Stag Clock - Help needed please

[Dazza the Stag]

Felt really bad today, have touched the poor old girl ( thats the stag in case your wondering ) for probably 9 Months now and she started first time today, all liquids spot on, just needed a little air in the tyres.

Anyway I know that the clock has never been the most reliable and I can't ever remember mine working properly or at all. I believe at some point in the past I even put another in which worked for a while and then stopped. I attach a picture of the current clock.

Can someone guide me through the basics of a) testing to see if it is indeed the clock that has failed or if its something else, i.e. power to the clock and then b) if it is the clock what options are available to get a clock that looks the same but without all of the problems. I did see the post about changing the mechanism for a rover clock but 1 it looked quite complicated and 2 I didn't like the extra buttons, I would prefer to be still able to amend it with the knob in the middle

Any thoughts ?

Dazza

clock.JPG

[BarD]

Hi,

Sorry I dont know the answer.
Is the Kienzle clock standard fitment in a stag, mine has one & thought it had been swapped out lol :|

[edd]

I bought a replica from rimmer brothers. It's an exact match apart from the second hand. It has a remote adjuster via a cable I keep tucked away.
Not for the purists. I might look at my original I bought stupidly thinking it would work. I nice winter project.
edd

[new to this]

Paddocks sell a replica clock,see there ad in the mag

dave

[robbo]

Hi,

Sorry I dont know the answer.
Is the Kienzle clock standard fitment in a stag, mine has one & thought it had been swapped out lol :|

Mine has a Kienzle clock fitted and it's working it keeps fairly good time as well. As far as I know it's a factory fitment.
Cheers Rob.

[malc4d]

Ditto

[Johnh]

I had my repaired by Allan Gauge shop and it worked OKish but I recently cleaned the earth connection and put in a new Solid State Voltage stabiliser and it is even keeping reasonable time so I guess there was something in the earthing/stabiliser that has made the difference.

My other instruments, temp gauge & fuel gauge are also significantly better so a good move all round.
JohnH

[brian0443]

I assume my Keinzle is original. It was not working when I got the car ten years ago but the problem was that the adjuster knob had slipped and was jamming the hands. These clocks are not voltage sensitive but they do require continuous current. They are old style mechanical, (pre quartz) clocks with a small inbuilt electric winder. You will hear a gentle whirr every ten or fifteen minutes as the spring unwinds to a point where the current is reactivated and the motor winds the clock again. There is a tiny hole with an adjustment screw which should let you time it accurately.
Brian

[Dazza the Stag]

I had my repaired by Allan Gauge shop and it worked OKish but I recently cleaned the earth connection and put in a new Solid State Voltage stabiliser and it is even keeping reasonable time so I guess there was something in the earthing/stabiliser that has made the difference.

My other instruments, temp gauge & fuel gauge are also significantly better so a good move all round.
JohnH

Thanks

I tested the voltage going to the positive tonight and its showing around 11.5 which I guess should be ok. Despite the fact one of the clocks seems to have a negative terminal on the back it seems as though the only negative goes to the light bulb which seems to then be attached the the body of the clock. Does that make sense or should there be a separate earthing/ negative wire ?

I have struggled to get a reply from Alan before but I have sent him another email tonight to enquire of the cost. One of the clocks has his sticker on which is where I must have gone last time. Google also came up with Speedy Cables, so I might try them as well, anyone used them ?

Darren

[V Mad]

11.5 seems low, I would expect over 12v but its probably not the cause.

The clock and all the gauges need to have their cases grounded (earthed) to work. There should be a black ground wire for each gauge. The clock also has one single + supply wire.

One of the common faults with the clock is that the contact that powers the spring wind motor stops working and needs a tweak/clean. Its fiddly but its worth a try if you have the patience.

[stag157.7]

Thanks

I tested the voltage going to the positive tonight and its showing around 11.5 which I guess should be ok. Despite the fact one of the clocks seems to have a negative terminal on the back it seems as though the only negative goes to the light bulb which seems to then be attached the the body of the clock. Does that make sense or should there be a separate earthing/ negative wire ?

I have struggled to get a reply from Alan before but I have sent him another email tonight to enquire of the cost. One of the clocks has his sticker on which is where I must have gone last time. Google also came up with Speedy Cables, so I might try them as well, anyone used them ?

Darren

Hi.
Email answered
Sorry not been too well last few months.so been a struggle
The earlier stag clocks were more reliable.
The later clocks were an earlier transistor design and are not very good
very late stags had quartz clocks and we're better. But more difficult to fix when they go wrong.these were normally in a plastic case
The soldering of the contact that Chris mentions is correct but the spindle on the balance wheel wears and that is more difficult fix and also more likely to occur
Alan

[Dazza the Stag]

Well - first of all thanks to Alan from The Gauges Shop who replied very quickly, in fact speedier than speedy cables ! ( In fact they didn't reply )

I thought before I part with my cash ( although you can guarantee I will still end up at that point ! ) I would have a quick look inside to see if I could see the point Chris mentioned and was quite surprised at the complexity. The first problem i still have is around this earthing cable. In fact I dug out both clocks that have been in the car and both cases are quite different, one looks as though its got a spade for the earthing cable and the other doesn't. I have posted pictures of both and having searched the wiring loom behind the instrument panel I cannot see any "Spare cables". Does the fact that there is a cable running to the bulb which is connected to the clock case mean that that would act as the earth ? Certainly when I tested the voltage if I applied the positive side of the tester to the positive spade and the negative to the case, that is what gave me the reading

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Chris I will try to upload photos of the inside - is there any chance you can describe the bit you are referring to please from the photos

[Dazza the Stag]

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[v8ken]

Hi Dazza,
I thought I could spray a little electrical cleaner into my Kienzle,to make it a bit more reliable, DON'T do it as it crazed all the glass/plastic front. The clock worked but it looked a mess. Anyway I put it in a box and fitted one out of a Rover 75 for a fiver(search for posts on this forum)I'll have a look at the original sometime and maybe replace the front.
Ken.

[V Mad]

Chris I will try to upload photos of the inside - is there any chance you can describe the bit you are referring to please from the photos

Blimey you put me on the spot now! I havent opened one for ages now. If you follow the connection from the spade terminal it should lead you to the contacts. Sorry I cant see it from the pix, I should have gone to Specsavers.