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So, I got the clock working on my car yesterday. From what i've heard it seems that the clock is bust on most cars, so I thought I'd let people know how I fixed mine in case the problem I found is a common one.
Basically the clock had become slightly seized, so that the spring could not move the mechanism. By removing the back cover (3 small nuts) and the plate, which has the +ve terminal on it (3 more nuts), I was able to check that the electro-magnet still worked by wiring it to a 12v battery (you may need to lightly sand the contacts with 1200 grit paper). The unit should rattle back and forth like mad if it works. This magnet shifts a pawl along a ratchet wheel and then the long spring forces the wheel round and turns the clock. I moved the wheel by hand for a while to loosen up the mechanism and then shortened the spring by about 10mm to give it a bit more force. I can't see a problem oiling the pivots of the mechanism, but although they're not ruby they should not need oil. Replace the plate, being careful to engage the pawl on the ratchet, and it should all work. I ran mine overnight against another clock to check the adjustment of the speed adjuster on the back and it is keeping good time. You get a real feeling of how old the car is when it's got a ticking clock in it!
If anyone wants some annotated pictures let me know.
Alex
Basically the clock had become slightly seized, so that the spring could not move the mechanism. By removing the back cover (3 small nuts) and the plate, which has the +ve terminal on it (3 more nuts), I was able to check that the electro-magnet still worked by wiring it to a 12v battery (you may need to lightly sand the contacts with 1200 grit paper). The unit should rattle back and forth like mad if it works. This magnet shifts a pawl along a ratchet wheel and then the long spring forces the wheel round and turns the clock. I moved the wheel by hand for a while to loosen up the mechanism and then shortened the spring by about 10mm to give it a bit more force. I can't see a problem oiling the pivots of the mechanism, but although they're not ruby they should not need oil. Replace the plate, being careful to engage the pawl on the ratchet, and it should all work. I ran mine overnight against another clock to check the adjustment of the speed adjuster on the back and it is keeping good time. You get a real feeling of how old the car is when it's got a ticking clock in it!
If anyone wants some annotated pictures let me know.
Alex