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I bought my 51 Pack 250 in 2019 and love it. The clock was not working. Recently I had work done on the car unrelated to the clock and the mechanic said that he could fix the clock by cleaning and oiling. When I pu the car I asked about how long I could expect the clock to work a few years? He said it might last that or a few weeks. After I made an adjustment on the speed of the clock it kept great time. Long story short it stopped after 3 weeks (I have no plans to bring my car back to this mechanic for other problems with him). I replaced the fuse and that did not work. I read through the forums, but could not find an answer, unless I missed it. I keep the car on a trickle charger and drive around the block every week or two. Is there a better fix? Do I have to go in the back under the dash, which I prefer not to do? Can the clock be pulled out from the front? I'm still trying to educate myself on this beauty. Any advice would be appreciated.

The two common problems with the clock are the solenoid contacts burn and pit so do not pass enough current to actuate the winding mechanism hard enough to do a complete winding action. Without enough action to kick the contacts back to full open the contacts can get more and more burned until they ultimately fail.

Cleaning and lubing is the other reason the older clocks stop working and depending on what the mechanic used could be your issue. The mechanism needs to be clean and lubed with products that do not leave a residue that will gum up or collect dirt. Ordinary household items such as WD40 and light machine oil are too often used. That works for awhile but eventually both products get gummy. The clock should probably be done again only by someone using the proper cleaning solvents and then lubed with clock oil.

Thank you Howard. I do not know what lub the mechanic used, but he said the solenoid contacts where fine, but I don't know. Is this something I can do with out digging in the back to pull clock out?
David

I doubt it. While the clocks are differently shaped for various models most clocks need to be removed from the cluster to take the back off. Even if back can come off with clock mounted, the contacts are usually in a location all the congestion behind the dash will not let them be accessible enough for any servicing.

If the mechanic said the contacts were in good shape most likely they still are and I would look to gummy lube as the most likely problem.

Ok, which I can't clean and then proper lube without the removal of the cluster. Well I had it working for three weeks time to punt. Thanks again

I cleaned my Clippers in 2010 with starting fluid touched points with burnishing tool. Lubricated with whale oil a old time instrument repairman gave me. It still works now but battery is not on in winter when car is heated storage for 3 to 4 months per year Most car clocks I had before the newer digital did not work very long as a general rule

If the points stick and the fuse doesn't blow, there is a soldered fusible strip that melts and breaks the connection. On my clock, that strip melted and I had to resolder it.

I was excited to see the clock working for three weeks. Whale oil thats interesting. If I thought I could oil etc without pulling the cluster, which I imagine would be a task for a rookie - I would make sure I used the proper oil. Thanks

(Apologies in advance if my older clock is drastically different but thought to share my experience with a 39 clock.)

The clock guy I know here has had me run the clock off a battery after oiling/cleaning. A mixture of things such as the contacts for the "winding" he has noted may need to work themselves a bit continuously for at least a few weeks outside of the car before reinstalling. There may be some other things to note but those are the biggies. He said it may take a re-oiling and running a few times to get it where it needs to be. Also, an advantage to having the clock out is it's a bit easier to spend time watching the movement, seeing the contact and timing the run time between rewinding. I have found my 39 clock to range between 4-6 minutes and not necessarily decreasing which is what you want to observe-- the contact being impactful there. Decent soldering, etc. can put better meat on it.

Clock running

Thanks Corey, but I understand that I would need to remove the cluster, which is the main problem. If I was able to remove the cluster/clock I feel comfortable taking the next steps you and others have suggested. I'm stuck in that I do not feel I can remove the cluster without screwing something up.
David