Clock Frustration
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 111
Likes: 2
From: Warren Ohio
Clock Frustration
Elevated C-3 clock frustration level! Took the clock out of my '79, cleaned it and burnished the contacts. Ran perfectly on the bench. Tested it on my car battery. Ran great! Installed in car - WON'T RUN.
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
Racer
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 262
Likes: 51
From: Dallas TX
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
Elevated C-3 clock frustration level! Took the clock out of my '79, cleaned it and burnished the contacts. Ran perfectly on the bench. Tested it on my car battery. Ran great! Installed in car - WON'T RUN.
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
After I removed mine I tested it for a few days on the bench in the same position as it would be installed in the car. Ran great laying flat, but when sitting in the up right position only lasted for 20 hours before stopping again. Gave up and installed a quatz clock instead.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,091
Likes: 40
Elevated C-3 clock frustration level! Took the clock out of my '79, cleaned it and burnished the contacts. Ran perfectly on the bench. Tested it on my car battery. Ran great! Installed in car - WON'T RUN.
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
We used to flick them with our fingers and they would run a few hours or a day .
You ll go looney messing with it.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 111
Likes: 2
From: Warren Ohio
I checked circuit with battery disconnected with a meter. Everything checked out. Connected battery, checked with voltmeter. Power to clock OK. Added separate ground wire to clock. Clock won't run. Tried tapping it and playing with set ****. No results. Removed clock again and hooked directly to battery. It worked. Had it on a bench running on 12v. power supply for a week. It ran and kept perfect time. Won't work in the car. Oh Well, at least now it shows the correct time twice a day!
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Instructor
Joined: Apr 2015
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From: Fort Valley Georgia
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,156
Likes: 273
From: Dunedin NZ.
Had the same problem except the new clock innards I got from a vendor worked well on the bench for several days but when installed only lasted about five days then the contacts froze shut and burned out the coil. I replaced the clock with a transmission oil temp gauge.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,569
Likes: 126
From: San Diego California
Psychovette,
Willcox sells a Quartz Clock Conversion Kit 63-82, which I installed, and I've had no problems ever since. Reasonably priced.
Life's too short for petty pains in the butt.
Steve
Willcox sells a Quartz Clock Conversion Kit 63-82, which I installed, and I've had no problems ever since. Reasonably priced.
Life's too short for petty pains in the butt.
Steve
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
But yeah for people who are not so purists as they dont mind an upgrade the Quartz Clock Conversion Kit is the hot item...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,569
Likes: 126
From: San Diego California
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 11,608
Likes: 780
From: Eustis ( Area 51 Bat Cave ) Fl
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
If you want reliability and accuracy, install a quartz clock. If you want 'originality', leave the original clock in the dash and disconnect the power wire to it when it quits running. At least, it will still be precisely on time...twice per day! 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,806
Likes: 1,947
From: LONG ISLAND
2025 C3 ('68-'73) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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Elevated C-3 clock frustration level! Took the clock out of my '79, cleaned it and burnished the contacts. Ran perfectly on the bench. Tested it on my car battery. Ran great! Installed in car - WON'T RUN.
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
Added separate ground to clock. WON'T RUN. Added new dash printed circuit board. CLOCK WON'T RUN. Added separate 12v. power wire to clock. WON'T RUN. Spent hours trying to get it to work. When I take it out of the dash and try it - IT RUNS!! Maybe Gremlins are at work. Any ideas???
Timex or Rolex ???
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,853
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Psychovette-
If you have power and a verified ground to the clock there is no reason it wouldn't run. Since the clock picks up ground from the cluster housing when the retaining screw is installed, are you sure the housing has a good ground?
The original Borg movement installed by GM had a horrible failure rate. (all corvette movements from 1963-1981 were Borg, passenger cars used either Borg or General Time). Even now, when we repair an original movement, it is done so without any warranty... (sounds harsh, but it's not considering we know it will fail sooner than later).
I have to jump on the bandwagon about the quartz clocks... either purchase a new one or install the conversion kit in yours... But you still need to verify the ground of the housing... If you don't have power and verified ground there nothing will run.
Willcox
If you decide to convert, here is a video I did on how to do it.
If you have power and a verified ground to the clock there is no reason it wouldn't run. Since the clock picks up ground from the cluster housing when the retaining screw is installed, are you sure the housing has a good ground?
The original Borg movement installed by GM had a horrible failure rate. (all corvette movements from 1963-1981 were Borg, passenger cars used either Borg or General Time). Even now, when we repair an original movement, it is done so without any warranty... (sounds harsh, but it's not considering we know it will fail sooner than later).
I have to jump on the bandwagon about the quartz clocks... either purchase a new one or install the conversion kit in yours... But you still need to verify the ground of the housing... If you don't have power and verified ground there nothing will run.
Willcox
If you decide to convert, here is a video I did on how to do it.