rmoths

I got some great help on my heater motor replacment, Now I have another Question. The car does not have a clock in it and I found one (original to the car) for sale. Would there be wiring (lights and power) under the dash for it if it was not ordered with a clock. If it's not there I suppose it's not worth the effort. Thanks again, Barb.

DreWRoolZ

good question, i'd like to find a dash clock for my '60 88 as well because it did not come with one. i'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to wire up if it doesn't already have wiring for it there if you had any friends good with electrical stuff.

rcorrigan5

What is the year and model of your car?

Randy C.

rmoths

I have a 72 Cutlass with column shift, No clock.

oldsonharmont

My '71 Cutlass SX was also a clock delete, but I found an original Borg clock for it. When you remove the trim from the instrument cluster, you'll find an orange lead wire to power the clock. The clock gets it's ground from the metal mounting in the dash. My clock ran about a week before quitting, but it looks better than an empty hole sitting there. I will probably do the quartz clock conversion someday soon. It's an easy job and shouldn't be a hassle at all. Don't forget to put a fresh bulb in there too.

Allan R

Installing the clock is an (yawn) oh hum, somewhat boring job. Take out the faceplate, undo the 3 screws for the delete plate. Reach in behind and get the clock connector and plug it in. Replace screws and faceplates and you're done. All of maybe 10 minutes.
The lights should already be installed in the clock. There are 2 lights in black twist in holders. See page 12A-A2 of the 72 OLDS Chassis Service Manual

rmoths

OK! Thanks so the power line is there and the light source is there in a clock delete car. That is all I wanted to know, Thanks again.

Allan R

You're welcome. Sorry for being so casual about the description - I forget sometimes this is a new experience and you may not have worked on this type of car before.

The power source wire runs the clock and also powers the clock lights when you turn on the car lights. It's just one wire you're hooking up.
FWIW, these old clocks were notorious for not keeping proper time.

rocketraider

Eh? Allan, that really makes no sense. The clock movement powers off the CLK-LTR-CTSY fuse which is hot at all times. If the clock lighting were powered from that the clock lighting would be on all the time.

I think you will find there are two lamp socket openings on back of the clock. Two sockets, short 2-lead wiring harness and a plug should be on that; looks like a "Y" for lack of better description. This lamp pigtail plugs into a GRAY wire in the IP lighting harness. That plug should be tucked up out of the way behind the clock opening in a non-clock car.

Make sure your "new" clock has the lamp sockets and "Y" wiring harness otherwise you'll have to track that down or cobble one up.

Behind the dash, look for this GRAY wire and plug for the lights, and an ORANGE wire for clock power. The clock grounds thru the instrument panel ground straps which are visible with the faceplate removed. At least one of the clock mounting screws must be installed into the ground strap to establish ground so the clock will work.

And since that ORANGE wire is hot at all times, it will pay you to disconnect the battery or pull the CLK-LTR-CTSY fuse before you start this work.

##

As far as these clocks not working, the points that operate the self winding electric solenoid often get burned or pitted to where the solenoid doesn't "kick" the winding mechanism to wind the clock. That's the "tunk" you hear every couple minutes when the clock is working. The solenoid kicks the winding mechanism, clock ticks away until the solenoid's points make contact again, "tunk" and the clock winds itself. Cycle repeats.

Cleaning the points and spritzing a few drops of fine oil (WD40 applied with a toothpick or straight pin works well) into the clock's works every so often will keep one of those clocks running a long time. The one in my Custom Cruiser keeps near perfect time and it hasn't had the "oiling" in several years. I might have to reset it a few minutes one way or the other every couple of months, but it neither loses nor gains an appreciable amount of time. I've treated other car clocks the same way and kept them running for years, as well as resurrecting many. Unless the solenoid has failed, a little "cleaning and oiling" will keep those old self-winders going.

Owners' manuals usually recommended having your car's clock "cleaned and oiled every 3 years by a competent clock serviceman". But how many people do you think actually did that?


##

RE "clock delete" : No such thing.

