| 46fordnut | -- 01-25-2012 @ 4:10 PM |
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i have a Windham clock in my 46 i have power but i want to ground it . it is 6 volt positive ground. where would i make a ground for testing? 100 horse running wild
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| Old Henry | -- 01-25-2012 @ 5:09 PM |
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I'm not sure I understand your question but if you're asking where to hook a ground wire to the clock you can use any of the bolt heads on the back of the clock. Polarity doesn't matter. The clock is wound automatically by an electromaget that will energize either way. If that wasn't your question ask again. Old Henry (The older I get, the better old looks.)
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| ford38v8 | -- 01-25-2012 @ 5:10 PM |
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Clocks are usually grounded to the hinge mount on the dash as the glove door itself is not a good ground. Alan
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| 46fordnut | -- 01-26-2012 @ 5:36 PM |
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yes thats what i wanted to know. i only see the one wire with a fuse. so i guess that would be why the clock is not working. 100 horse running wild
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| nelsb01 | -- 01-26-2012 @ 5:39 PM |
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You can always bench test the clock before installing. A good 6 volt battery or battery charger will let you test things before installing.
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| Old Henry | -- 01-27-2012 @ 8:33 AM |
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Having "done what it takes" to get two of these clocks working for my '47 I think I can safely say that it's not likely a ground problem. The clock grounds through its body where it attaches to the dashboard. It's more likely a mechanical problem inside of the clock that takes some troubleshooting skills to figure out and even more to fix. They're tough and some are beyond repair. But, it's a satisfying challenge whether or not successful. Old Henry (The older I get, the better old looks.) This message was edited by Old Henry on 1-27-12 @ 8:35 AM
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| supereal | -- 01-27-2012 @ 10:03 AM |
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A very good way to fix a car clock is to have the works replaced with a battery operated quartz movement. The face and hands remain original, and you don't have to worry about running the vehicle battery down during long inactive periods. You get the bonus of having a very accurate clock with no outward sign of the refit. There are several places that do this. We used Bob's Speedometer in Michigan.
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| 46fordnut | -- 01-28-2012 @ 3:47 PM |
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kinda had a feeling it would be nothing simple. it lights up but not time is kept. the car had no bat for 18 years so i hoped it be just a ground.all the wires are ok. seems to be in the mech some where . taking to a watch guy for check up. 100 horse running wild This message was edited by 46fordnut on 1-28-12 @ 6:43 PM
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| Old Henry | -- 01-28-2012 @ 7:39 PM |
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When you say it lights up but no time is kept I'm wondering if you are trying to power the clock with the wire to the light. There are two separate circuits. The circuit that lights up the light is seperate from the circuit that powers the clock. Do you have those two seperate circuits on the back of your clock - one going to the light and a seperate one going into the middle of the clock? Be sure you are connecting your power to the middle one rather than the one to the light. Old Henry (The older I get, the better old looks.)
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| deluxe40 | -- 01-28-2012 @ 7:46 PM |
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I have had good luck with several old Ford clocks just by cleaning and oiling them. Before I got my hands on some genuine clock cleaner I was using brake cleaner which seemed to work just fine. At the recommendation of a clock-collector friend I use Mobil 1 to oil them. Just a drop on the face of each gear. As the gear turns the oil runs down to the pivot point and lubricates it. The way the '46 works is that points close when the spring winds down energizing a solenoid that rewinds the spring and opens the points. I got my '46 clock to run for three minutes at a time, but the spring wouldn't wind completely and allow the points to open. I was able to get several '50 clocks that work the same way to operate, but no luck on the '46. The most difficult part is removing the minute hand, but you can clean a clock without removing it if you are careful and make a mask to keep the brake cleaner off of the face.
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| 46fordnut | -- 01-29-2012 @ 6:03 AM |
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the light comes on in the car. i have the clock out there is only one wire on the clock. the one with the fuse. i do see the one marked as a ground. so when i test it i use the one marked ground and the other wire where the fuse would go. might try wd 40 to lube it maybe its just dry. sorry its not a Windham clock. its a new-haven. 100 horse running wild This message was edited by 46fordnut on 1-29-12 @ 1:06 PM
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| TomO | -- 01-30-2012 @ 6:45 AM |
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Connect one wire to the case and the other wire to the fuse. Clean the clock with Tuner Cleaner available from Radio Shack. It contains a light oil the will keep the clock lubricated for a couple of years. I have been told to not use WD40 on clocks. The lubricant in it is more wax like than oil like. Tom This message was edited by TomO on 1-30-12 @ 6:47 AM
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| supereal | -- 01-30-2012 @ 11:32 AM |
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Generally, the late 40's clocks fail to run because of two problems. Either the contact points that power the "kicker" are not making contact, or the kicker coil is either open or one end or the other has become disconnected. The clock is a simple spring wound type, and is wound up when the points close and the winding arm "kicks" the spring. They were produced by several vendors. You can usually find a brand on the back side, and ocasionally a rubber stamp with the date of production. They are not precision instruments, and require frequent setting. There is an adjuster on the back, and some have an indicator on the face. Lubing them with any kind of spray usually just makes them a dirt magnet.
