clocks

[babybazzer]

This is my latest plea for help,and this time concerns the electric impulse clock in my P2. When I bought ihe car the original clock appeared to be dead.Having taken it apart potentiall springs all over the place I know, but sometimes I can't resist - I found it would work for a few seconds when setting the hands,and slowly come to a standstill. I cleaned and moved the contacts as described in the workshop manual , and still no success. I managed to pick a second,much shabbier looking clock, also a non runner , cleaned it as before and hey presto ! away it went.It ran happily all summer,but has now also given up the ghost.
Does the small coil in there lose it's efficiency at all, can it be replaced ? The original clock was with a repairer for 6 months and he couldn't sort it out.
The original clock is still dismantled an I would be happy to post it to anyone who can repair it - that is at a non eye watering cost
Look forward to your replies,
David.

[Phil - Nottingham]

Karl Howarth near Newark was a true expert with these clocks and he actually improved the very flawed design - I last saw him at an RSR Crich rally years ago (2001?) - anyone know what happened to him after he sold his immaculately restored 1954 Rover 75?

Stick a modern quartz movement behind the original face etc - a battery operated one will run for years

A working non-original clock is far better than a non-working original clock and I do hate to see one stopped

I once did a survey at a classic car rally and 80% of cars fitted with clocks (some 90 odd) were not working even on some of the so called concours ones - the Smiths early electrics were never very good for long even when new however - the pre-war 8 day clockwork ones were much better but even these need servicing/repariring from time to time. I also have 2, 8 day ones that need this can anyone recommend someone who can fix these real car clocks as well?

[47p2]

From what I have herd Karl has retired and no longer repairs these clocks.....But I may have heard wrong

[babybazzer]

Thanks once again for the replies. I did consider the quartz movement idea,frowned upon in some areas,but even this had its problems. Not only finding one that would suit,but how to hold the case of the clock to the face so that it could be mounted in the dash in the same way as standard. It is the clock mechanism itself that acheives this, being screwed from the front and rearof it's "body"
I'll look at this option again,but would still like to get the original to work - I really don't like it when there is something there, which should to work, and it doesn't
Looking around on the net , am I correct in thinking despite the Jaeger name, the mechanism a Smith's one ? Couldn't find anyone out there who professed an ability to repair them either.
Still hoping someone will come up with an answer !!

[Phil - Nottingham]

British Jaeger is the upmarket (Ghia!) barnd of Smiths even though identical!

The clockwork insides is replaced with quartz mechanism - I have done this temporarily many would not notice. Best to get a duff spare pending repair of you own though. They do turnup on Ebay quite regularly

[36t46s]

In April 1971 (Freewheel p.870) Mr T P Tingey supplied a maintenance tip on electric clock improvement (with circuit diagrams). 'The chief feature of the circuit is pulse lengthening to overcome the intermittent current flow through worn contacts'. I have found that this mod. works well. Mr Tingey is still in the RSR and may be able to advise.

[Castellated nut]

It's a long while since I had to deal with one of these clocks, but I think the usual problem is erosion of the contacts. It isn't hard to add a transistor to relieve the contacts of the responsibility of switching the full current needed to operate the coil, and I'm sure I've seen at least one article in Freewheel describing the mod., but I found this link which looks useful: -

http://www.electronicspoint.com/transis ... 16098.html