Tic-Toc-Tach Issues

TheRuss · 05-23-2007, 03:57 PM

Hey Olds friends!

This is my second post to the forums. I've got a '72 Cutlass S with an Olds 350 (methinks the original..possibly rebuilt...speedo shows about 150,000..well, 50,000...but we all know that's not the mileage). The car was converted to HEI before I bought it.

Anyway, the car has the Tic-Toc-Tach option, but since I bought it in Aug '06, neither the Tic-Toc nor the Tach have worked. That is to say I have never seen them work. The tach wasn't hooked up when I bought it. There was a wire coming from the firewall which I traced to the Tach. I hooked it up the distributor in the TACH slot, but still no love. I understand the clocks tend to break down, so I didn't expect that to work, but a tach would be sweet.

I took the unit apart, did some cleaning with some electrical cleaner (there was a lot of fermented foam living in there. I looked for burn marks and things of that nature, but I didn't see anything suspicious. I have some experience with electronics, but I'm by no means an expert.

When I inspected the clock portion of the unit, I was able to push the little hammer (the thing that winds the clock). This allowed the clock to move for a little over a minute every time I "wound" it. So, this leads me to believe the clock CAN freely move mechanically...maybe its something electrical? The clock is not resetting and winding itself.

As for the Tach, I have no idea. It seems like its not getting signal from the distributor or something. The needle moves freely when I tap it with my finger...but hooked up to the car, it does nothing

The unit is getting electricity. The light bulbs light up...and I tested whether I was getting 12Vs with a voltmeter, as I thought maybe the power was getting lost at the fuse in one of the wires behind the unit. I was getting 12Vs.

Any ideas of things to try? I'd like to avoid servicing, as its expensive...I'd like to try everything I can before I do that.

I thought you all might have some insight on my issues...and I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

-Russ

05-23-2007, 03:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
TheRuss Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 43	Tic-Toc-Tach Issues Hey Olds friends! This is my second post to the forums. I've got a '72 Cutlass S with an Olds 350 (methinks the original..possibly rebuilt...speedo shows about 150,000..well, 50,000...but we all know that's not the mileage). The car was converted to HEI before I bought it. Anyway, the car has the Tic-Toc-Tach option, but since I bought it in Aug '06, neither the Tic-Toc nor the Tach have worked. That is to say I have never seen them work. The tach wasn't hooked up when I bought it. There was a wire coming from the firewall which I traced to the Tach. I hooked it up the distributor in the TACH slot, but still no love. I understand the clocks tend to break down, so I didn't expect that to work, but a tach would be sweet. I took the unit apart, did some cleaning with some electrical cleaner (there was a lot of fermented foam living in there. I looked for burn marks and things of that nature, but I didn't see anything suspicious. I have some experience with electronics, but I'm by no means an expert. When I inspected the clock portion of the unit, I was able to push the little hammer (the thing that winds the clock). This allowed the clock to move for a little over a minute every time I "wound" it. So, this leads me to believe the clock CAN freely move mechanically...maybe its something electrical? The clock is not resetting and winding itself. As for the Tach, I have no idea. It seems like its not getting signal from the distributor or something. The needle moves freely when I tap it with my finger...but hooked up to the car, it does nothing The unit is getting electricity. The light bulbs light up...and I tested whether I was getting 12Vs with a voltmeter, as I thought maybe the power was getting lost at the fuse in one of the wires behind the unit. I was getting 12Vs. Any ideas of things to try? I'd like to avoid servicing, as its expensive...I'd like to try everything I can before I do that. I thought you all might have some insight on my issues...and I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks! -Russ

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