'63 VDO 6v clock repair?

[Nessy]

I spent today trying to get the 6v clock in my '63 to work as the car is coming to the end of its resto,without success.
Having read through all the clock repair threads here on The Samba it seems that a common reason for the clocks not working is that the fuseable link has melted.......
I had the cover off the back of the clock (all I did was remove 3 tiny nuts and lift off the white plastic cover) and applied voltage to the power terminal with the case earthed but there was no movement at all of the points within the clock......
This brings me to my question; on the early 6v clocks can I only access the fuseable link (to re-solder it) by taking the chrome bezel off and completely dismantling the clock assembly?
Most of the threads describe repairs to the later, smaller clocks , so when it comes to the earlier clock I'm a bit confused as to whether it needs to be dismantled to the same degree to get at the fuseable link!
Any help most appreciated!

Thanks!


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1972 1302LS Convertible RHD

[Rome]

Friend restored his '65, which has the same style clock as yours and his car is still 6V. To get his clock working, all he did was to blow out the interior with compressed air. I don't think he even disassembled it; there was most likely some small aperture into which he could place his air hose nozzle. After that cleanout, he says it runs so well that it's accurate to a minute a day.

Sorry, I cannot provide advice on the fusible link...

[John Moxon]

Come on guy's I've read all the clock repair threads as well and there's not much on the early 6v VDO Clocks.

I thought there was an external link on one of the other threads specifically about early clock repair...resoldering the fuseable link etc but it was about the later small clock.

Was I imagining it or is there an external webpage giving instructions on the repair of the early clocks
_________________
John.
Judson Supercharger Information on The Samba
My 1958 Shorrock Supercharged Karmann Ghia
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[Gary]

The only clock repair instructions I have seen was for the 12V variety.
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)

[70 140]

I wrote the original 12v repair that is posted here.

The mechanism of the earlier clock is quite similar to the 12v model, it's just in a different case.

After not working and sitting idle, they almost always need a shot of some light penetrating oil. I have some aerosol gun oil which is very light, I spray the mechanism, than immediately blow it off with compressed air - make sure you have a water filter on the compressor, or you will just make a mess.

The fuseable link is a little brass tab with a bend in it near the top, there is a little hole in this tab. Once you will find this you will see where to push it to create the electrical connection - solder should flow through the hole on the tab to create the best connection.

I will post some pics to update the clock repair section.

[Lind]

[John Moxon]

I took the clock out and sure enough the fuseable link was broken.

Mine is a 3/58 VDO and the soldering repair is very simple. Put it all back into the car and low and behold...still not working

I'll take it out again tomorrow and give it an oiling.
_________________
John.
Judson Supercharger Information on The Samba
My 1958 Shorrock Supercharged Karmann Ghia
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[70 140]

Give it some oil. Most of the time they have been sitting idle in less than favorable conditions - for a mechanical clock.

Look for the contacts that make the clock wind. You can manually wind it and watch to see if it is working before you put it all back together

Of the dozens I have repaired, I have only seen one that was truly "worn out"

[vwdmc16]

i just pulled my clock after reading this, i dont think my '66 clock has ticked in a decade. i attepted to get it working before with one of those voltage drop resistors but i think i just heard something pop, and it didnt work. well heres pics of the internals, after oiling it and winding it, it will tick for a 3minutes 45 seconds

i will bench test it with a 6v battery but i dont see a popped link.

do you guy see anything?

_________________
"Fiberglass is for boats and race cars-Steel is real-fix it right the first time"-Wolff

'72 Ghia: http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n146/vwdmc17/100_1964.jpg
'72 Honda Z600
'81 Delorean

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[vwdmc16]

ok i took the clock apart some more and found the electromagnet winder still works, nothing is burned out. however it wont do much with 6v or 7.5v. did the high voltage jolt kill the magnets strength?
_________________
"Fiberglass is for boats and race cars-Steel is real-fix it right the first time"-Wolff

'72 Ghia: http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n146/vwdmc17/100_1964.jpg
'72 Honda Z600
'81 Delorean

www.EVILGENIUSRACING.com

[Mellow Yellow 74]

The clock on my 1962 ghia has never worked since I got the car so I removed the rear cover to check it. In addition to the three screws holding the cover on as referred to above, there was a round piece of metal with VDO stamped on it in the fourth corner. This turned out to be some kind of tamper evidence seal which I was able to remove by squeezing with pliers to find a screw underneath.

The fusible link was fine but nothing happened when I connected the 6V battery. I pushed the mechanism in with my finger and it went in but still nothing happened. So I sprayed the mechanism with some electrical contact cleaner and it started ticking straight away.

It stopped after a little while so I tried the battery again but nothing happened so I cleaned the little contact points under the solenoid with some sandpaper. When I connected the battery the solenoid clicked and the clock started ticking again. The solenoid only partially wound the mechanism (for about 15 seconds) and it sometimes stopped ticking before the solenoid operated so i cleaned it again and it is now running for a minute or two between solenoid operations and runs continuously.

I still need to lubricate it and need to do a test to check if it holds time but hopefully I have fixed it so I am happy about that. The mechanism feels a little "notchy" (if that is a word) when I adjust the knob on the front - is this normal?
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Arrowgb]

Hi,

this is a good post, my clock is very similar in the fault it displays.

Could i ask the silly question of the day.

Where is the 6 Volt return, i am guessing chassis earth, but it only pokes though the hole unless the springs on the case make contact..

Thanks

Is ok sorted it. It does use the housing clips as a chasis return. Mine just needed a slight bit of cleaning and resoldering, now she is ticking away.....

Plus i had to install a tiny transformer to drop the voltage back to 6Volt

[carlk3]

I dug out the original clock for my '64 Ghia 'vert. I'm trying to decide what to do with it. Unfortunately, it has suffered some water damage over the years:

Is is too far gone to bother with? Are there rebuilders who could use it for parts?

Does anyone have any tricks for fixing up the face, like printing something out at Kinko's and gluing it in place?

[c21darrel]

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2416715
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[bugfil]

Does anyone have any recommendations on where exactly to apply light oil to the clock mechanism?