How to repair your clock

[72targa]

Hope johntyboy sees this...last post was in 2015.

[Boulder Bob]

Hope johntyboy sees this...last post was in 2015.

following this

[69-911T]

My clock had the same issue. I just took it to a local clock repair place and they fixed it. It wasn't expensive. Not sure how common a clock repair place is any more. I may just be lucky that there is one nearby. I'd be scared to do what he is describing, I'd lose a screw or spring.

[dho]

I would like to try to repair the original clock in my '71T, but it is slightly different from the ones I have seen in my searches. As shown in the photo below, instead of 3 5mm nuts, it has two, plus a blue/white circular device of some sort. This device is preventing removal of the white cover which allows access to the inner workings. Does anyone know how to remove it? Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance for the advice. dho

[Arne]

That's an anti-tamper cap. The third nut is inside it. You'll need to break the plastic cover off to access the nut underneath.

[dho]

Excellent- thank you, Arne!
Dho

[1969911T]

With this post, finally got my 69 clock working well, just like a clock. I did not have to go lower than taking off the top section, which is the electromagnetic section.

So here was my process, problems and solutions. After removing the white plastic cover, cleaned the clock with brake cleaner-with the clock face pointing up, so no solution gets inside the clockface. Bought some clock lub from Amazon which has a 2" needle tip-which is very handy. Lubed all the shafts and gears. No ticking.

Found the solder joint was melted. The label on the outside of the white plastic cover says use low melting point solder. You can find this solder inside the solder sleeve of "Solder seal connector sleeves" (also on Amazon). It is the right solder if it is brittle. Had to remove the top section from the clock to get good access. You have to put a spacer under the top part of the solder joint to hold the parts close together before you solder. The joint is "spring loaded" so when the solder melts the joint positively separates. The clock started ticking, but I had to push on the gear to get the clock ticking. Then it would stop after awhile(the awhile turned out to be exactly 60 minutes, which was the last problem.)

Then the clock stopped completely. There is a set of points that clicks every 2-3 minutes which stretches a spring that powers the clock. What looks like the fixed side of the points, really moves slightly then retracts with a copper 90 degree spring plate. The copper plate fractured(probably fatigue). Posted on want to buy, no response. Checked many places, no one sells parts. Ebay wants $150 or so for a non working clock. Found a non working kienzle clock where the back looks exactly right-came out of a plane- for $25. It had the solder joint melted, otherwise was perfect. Put this new to me top section on and it ran like a clock!

Well it ran for an hour, then had to push start it for 20 seconds then would run for 60 minutes regard!ess of where the minute hand started. This was the clue that the final gear that drove the minute hand was the problem. Got my 10x loupe and found the largest white plastic gear (the gear is shown in the 6th pic of the first post)had three teeth deformed right where the metal drive gear was. Once I manually got past the deformed teeth, it would fun for 60 minutes. Tried straightening the teeth with a screwdriver, no luck. Tried heating the screwdriver tip to melt the teeth into shape. It worked! Ran the clock for several days to calibrate it. No clue how the teeth got deformed, but had to be whoever I sent it to many years ago to repair, but it never worked. There is no way for the clack to generate enough force to deform this gear

Cleaned the clock again with contact cleaner and more oil.

No clue how the solder joint can melt, Have a Fluke 87V multimeter and it could not catch the amps that go through the points. There is a 10 ohm resister in the solenoid circuit so max amps would be a out 1 amp. FYI, the points close, the solenoid activates, that pulls the steel arm of the "stationary arm" just a few thousands of an inch. This steel arm movement drives the otherside of the points about 180 degrees to load the spring for clock operation. My original points fired every 2.5 minutes, the new one fires every 3 minutes. So a working clock pops every 3 minutes and ticks constantly.

I am amazed how clever clock makers are.
Steve