Hi All-- I have an analog clock in the shifter console that is "popping" erratically. About every 15-20 seconds it "clicks" or "pops" and sometimes its does it rapidly a few seconds apart. I had it repaired and when I got it back it initially worked, although I only tapped the battery to see that it ran. I didn't actually re-install it till now. Clockworks says it's an under voltage issue, but the battery is producing solid 12v plus at the connection. They also said I need to disconnect the clock when the car's not in use to prevent damage. That sounds counter-intuitive to having a clock in the car. I need to re-connect it and reset it every time? I'm not sure that would have been a great selling feature back in '68. But, I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, so any thoughts or experiences are welcomed!
'68 400HO Coupe, 4 spd, 259 interior, Windward Blue. My other car's a Johnson 15 outboard on a '61 Starcraft rowboat... Just sayin'.
Clockworks does provide a 1 year warranty with all their repairs. They do good work from my experience. What they are referring to when stating to disconnect the clock when car is not in use is that the clock was originally protected by a 10Amp fuse. 10 Amps is way high for a sensative mechanism like these clocks and would gum up the contacts as most likely initially. The reason our clocks stopped working. I installed a 2Amp fuse, so every time the juice gets low it will drip and protect the clock. As far as your popping sound, I would make sure you have full battery power, 12-14.6 volt with the car running and run the clock for a while. If the noise doesn't go away, ask Clockworks to re-check.
Also it does make a little noise when it rewinds. When the clock ticks down, voltage is applied to rewind it. Then it ticks down again. and start over. When it rewinds, I hear a tick or slight pop noise.
I think if you are not going to be driving it, then yes unhook the battery so the clock does not draw down the battery. If you are driving it every day, then no you do not have to disconnect it.
I'm sure most of us use a trickle charger to keep the battery from draining anyway, so there should be no need to disconnect and lose radio stations and clock...
It would take a long time for an analog clock to have any affect on a fully charged battery. But, if the car is going to be sitting for a while I would disconnect it just to keep the clock from running all the time. Like anything else mechanical things do wear out over time.
Thx All....I understand the rewind click, but I think this clicks or "pops" far too soon to be a rewinding function. Clockworks hasn't had anything to offer except that I must be doing something wrong. The video I sent them showed a clicking (the contacts coming together to rewind), but happening at seconds apart. I would expect a rewind far less often than every few seconds. They say its being caused by an undervolt issue. They battery was showing 12 plus volts at the time, and was tied directly to it. I originally sent Clockworks the unit because it wasn't running at all. They say they rebuilt it, but couldn't elaborate. I was hoping they could tell me what the trouble was originally so I could try that path again. For now just put it back in, and set it for "5 o'clock Somewhere".
'68 400HO Coupe, 4 spd, 259 interior, Windward Blue. My other car's a Johnson 15 outboard on a '61 Starcraft rowboat... Just sayin'.
I sort of rebuilt mine years ago, the contacts wear out, hooked it up to my truck battery and watched it all day, it ran and rewound perfectly, put it back in the console, with a switch under the dash so I could turn it off, they do suck up juice remember these were designed for cars that were used daily, well it worked until we went out that night and just said screw it, set it for 5 o clock too and there it has been for 12 years. There is a kit to make it modern and I may do that. Yours sounds like the spring is weak, or you're not getting a full wind when the contacts hit.