Clock repairs

[maxdog]

The knob and shaft which moves the hands on my 1979 clock has come adrift . is there an easy fix ? The clock keeps time , but at present is running on New Zealand standard time and can't be adjusted .
I've had no luck sourcing a second hand replacement clock, can any one recommend a clock repairer ?
Thanks
Maxdog

[geospider]

This is one people have used.

But...it's in Palo Alto, Ca.

http://paspeedo.com/

Geo

[RRoller123]

I have used them to repair my clock, they were excellent and quick, but may be a bit pricey.

[GeorgeT]

Or you could disconnect the power and when the time was appropriate reconnect the power.

[MaineSpider75]

I just repaired my clock for the same problem while replacing my wood console and clock glass. I don't have pics of the repair, but it was actually pretty simple once I figured it out.
The big question is whether you have all of the parts still inside the clock or not. There is a small gear and a spring on the end of the adjustment shaft. If you still have those you should be able to fix it.
1. Remove the clock from the console.
2. If you are replacing the clock glass, get a small flat screwdriver (like one used for eyeglass repair for example), and gently pry the outer bezel holding the plastic face in place. You have to pry a significant amount of the bezel off before you can remove it from the clock housing.
3. Now remove the adjustment shaft from the clock. Ideally, just remove the outer adjust knob from the end so the clock can be removed from the housing. To do this, take a small pair of needle nose pliers to hold the shaft in place, then a second pair to pull the knob off the end. If the entire shaft comes loose, the adjustment gear and spring will fall off the shaft, but don't worry, you'll have to remove those eventually to repair anyways. Be careful not to lose the adjustment gear and spring!
4. Now remove the outer housing of the clock by removing the 3 (or 4?) small nuts on the back of the clock. Be sure to mark down which wires are connected where so you connect it correctly during re-assembly.
5. Remove the clock from the outer assembly. Remove the 2 small screws holding the clock face in place. You will not remove the clock face, but removing the screws provides enough movement to remove and re-assemble the shaft.
6. If you were successful in keeping the gear and spring on the shaft in step 3, then you will see where that assembly sits within the clock (between the clock face and the clock). If everything is loose already, then remove the shaft from the clock assembly. Either way, you have to remove the shaft from the clock in order to repair it, but it's good to note the position and orientation of the gear before removal.
7. The gear sits on the adjustment shaft with the actual gear facing close to the clock face. There is a small shaft facing away from the clock face which the spring slides over top. When everything is secure, pushing the adjustment knob in will move the adjustment gear to mate with a larger gear within the clock assembly. Once you identify this larger gear, try turning it manually with your finger to confirm it still moves freely and the clock hands move.
8. There is a small indent on the shaft which holds the gear in the correct position on the shaft. On my clock, the gear sat in the correct position, but when the adjustment was depressed and engaged with the larger gear, the turning force made the adjustment gear spin freely, thereby preventing me from setting the time.
9. My solution was to remove the gear from the shaft, put super glue on the shaft where the gear is supposed to sit, and then move the gear back into place. Let the glue dry for a significant period of time! On my first attempt, I only let it sit for 10 minutes and the gear came loose again. Second time, I let it dry overnight just to be certain. Also, you can re-assemble everything else after the glue has dried and the gear is firmly in place, so don't worry about trying to glue everything with the shaft back in the clock assembly.
10. Once the glue has dried for a few hours, it is time for re-assembly. Start by feeding the adjustment shaft up through the back of the clock face. With the clock face loose, there was enough space for me to push it all the way up until the shaft could be fed back down into the clock assembly. Before moving the adjustment shaft down, be sure to install the adjustment spring onto the shaft.
11. Now move the shaft down into the clock assembly until the gear and spring are sitting between the clock face and the clock assembly. Secure the clock face back into position with the 2 small screws.
12. Place the clock back into the housing, making sure to line up the adjustment shaft so it goes through hole in the clock glass. Secure the clock in the housing and re-attach the wires.
13. Finally, re-attach the adjustment knob back onto shaft and try adjusting your clock. If all is well, you now have a fully operational clock! Re-attach it to your console, plug it in, set the time, and grab a beer to celebrate!

[maxdog]

Thanks for the detailed repair procedure .I will try knife and fork brain surgery on my clock
Cheers
Maxdog

[tima01864]

How about those Bruins Max!

[maxdog]

As an aside, the snazzy chrome bezels on my instruments are just stuck on trim pieces .The instruments have black rims !
This might help others seeking elusive " chrome trim " replacement instruments ??
Maxdog