Clocks were standard equipment only on Ninety Eights and Toronados. They were extra-cost options on all other series though a lot of dealers ordered the lower-series cars with clocks. You bought a car without a clock, that was standard issue. You wanted a clock, you ordered it with the car or thru the dealer parts department.


##

One more thing and I'll shut up. Borg and General Time both supplied clocks to Oldsmobile in those years and no rhyme or reason as to which car got which clock, though I've seen GT clocks more in Atlanta or Linden built cars as GT was in Salisbury NC.

A Borg clock is easy to convert to a quartz movement if that's what you want. General Time clocks not so much, though I think quartz movements for those have been developed.

MDchanic

+1.

This drives me crazy.

There must be something deeply appealing to the word "delete," because it is thrown around so much in places where nobody would assume it should ever have been in the first place.

Clock delete

A/C delete

P/S delete

Antenna delete

Radio delete

All of these things were OPTIONS. It took extra ordering to GET them, not to REMOVE them.

What's next, Power Window delete?

My car is a genuine W30 delete - made that way by the factory. No kidding.

- Eric

Allan R

Ok on the wires.
I call the plastic 'thingy that's causing a stir in the force about no clock or tic tac toc' that because most everyone else does and knows what that means, but since it bothers you, how about 'filler plate'? I have a couple if you want to 'delete' your clock or tic tac toc.....

Well, someone woke up cranky this morning.... Eric, FWIW? My 95 Regency Elite came FROM THE FACTORY as ordered with LEATHER DELETE option and it didn't cost more as most options do. In this case you got velour cloth seating - not a eggcrate to sit on. So it exists and is proper wording = for that car anyway.

Sorry to hear about your W30 delete 442. I'd sue them for mishandling the order...

Just the other day I was at the wreckers and saw cars with 'motor delete, trans delete, doors delete, bumper delete'.......it was shocking! From the rumors floating around the yard, (and I know you won't believe this) it actually cost people money to REMOVE them!!! I know, crazy talk isn't it???

I get your point, we good now?

rocketraider

The parts book calls it "cover, clock hole" but filler plate or clock blank-off plate is better than that clock delete or other "option delete" mess.

Never mind the masses generally understand it to mean no clock or whatever other option is not there, but "delete" infers that a component was in a car's standard equipment list and someone went to extra trouble to not get it, when that is not the case at all.

Yeah, it's a pet peeve.

Allan R

I looked in the GM parts book, (Group 9 right?) Could not find that part, only the clock and/or tach. Even tried looking in the Assembly Manual for a reference but nothing there either. What group is it in (just curious). I can find the part number when I dig the cover out of the shed for whoever needs one.
....and yes, I understand about pet peeves. Didn't mean to rile you. There's stuff that gets me going too. In a way this forum is good because it gets those issues out in the open and keeps you out of the shrinks office where you'd pay money to discuss a 'peeve'.

Generally I do make an honest effort to post good descriptions and accurate info. Guess I just got a little lazy on this one. My bad....

bulldog

Back in 1966, I bought a new Chevy Nova and I was given a choice. I could have an, am radio or an, am/fm radio or a radio delete plate. So back in the day this wording was used.

rocketraider

I can guarantee you anything but that hole cover plate cost you extra though. Chevy may have called it a delete plate, but Oldsmobile called it a "cover, radio hole" same as they called a non-heater car's dash plate "cover, heater control hole". I suspect that's where all this "option delete" nonsense started, was in Chevy-world.

Allan, try 9.772. While you're in there, go look in 9.790 and you'll find parts for an obscure extra-cost 1969 option that most 1969 owners do not even know about unless they have a car so equipped.

rmoths

I'm afraid I started all this with a bad choice of words, ( Delete).
I used the word to mean ordered without, Or not the clock OPTION.
I'm sorry, but I found out what I needed. The wiring harness is in
the car for a clock, Even if it was ordered without the clock option.
Great Forum, I'm purchasing a 72 Cutlass 442 convert ( I know it's not a real
442, but it looks nice), This week. So I'll be asking more questions in
the future. This is the best place to get information. Thanks Barb.