Re: [Chrysler300] IT'S TIME

[dan300f@xxxxxxx]

Hi all:

For any of you who want to keep your old clocks as they came out of the 
factory, let me share with you some tips on how to rehabilitate them.  That is if 
there is no mechanical  problem with it/them.

This Spring, I took an adult night class in clock repair.  One of the clocks 
I worked on was the one from my 300F.  It would run intermittently.  Here's 
what I did.

1.  Remove the clock from the dash.
2.  Remove the power terminations at the rear of the case.
3.  Remove the screw-on adjuster knob.
4.  Carefully bend out the ears holding the case on the main body of the 
clock.
5.  Examine the works to see if all are loose and move without too much help. 
 This particular clock uses what I call the whip-lash wind-up.  When a set of 
points closes, the clock spring resets itself.  
6.  First of all I found the points needed burnishing.  That alone got the 
clock going.
7.  Next, I sprayed the entire mechanism with brake cleaner and blew it dry.  
With the straw in the spray can, I carefully focused on each location where 
there was a pivot/bearing.
8.  Using 10W synthetic oil, I dabbed, with a toothpick, a bit of oil on each 
pivot/bearing and anywhere else there was a moving part.  I placed some on 
the self adjuster and made sure that it functioned properly. If you put too much 
and it runs off, it will more than likely remove all of the rest of the oil 
in that pivot/bearing by surface tension, so be careful.  Put just enough to be 
able to see the oil immediately around the pivot/bearing.  The synthetic oil 
is recommended by my instructor as it will not become old and gummy.  In all 
of our main spring cleaning and oiling exercises, we used the 10W synthetic 
oil.  My instructor is a registered horologist (Clock maker).
9.  Bench tested the clock using a battery charger as my power supply before 
I reassembled the case, making sure I had the correct polarity.  Over a period 
of a couple of days, I was able to adjust the clock to be within a minute or 
two of accuracy over that period.  I intentionally adjusted the clock a wee 
bit slow so that when I manually adjusted it in the car, it would not run too 
much faster.  I have been told that the automatic adjuster speeds up the clock 
when it is slow and slows it down if it is fast.  This is accomplished when the 
manual adjuster is turned one way of the other.  In my case, I am unable to 
turn my clock back so if it were to speed up too much, I'd just remove the 
battery ground cable for a few minutes until the clock is back on time.
10.  Reassembled the case, power terminals and knob and returnd the clock to 
the dash.  By the way, it can be removed through the speaker opening with 
relative ease.  You may have to do some blind work in trying to get the lower 
holding screw loose, but son't take it out completely.  Just enough to wiggle the 
clock loose.  What I did is to let the lower screw just loose enough to slide 
the ear of the clock into it and installing and tightening the top screw.  
Both screws are then snug.

Good luck.

Dan Reitz
Northridge, CA


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