tic toc tac tacs but won't tic toc

[1970GTX]

ok,
ever since I've owned this car, the clock won't run but the tac works fine. Today I pulled the cluster out, removed the tic toc tac, bench tested it with a hot 12v to the clock. It wouldn't run until I attached a ground to the outside casing and voila, tic toc starts tic tocking. ( apologies ) Next I tested the gray wire which is the 12v source for the clock and there is 12v there. Replace the TTT into the cluster, remount the cluster blah blah blah, ignition on, everything works but the F'n clock. Attack a ground from the outside casing of the clock to a good ground, still nothing. Ideas?

On the up side, I also had an 8 track that would not play. so while I had every thing else apart I yanked the 8 track/radio, took it apart, cleaned everything and removed an inch or two of previously digested tape an I now have music. So I burned about 5 gallons of premium and a little bit of rubber, and listened to CCR and Jimmy Buffet for an hour or so. A good day after all.
Dan

 

[Baller]

Lucky bugger. I only sat in mine in the garage and drank a beer.

 

[Meep-Meep]

Sounds like it's working perfectly. I'm being facetious. The joke is those clocks NEVER work, but I'm surprised you actually got it to tic toc.

The way it works is pretty simple and you might get it going after all but I doubt it will stay working. There is a solenoid actuated by a set of points. When the points close the solenoid gets power and kicks the points open. The open points slowly close against spring tension making the clock mechanism work (tic-toc-tic-toc). Then the points close again and the cycle is repeated. The problem is the points get burned thus loosing the contact to power the solenoid. Good luck, Jim.

 

[Photon440]

My tic-toc hadn't worked since getting the car in 1977. I had the instrument panel apart, ready to install a quartz clock drive replacement, but out of curiosity tried spraying all the moving parts with electrical contact cleaner/lubricant. Hey, it started working again! I could test it with just a little radio 9 volt battery. So although I have the quartz parts, I left the original clock intact for now, because so few of them seem to be working any more.

Here is a link to a comprehensive article describing the function, diagnostics and repairs for these old clocks:
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/restor...tting_the_ticktock_back_in_your_old_car_clock

 

[440+6]

I got mine working a few times, meaning it kept stopping.
I gave up a long time ago and went quartz but more power to anyone that can keep an original going, that's much cooler.