69 911E clock removal

[Ivs]

I would like to remove the nonfunctional clock from my vehicle [ 69E ] and send it out to Cali, [ North Hollywood or Palo Alto ]. I am under the impression that I must do so by going through the trunk. After the removal of the black protective cardboard, must I remove the fresh air blower equipment to access the clock? Any tips on how to tackle this project will be much appreciated.

[mjmoran]

THe clock is held on the back by a couple of nuts and a bracket. You can get thru w/o removing the blower, but it is a bit fiddly. Before you send it in to PaloAlto or N Hollywood try this fix on pelican:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...ock_repair.htm

I am about to do this myself before I send it in...has anyone tried it?

[mjmoran]

Ivs,

Just did the repair. Quite easy actually. The copper item in the circled area pops up and breaks the circuit. I was able to push this back down to seat and used low fuse solder (90C) to keep it there. The back comes off with three small nuts one which has a plastic seal to show tampering...your warrenty may be voided though Looks like the clock only needs about a 1/2 sec of current every three min. This sets the winding. You can check the winding by moving the arrowed arm with the winding on it around the gear about a half a turn. The clock should then start ticking...if it does not...send it in for a quartz upgrade

[typ901]

the fix Mike outlines is well taken. a fully charged battery will provide enough voltage to "wind" the mechanism with a very quick touch of the points. if a battery loses enough voltage, it will not provide enough power to energize the winding coil. the points stay closed, the curcuit heats up and the soft solder lets go. my understanding is that 90C solder is difficult to find, but reusing the existing solder is doable. the points should also be burnished (not filed) as, typically, they are burnt.

**if it does not...send it in for a quartz upgrade**

if you can determine that the coil is definitely burned out, get another clock or go for the upgrade. these mechanisms are pretty tough. the bottom line is that a mechanical clock is just like a mechanical wrist watch. it needs to be cleaned and oiled once in a while. on my clocks, after i take care of the winding mechanism, i send them out to a local clock maker who cleans and oils them for $20. if you need cosmetic parts or want your clock "overhauled" (~ $150) you're stuck w/ PA speedo.
HTH
cheers
jerry

[Ivs]

Michael, Thanks for the help! I have another 69 clock that I purchased some time ago. I took it apart, the solder was intact, so I moved the part that you described in the pic's and I heard the sweet sound of ticking ! It works. I am not going to use this clock secondary to it not being aesthetically pleasing. The clock in my vehicle is in much nicer condition externally. Hopefully it will only require these minor repairs. Now I must work on getting the sucker out.

[mjmoran]

Thanks Jerry for that insite. This has turned into being a fun little project. I have talked with a jeweler who has given me a bit of watch oil that can be applied to all the pivots with a toothpick. Although, now after looking at the points they are burned...how would I burnish them v. filing?

[typ901]

**how would I burnish them v. filing?**

if you can imagine a surface that was "textured" with a ball peen hammer... now shrink that down to the size of a point file. a burnisher does no cutting. it will knock off built up carbon from arcing and leave the contacts with a polished finish. the rub is that the last time i tried to buy one (Graingers ?) they were only available in sets of a dozen. i just ran a Yahoo search and now it appears that they may be available individually. run a search on "burnishing tool" and see what comes up.
HTH
best
jerry

[HarryD]

**how would I burnish them v. filing?**

if you can imagine a surface that was "textured" with a ball peen hammer... now shrink that down to the size of a point file. a burnisher does no cutting. it will knock off built up carbon from arcing and leave the contacts with a polished finish. the rub is that the last time i tried to buy one (Graingers ?) they were only available in sets of a dozen. i just ran a Yahoo search and now it appears that they may be available individually. run a search on "burnishing tool" and see what comes up.
HTH
best
jerry

Try Mcmaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) page 2502. Pocket burnisher with 6 blades $22.50 ea.

[mjmoran]

Thanks Harry. Looks like after this, my clock will be as good as new. Who knew I would be spending so much time (pun intended) on this pjt. Kind of neat to have the tick tick tick in the old car again though. The clock works fine w/o re soldering the thermal fuse or burnishing the points, but I am looking for sources that have an alloy that I can use to solder with a solidus of 90C. I have talked to both Indium and Kester who both do not have a product...although Indium would make a wire solder out of their indaloy 37 for $550...yeah right. Bizmouth has close to the right temps, but has low elec. conductivety. Oh well...my other thought is to see if there is enough of the original alloy to re solder the joint...that would be too easy. I figure i'ld better do the points though since they were burned and will just get worse. Glad I dont have to set dwell on them

Cheers,

[typ901]

**my other thought is to see if there is enough of the original alloy to re solder the joint...that would be too easy.**

but that is exactly how it worked for me the past couple of times i did it.
if you can, use a 75 watt soldering 'pencil' vs. the 250 watt gun. the big gun will work if you're careful.
cheers
jerry