Can anyone tell me the location of the clock fuse is on a 59 cad?
Gday Mauro,
I wish I knew that one on my 60 as it tried to fry itself one day.
Luckily it was noticed before the dash got too hot and burst into flames.
Now, it just looks pretty.
At least the time is correct at least twice a day.
Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV
The answer is conversion to continuous quartz movement. Smooth sweep second, far more accurate than the 12-volt motor and you only replace the battery every few years. The dial, hands, bezel and housing all stay original.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8249605381&rd=1&sspagename=STRK3AMEWA3AIT&rd=1
Fred,
I looked at the site that you posted, and I like the idea. Using a AA Lithium battery in place of a standard one would yield approx 10 years usage before replacement is needed.
My question to you would be. How would you know which unit to purchase? He has a variety of types on there with different shaft lengths. And again using the existing hands from the original clock, they might not fit the replacement unit. Its not a lot of money, but it is wasted if the wrong one is purchased. Ive just have never taken apart a clock before and the one in the dash though not working still looks better than a gaping hole there.
John
I had my clock on my Eldorado rebuilt by The Clockworks when it stopped. Took only a week turnaround time. Since it was done four years ago its only had to be reset once a year for racing ahead only about three minutes a year.
I didnt go with the quartz movement only because I try to remain as pure as possible with my car and at the time I really couldnt see the advantage of doing any other way regarding cost and convenience.
Dave
When this project comes up on my calendar, I will pull the clock out of the dash which is easy. Then I will take it to my watchmaker and set it on the counter. He will mic it out and tell me exactly which continuous quartz movement I need, including pinion configuration for the existing hands. Watchmakers are very resourceful (at least, mine is). They can drill out hands, apply tiny adapters, spacers, etc. They have all the catalogs right there at their fingertips.
Not doubting a word youve said, but a 3-minute gain in one year is more accurate than the finest Rolex.
Dave, I should have said it approaches (rather than equals) the finest Rolex in accuracy. Thatll teach me to do arithmetic in my head.
That said, Im amazed that a 12-volt mechanical movement can be as accurate as youve described. Even so, whenever you have to disconnect your battery to do electrical work, the clock will have to be re-set.
Fred,
I wish I could schedule my projects by a calender. I schedule things by my watch. That means when I have time!!!
Put up a post when you get the clock analyzed. This should be quite informative to all of us. The pressure of the CLC is on you now.
Now for the Rolex issue. A Rolex is guaranteed to be accurate to within 1 second per year. My cheapie Timex has never been off more than 30 seconds in a year. I keep everything set by my atomic clock. Which is quite a neat clock to watch, especially when the time changes occur.
John, as Ive understood it, the COSC standard to which Rolex subscribes guarantees accuracy to within -4 to +6 sec/day.
That comes out to an acceptable error range of roughly 30 min/year. The most accurate quartz movement Ive ever heard of has accuracy within ~10/sec/year.
Hold on to that 1 sec/year Rolex of yours. It can only go up in value!
That seems pretty lousy to me. I have a little brass clock that I sat on the shelf three years ago and thought nothing about until I realized, one day, that I had never set it, wound it, or replaced a battery, and it was still right on the minute. If this is what a quartz movement is, then I would say, by all means, put one in your car clock. Maybe you have to replace a battery every ten years or whenever, but it would nice never to have to set it, even when your battery goes dead or gets disconnected.
My only concern would be, can the quartz movement handle the extreme temperatures and rapid temperature changes that you have inside a vehicle?
-denise
Hi, denise. Good question about quartz temp tolerance. Ill ask my watchmaker when I see him. Since I live in the most temperate zone in the Bay Area, Im not too concerned about that but I know you get some pretty hot days in Arizona.
Of course, most of us have freezers and ovens and those little plastic quartz clocks are pretty cheap...
=:O
Just found this outfit through Hemmings --
http://www.clocksandgauges.com/gpage.htmlScroll down page to the DIY kits. These run off your 12V battery and are only available for Borgs made from early 60s-80s. But were getting closer.
Heres another company that will quartz your clock but again, these are still on 12V --
http://dandmrestoration.home.mindspring.com/clocks.htmNext week, Im going to give these guys a call and see what they say about continuous quartz movement with its own pop-in battery.
I find three minutes a year to be pretty good for any analog auto clock considering that conditions of extremes it has to be operating on a daily basis.
