just did not have a battery lying around to do this; you should make sure it runs without stopping for a day or two before putting everything back together in the car. I had fixed this clock previously using the same technique and it lasted for 3 full seasons (1.5 years total) without any issues while keeping very accurate time. One thing I did not mention in the video is the regulator for how fast or slow the clock runs. This particular clock does have an auto-regulation mechanism, but it would be a good idea to adjust it while it is out of the case. The link below is a good reference for learning about the regulator as well as any other details which I did not cover. Thanks for watching!
www.oldcarswee...

[@markpalmer9280]

Well explained.

[@leinad5243]

very nice I will apply this info to my clock cheers Dan

[@seanmurphy9802]

Glad to help! I hope this strategy will work for you.

[@Ufo2lol]

My clock in my Saab v4 sort of works but it gets really warm, the solenoid it’s almost burning hot, are they supposted to be that hot?

[@seanmurphy9802]

Solenoids can get quite warm if active for extended periods of time, but it should only have current running through it for a fraction of a second once every 1-2 minutes (assuming your clock is designed similarly) and so I doubt it should get super hot. With that being said, I have not done tests on my clock with it outside the case, so I cannot say for sure that the solenoid does not get too hot to touch; however, I do know that the case does not get hot when it is operating. With that being said, I would first check the voltage going to the clock and make sure that it is not more than what the clock is designed for. You might have to look that voltage up. It also shouldn't be too low (10 V might not be enough for proper operation if the clock needs 12 V). If the voltage is correct, check to see if there is a continuous current flow. If so, it would indicate a short somewhere, possibly due to a bad solenoid or a problem in the circuit after the solenoid. That continuous current, even if small, through a small solenoid could generate a lot of heat. If both the voltage and current are good, then perhaps running hot is just normal. I assume you are testing the clock outside its case and outside of the car, so if the above tests are good and the clock works, I wouldn't worry too much about it so long as when it is in the case, the case does not become hot to the touch. Sorry for the long-winded answer, but I hope this helps!

[@zappbrannigan8952]

How far does it push the arm after the contact was made?

[@seanmurphy9802]

Hard to say. I haven't seen it in normal operation. However, if I remember correctly, pushing the arm to full extension lets this clock run for 2- 2 1/2 minutes. It runs somewhere between 1- 1 1/2 minutes in regular operation, so it probably extends 1/2 to 3/4 the length of the spring. Maybe that's something I could look at in an updated video. Hope this helps.

[@kythele9502]

How many voltage supply to this clock?

[@seanmurphy9802]

@@kythele9502 12 V. This is the typical voltage. I believe some earlier clocks ran on 6 V.