G'day All,
Started to pull down my clock in my 69 vert to clean it, thinking that it was a mechanical clock and found that it is an electronic replacement.

Now this clock has stopped working and I was wondering if anyone has cleaned one of these successfully before, as it seems to have a bit of dust inside around the movement?

Thanks for your help.

Mark

p.s. If anyone has an original that they don't want, let me know.

 

A lot of times the minute wheel seizes up in these things... take the brass minute wheel off and spray it with WD40 and move it around. I soaked mine a few times before the clock started working.

Test off the car by wiring up a 9V battery or 12V if you have one available.

 

The factory installed clock is an electro-mechanical device. It does have a balance wheel and spring mechanism. But, it also has a small solenoid and contact points for rewinding the clock about every 2 minutes. For those that have noticed, the factory clock pulses every 1/2 second (rather than having a smooth-sweeping second hand) and a little buzz or whirr can be heard [approx.] every two minutes when the solenoid fires and it rewinds the mainspring.

So, you may have a fully-electric quartz clock...but it will not have any mainspring or balance wheel in it.

If you do have an original clock in the car and want it cleaned, remove it from the car and take it to a watch repair shop. The mechanism is delicate and you can trash one in a heartbeat, if you mistreat it.

 

The trick to cleaning the stock movement is to stay away from the balance wheel as much as possible but clean everything.

Brake cleaner works great but you must us a controlled clean and be careful to not knock the balance wheel off the perch. You can blow the balance wheel off if you shoot it direct so I like to spray some on a plate and then use a dropper to put it on the ends of the wheel. This cleaner evaporates grease and works great if you use your noggin... Blast spray it and you'll be in trouble.

In regards to the minute/hour clutch.. They can bind from grime over the years and you can usually clean them with some brake cleaner again... See if the clutch free's up and if not then you may have to tweak the tension side of it. If you free it up you should lubricate them with jewel's oil. The clutch should spin loose with tension.. it's kind of hard to state how it should look or feel but there should be resistance and it should move easy not with force.

If the electro magnet points are brunt, in most cases you can use a point file to true them up but again this is a sensitive device so care must be taken. If you find that one side of the points is gone or broken loose then it is time to upgrade the movement.

The clock re-build is number three on our "to do video" list. So.. I'd like to say "coming soon" would be appropriate.


On the down side.. you can clean this Borg movement, you can lube it up and file the points and do everything right only to have it fail. This movement was not a work of art like a Seth Thomas clock and was/has always been a pain in the rear for the car owners. Some will surprise you and work a very long time but some will fail quickly.

And on a side note: If anyone needs a used unit.. I have considered putting them up on the site and either selling them as re-conditioned or selling them as is.. I've not decided but I have bags of them from replacing them with quartz kits.

 

I'm sorry, Ernie. I used to repair pocket watches, etc. And reading that the C3 factory clock should be cleaned with "brake cleaner" and that a "point file should be used to clean the electrical contacts" just put cold chills up and down my spine. But, once...[long ago and far, far away]...I did repair a TV set with a hacksaw, so I'm not going to get too worked up about your approach.

I would still suggest that taking it to a jeweler, who will take great care and use the correct tools to clean the mechanism without damage, would be any owner's best chance of servicing the clock and not doing damage to it. However, I do believe that most DIY folks could rebuild the factory clock using some of the aftermarket kits that are available. I'm just not a big 'fan' of doing brain surgery with a chainsaw...

 

Sounds like someone wants to clean someone's clock!!!!

(sorry, I had to)

 

After cleaning do this,
Get a 1N4001 to 1N4004 diode from Radio Shack. Connect it across
the coil terminals inside the clock. Make sure the end with the silver band
goes to the positive side.
The purpose is NOT to conduct in the normal direction, but to quench the
back EMF when the contacts open.

 

I’d agree with you if this movement was a work of art such as the watches you repair and I'm sure your skills are way better than mine.

This movement is nothing of the kind and while fragile, with some basic skills can be made to run. Maybe a video would show in more detail the amount of effort and care taken with each movement vs posting technique... I don't know.

I don't spray the cleaner on the movement or the balance wheel, I place drops in critical areas so that the dirt may be loosened.. I use low pressure air to blow these same areas dry, and then lubricate.

I don't file one contact at a time but rather make sure both contacts are on each side of the file to allow for an even file (like in the old days when we used to file points vs buying new) and I only do this if there are burnt **** present on the contacts. (maybe I should have used a different description for the file used because it is not nearly as abrasive as a point file). The contact points must make even contact or you'll just start burning them again.

If all pivots are cleaned, lubricated and if the electromagnet is good the movement will come to life.

IMHO

 

G'day Guys,
As I said in my original post, I don' have a mechanical clock it has been replaced with an electronic unit. There is a very good article here http://pcfred.com/Vettetip/FixC3Clock.htm which gives you a step by step procedure with pics on how to clean a mechanical clock.

Willcox, I would consider buying a secondhand as is unit if the price was right.

Mark

 

Hey Ernie,

I'd be interested in one of those used units too... PM me if you are interested in selling one! I'd like to have a spare.


Sully

 

Ernie,

I appreciate your clarification on the clock service process and understand you take greater care than your prior post indicated. My concern was that your first post might create some new "Bubba"-clones and/or facilitate trashing some clocks. Filings from a point file inside that mechanism would not help anyone get their clock cleaned. (pun intended)

You and your company provide great services for this Forum. Thanks for providing more detail for those that will try to follow your advice.

 

Thank you, and you were correct.. Sometimes I should be a bit more detailed. After I re-read my post I too, can see Bubba in there with a grinder trying get at that brunt tit....

As far as the used units I have. I'd have to know how many teeth are on your reset **** gear. You will either have 10 or 12 teeth on that gear. I don't remember when Borg changed gears in the movement, but I'm thinking 68 or 69. Email me that to Support@Willcoxcorvette.com and I'll see if I can dig up a couple of units...

 

Ohhh! Sharky, you beat me to it! Grrrr!

M A Fry, I'm not sure how familiar you are with American slang, but to "clean someone's clock" is an expression that means to punch them in the face. As in "Touch my car again, and I'll clean your clock!".

As for the actual clock in your 'vette, have you considered replacing it with another gauge? Say, manifold vacuum or engine oil temp? Just something to think about.


Keep the shiny side up!
Scott

 

Sharky & Scott,

Thanks for the headsup, if I meet a yank in the future and he says he's gonna 'clean my clock' I'll remember to duck & weave or run, depending on how big they are!

Mark