Also, mechanical auto clocks as a rule are notorius for not keeping much any time in part by the conditions they have to face and by the trial and error design of adjusting speed in to keep accurate time once set enough ... setting a fast clock slows it down some ... setting a slow clock ahead speeds it ahead some ... enough adjustment and it will be better.
On top of that in many vehicle clocks of the time, theres a spring type of mechanism that trips once in a while to keep it going, I think which is activated upon loss of power. Ill never forget removing the clock out of my grandfathers 79 LTD when it made a quiet pop in my hand and was still running for a couple of minutes in my hand after it was disconnected from the car. Thought that was real neat!
BTW, most Rolexs dont face such torture and most likely probably never will considering the cost of one and who most likely wears them. Im sure they would hold up to the torture, but I wouldnt compare a vehicle clock to a fine watch. Thats like comparing apples to oranges ... not in the same league.
Besides, if you want to speak about watches of fine quality in that Rolexs can be that accurate or more, my ordinary Seiko from Kohls hasnt had to be reset since I got it new five years ago. It will soon though because I also realize its still on the same battery now that I think about it! Guess I better get it done before it dies out on me.
No, Im not knocking quartz movements or Rolex either, but I just dont a quartz movement in a vehicle not originally equipped without any is all. I just prefer to being accurate to the car and staying original. Also, I dont have to take my dash apart to change the battery every few years as some movements may require.
Later!
Dave
Hi Fred,
I just read this after reading your above response to my post. LOL
I realize what you were trying to say, but it is true that it does keep that accurate a time! I used to reset it for savings time and back each year for the first couple of them, but now I just leave it so in the spring when my car is on the road, its already set!
Im sure results from repairs and restoration may vary and I too find it amazing that the clock performs so well, but Im not going to be one to complain. Maybe I should keep quiet or maybe it might want to act up on then!
BTW, I do wish I had a Rolex! I like some of their designs. Not the real gaudy diamond studded one, but the ones with the bigger round faces which I guess is the classic Rolex look. Closest I have is a fake one that keeps terrible time! Looks good, but thats about it!
Good Luck on your clock endeavor.
Dave
Guess what? Battery must have died today! Didnt wear it since yesterday because of work on the car and just looked at it. Stopped a little after 9 this morning.
Now I really have to get a new battery.
Guess I shouldve kept quiet about it. Now Im gonna make sure that the clock in the Caddy is still running as I was talking about it too! LOL
Later!
Dave
Sounds like you and I have similar taste in Rolexes. Nicest one I ever saw was in a little Mom and Pop jewelry store back in 1980. Oyster Perpetual. Solid brushed 18K gold case/bracelet, simple midnight blue dial. Nice heft to it. My kind of watch.
One thing to remember if you convert your clock using a quartz movement the time adjustment is located on the BACK of some of these units- not so good if you put one in a 59 or 60, unless you have hands like E.T.!
.
But, as Mauro asked in the first place, is there a fuse for the clock, and if so, where is it?
Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV
Thanks Bruce,I think everybody got a bit sidetracked.
The clock uses a bodyfeed fuse which is located in the fuse panel where all the others are.
I had to answer my own question.
Thanks Mauro,
I cant access my Workshop Manuals at the moment as I am renovating my office, so your answer is good for me.
But, I really like shanghaiing threads myself, so it was good to think about the other types of clock mechanisms.
The only reason I havent converted my own clock to a quartz movement is that I dont like the ticking sound, but now I know about the constant movement ones, so the question was worth asking in the end.
Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV
Bruce, thanks for setting me back on track with the original question. I see that Mauro dug out the answer for himself.
Turning first to p. 12-44 of the shop manual, we learn the clock is fused @ 25A from the body feed. At the circuit diagram on pp. 12-47/48, we get a pretty good idea of the general location of this fuse. Then on p. 12-1/2 we are told exactly where the fuse is located, ie. in the body feed segment at the left side of the fuse panel under the left side of the instrument panel.
Anyone find out how well the quartz conversions hold up in the extremes of a vehicle?
Im courious about it now myself. A friend of mine found a relatively low mileage 1975 Buick Electra thats for sale the clock doesnt work. The car is a little rough, but not bad for a car of its age. Theyre considering using at as a semi-daily driver ... weekends and short trips ... and are interested in converting that clock to a quartz only because they dont want to fuss with it.
Dave
Quote from: Bruce Reynolds # 18992Thanks Mauro,
But, I really like shanghaiing threads myself, so it was good to think about the other types of clock mechanisms.
*********
Hey, I agree with you! It keeps the thread interesting for just that reason - bringing up other discussions on the subject with a few sidetracks now and then!
