Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

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Etienne Kerkhoffs
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#16 Post by Etienne Kerkhoffs »

Thank you for your answers. I have run a seperate ground wire from the beginning. I think it originally was ground wired as well. (see picture below. The ground wire was connected to the stud where the brass piece is. I connected the ground wire to that stud).
I will buy some watch oil and use it on the moving parts. And I will put some dielectric grease on the points after cleaning and polishing.

I noticed that when it stopped, the points weren't closed completely. Maybe that I have to tighten the spring a little bit?
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Etienne Kerkhoffs
1958 356A T2 Sunroof Coupe

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Mike Wilson
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#17 Post by Mike Wilson »

Sounds like you are on it, Etienne.

Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

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Mervyn Hyde
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#18 Post by Mervyn Hyde »

Etienne, as I suggested earlier, get some fine clock oil (usually purchased in a small syringe), but use it sparingly on the small shafts and spindles. Clean the points with a fine file or thin emery stick. Then wipe, apply dielectric grease sparingly. Don't solder points, they will burn quickly as Wes says. I run a separate ground wire from one of the two mounting points to a nearby screw or small bolt.

Re the spring, if it is working correctly the induction circuit winds the spring back properly, then the clock will run - for a period. In some cases this process does not sufficiently wind the clockwork mechanism. You then get the clock 'winding' every few seconds. This is usually not a problem with the spring itself but some binding/catching in the mechanism or the points and magnetic induction process not operating at full capacity. These can be rebuilt.

Give it a good test for a couple of days on the bench first.
Merv
TYP356
1963 356B T6
1968 911 SWB

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Ben Wainscott
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#19 Post by Ben Wainscott »

Etienne,

I had a similar problem with my clock a number of years ago. I talked to North Hollywood Speedometer and at that time, they were not repairing the clocks. As I remember (and I could be missing some detail), they said that the man who did them had retired. He had a process to re-face the points, and then harden them (or apply a coating) as they were done originally. Don't know much more about the process, but they said that as they wear, you can clean up the points, but they wear faster. In a later conversation with North Hollywood, they said that the quartz mechanisms had become either to expensive, or unavailable, and they had found another person to repair the internals.

At that time I had the mechanism replaced with a quartz one. Although I loved the mechanical beast, I must admit the quartz one never misses a beat.
Ben Wainscott
65 SC S/R coupe
89 911 Carrera
63 Vespa 150
80 Vespa P200e

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Thomas Sottile
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#20 Post by Thomas Sottile »

I had mine converted to quartz, and had them add a second hand to it 15 years ago after 2 failed repairs by the California company and it has not miss a beat

Etienne Kerkhoffs
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#21 Post by Etienne Kerkhoffs »

Thanks for all the information. I will do the things that I wrote earlier and leave the spring. I hope to get this clock healthy again for another 60 years.....
Etienne Kerkhoffs
1958 356A T2 Sunroof Coupe

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Juha Vane
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Re: Original VDO clock with strange behaviour

#22 Post by Juha Vane »

Check this:

http://www.ritter-instrumente.de/356index.html

He's in Germany and did good job with my instruments, not the clock as it is new,
but the others.
KTF,

Juha Vane
Finland

'59 308
'63 356
'85 911

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