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| 46fordnut | -- 01-30-2012 @ 5:14 PM |
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i used an ohm meter to test. the ground seem to be OK so does the power wire. just cant check inside without disassembling a lot. right now its out of the car. the clock was made by new haven . 100 horse running wild
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| Old Henry | -- 01-30-2012 @ 10:14 PM |
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Dis-assembly is not really too bad. Having done it dozens of times I'll tell you how (although you seem savvy enough to figure it out yourself). First of all, around the edge of the chrome bezel where it meets the plain steel base that has the brackets that attach to the dash board there are three or four points where that bezel is bent around the back of the clock body. Pry those out with a screw driver to be able to take that bezel off of the clock. With it will come the glass and inside bezel leaving the clock face and hands attached to the clock mechanism. Then remove the screws holding the back cover of the clock to the base and remove it. Under that cover you'll find three or four more screws to remove to separate the clock mechanism from the back of the clock. Then you will be holding the clock mechanism attached to the clock face and hands. Now you can look into the clock and see how it works. You will see two electromagnets near a silver bar. When those magnets are energized they pull the ends of that silver bar toward the ends of the electromagnet just a fraction of an inch but in that fraction of an inch a spring is pulled that then trys to pull the silver bar back away from the ends of the magnets. So, start with energizing the magnets (polarity doesn't matter) and see if the silver bar is pulled toward the ends of the magnets. If not, it could be for a couple of reasons. It may already be pulled as far as it will go and just wants to run the clock to "unwind" back away from the magnets. If so, then you have to figure out why the clock isn't running. You can see the little pendulum wheel that you can give a little nudge and see if you can get it to tick. If the silver bar seems in line with the magnets but the clock won't tick, it may be that the bar is slipping on it's shaft or a gear is slipping on some other shaft. That was a problem with one clock I fixed by finding the gear that was slipping on its shaft and putting just a spot of epoxy glue at that point to secure it. As soon as I did and energized the magnets again to pull the spring it started ticking. If the silver bar does not seem lined up with the ends of the magnet and won't move when you hook up power then you have a circuit open somewhere. As has been suggested by others, the contacts that are closed for a brief instant at the end of the short unwind cycle may not be closing. One clock I had didn't close those points because it was missing part of the mechanism that closed them. I had to tie a very small piece of fishing line just a certain way to get those points to close at just the right moment for just an instant that energized the magnets, pulled the silver bar toward the ends of them and at the same time opened the contacts not to close until it unwound again in about 4 minutes and closed for an instant again. Anyway, that's how these clocks work. There are contact points (that may not look like the ones in a distributor, mine didn't) that close momentarily to energize the magnets to twist the silver bar and pull on the spring that runs the clock until it winds back to the point of closing those points again and repeating the cycle. If you're interested in trying to fix it yourself, there is a beginning primer on such. If you'd rather just turn it over to someone else to fix then turn it over to Bob's Speedometer here: http://www.bobsgauges.com/servlet/the-Restored--dsh--Refurbished-cln-Ford/Categories as previously suggested and let him fix it or replace the mechanism with a quartz battery operated one. Personally, I found diagnosing and repairing my old clock to run again to be one of the most challenging but fun and satisfying tasks in my restoration project. It was so much like I imagine surgery being - working with the highest powered reading glasses I could find, tweezers, and micro-mini screw drivers, exacto knives - kinda like scalpals. Yea, it's late. I better go to bed. Old Henry (The older I get, the better old looks.) This message was edited by Old Henry on 1-30-12 @ 10:23 PM
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| ford38v8 | -- 01-30-2012 @ 11:30 PM |
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Are you cetain that this is an electric clock? New Haven made wind up clocks. The wire attached may simply be for the light bulb. Alan
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