Dave :-)
Fred,
I would have thought that a 25 amp fuse was a bit too high for a clock.
When mine messed up, I was lucky that the car didnt catch fire as the dash was extremely hot around the clock mounting and if I hadnt caught it, and disconnected he power to it, I am sure that the fire would have caught before the fuse blew.
Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV
Thats my thinking, as well -- at least, initially. 25A seems about 10 times too high just to protect that clock. But its right there in the service manual.
Not that service manuals cant be wrong. I got a nice laugh recently when I had to replace a headlamp bulb in my 90 Civic hatch. The factory manual said quite clearly to remove the bumper first. I had to read it again and again before accepting that it said that. Lifting the hood and looking behind the lamp assy, it had an obvious turning grip for a bayonet mount. Installation took about 1.27 minutes.
I havent checked with my lawyer on this, but I think its probably legal to install an in-line 2A fuse on the wire to the clock motor.
Anyway, Ive now opened communications with D&M Restorations in Greenville, SC. Left a phone message and sent an e. Will let everybody know what they say re feasibility and overload protection.
Dave, I will also ask D&M about quartz temp ratings and relay that info to this thread.
Heres a link to a surveillance camera built into a quartz clock.
http://basshome.com/product_1022_detailed.htmThis unit is temp rated from 0-140 deg F. There may be others with more impressive ratings.
To all --
Spoke this morning with Matt Patterson of D&M Restorations in Greenville, SC.
Proposed the following parameters to him --
-continuous motion quartz
-fits existing housing
-compatible with existing hands and re-set knob operation
-broad temperature tolerance
-pop-in battery
He told me right off the bat to forget about the pop-in battery idea, that D&M had explored this option and found it was not practical. But all other requirements they can meet or exceed.
Cost is $135-$155. For that price, you get quartz accuracy/reliability, ample overload protection, original appearance and function.
D&M Restoration, Inc
1-800-722-0854
dandmrestoration@mindspring.com
I found another outfit that sells DIY automotive quartz conversion kits. I havent looked into what they offer, but heres their contact info --
Instrument Services Inc
11765 Main St
Roscoe, Illinois 61073
1-800-558-2674
website: ClocksAndGauges.com
Thanks for info!
Dave
Fred,
You mean that the replacement clock uses vehicle power to run it?
And, does he actually do the guts replacement to the clock that one supplies, or just sell the mechanism so that the owner can convert the clock themselves?
Bruce,
The Tassie Devil(le),
60 CDV
Yes, quartz conversions at both D&M and Instrument Services are powered by your 12V. The difference is that the quartz is unaffected by voltage drops/fluctuations and current surges. Its also low-to-no maintenance and is unaffected by any temp extremes youre likely to encounter.
For now, Im assuming that D&M is right about the pop-in battery idea, since I found nobody on the net who is doing that for automotive clocks. Theyre all using 12V.
If that assumption holds, the next question (at least, to my mind) is whether a small dedicated 12V power source can be remotely wired to kick in when the battery is taken out of the circuit. That way, the clock wont have to be re-set.
My understanding is that D&M does not sell parts, they only do quartz conversions and restorations of original movements. Instrument Services, OTOH, does that and also sells DIY kits.
My next stop is going to be Al Lashers Electronics in Berkeley. Will add whatever I learn there to our growing data base.
Lets keep this going! I had a mirror in my van that had an LCD clock built in. The BIG mirror clipped over the little mirror. Cost $6 at Whitney, w/battery, an AA. Battery was still working after eleven years when I sold van. The readout was invisible below 35 degrees, (2C) returned when heater started!
My wagon has a dash clock in the radio, has never been reset, even though battery has been out of car. Memory kept up for one hour.
A twelve volt clock can keep going on a backup battery if you know how to hook up a 9V flat pack and a diode. Your local electric shop can do or explain. Whitney sells this kit to hold up the memory of digital radios. Probably adaptable.
My Oldsmobile has a digital clock that was fitted into the removable panel for a factory clock. Runs off cars battery. Bought clock at Radio Slack.
The La Salle has an atomic clock from Walgreens ($5) stuck to the dash. I glued some refrigerator magnets to the clock and stuck it to the dash.
It should be obvious that all of these clocks worked fine in all the extremes found in Cars in the South, where they live.
I will probably put a penlight cell clock in the La S dash using the original hands and face this summer. Replacing the battery after three years should be no trouble since there is NOTHING under the dash. There are several craft shops that sell battery mechanisms for under ten bucks.