Hey all I took my '72 Supreme to work today, and I noticed an issue with my dash clock. It was working fine up until this morning, but while I was driving, I noticed it stopped. I reset it and it started working again, but after about 2 or 3 minutes, it stops again, and all I have to is pull the **** to get it going again. But again, after 2 or 3 minutes, no tick tock.

I have 2 working spares, so is it worth the time to troubleshoot, or should I just swap it out and call it a day?

 

Have it converted to quartz. The contacts in the original electromechanical clock arc and pit over time. I'm more impressed that you had one that was working up until now!

 

I know the contacts arc and pit over time, so would this explain why it starts working when I pull the ****? And FYI Joe, the clock has been in for about 2 years, so I guess that's a reasonable expectation? As far as the quartz conversion, I'm too "old school" to do that... that's why I have extras in my stockpile. 😁

 

When you pull the ****, there's enough vibration to cause the points to conduct that one time.
If you run out of extra clocks, use a points file to restore the point surfaces.

 

DOH! NVM...

 

Relax, the quartz conversion is easy. And removing a clock from a 70-72 A body is about as easy as it can get.

 

Anybody have any recommendations on quartz conversion companies? I know there are different options.

 

I installed a quartz conversion from this company: https://www.clocksandgauges.com/quar...rsion-kit.html

I used kit S-3015 for the tic-toc-tach. See below. It’s available direct from the manufacturer and it is offered by them on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/str/clocks4cars...75.m3561.l2563

I did the clock quartz conversion even though the original electro-mechanical clock movement worked. I got tired of having to reset the correct time to synchronize the movement to keep accurate time. I’m happy I did.

 

$90 isn't too bad. Even paying shipping I'd pay less than $300 to convert both clocks in my 98! Definitely on my to do list!👍

 

Just to give an update (and to get this thread back on track), I dunno what happened, but all the way home from work yesterday, it worked fine. Checked it tonight and it's still ticking along.

 

If it was literally only 2-3 minutes as you said between when it worked and when it stopped, that’s far less than the time between when the points contact and refresh the winding mechanism. The movement itself may be getting hung up somewhere and the friction points need cleaning and clock oil. If you have working original spares, and you want original not quartz movement, why hesitate to replace the clock when it’s a 5-minute job?

 

If the movement was getting hung up, then wouldn't it have stopped either on the way home or from the time I parked it last night to when I checked it tonight?

 

If it’s binding in the movement, it could be intermittent. When you pull the adjusting stem you could be relieving the binding. Another possibility is an intermittent bad ground on the clock case with the ground strap. At night, do the lights in the clock work? Has the clock ever been opened up?

 

Yup, the lights on the clock work, and yes, it has been opened up. I bought it reconditioned.

 

Ok, if it was intermittent, then it would run slow, correct? Because when I checked it tonight, it showed the correct time

 

And the saga continues....I haven't swapped the clock out yet, and when I checked it a couple days ago, it wasn't ticking. No big deal..I was gonna swap it anyway.

I started it up today to take it to work, and the clock starts working. Also, I heard the points click while I was waiting for it to warm up, so if they were stuck shut, I wouldn't hear the click, correct?

I've been at work for 2 hours now, and I checked it...still ticking and it's keeping correct time.

???

 

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking, buy a Timex

 

The points only stick shut when you allow the battery to run down completely while connected to the car. This can also burn out the electromagnet that winds the clock spring.

The more common problem is that the points oxidize and don't conduct electricity even though they are closed. Occasionally, vibration starts them conducting again. This is what probably happened to yours.