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64 Riviera Clock


awk409ak

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Hi Everyone,

I was reading some stuff on the clock, like removal, cleaning, etc.  My was not working, so had some time last night and since my dash is out and thinking of replace bulbs I thought I would take more apart.  Haha!  

Well, removed the clock with no issues, clean it, blow air through it and tested it with 12V applied and it works fine.  I was putting it back in and connected the connector and all was fine, second hand moving.  A few minutes later it stopped.  Went to check the fuse, there was none to check.  My fuse block has a spot for a fuse (see pic), but no fuse and only the 12V contact for a fuse.  The 12V wire is red coming off the clock.  On the back side of the fuse block (see pic) I can see a red wire (same awg), same as the red wire running out of the clock, but it is for the pwr ant.  Come to fine out those two, the clock and pwr ant are connected to the same fuse.  My fuse block and harness show no signs off modifications or anything.  Is this correct??    Could this be how a dealer installed the pwr ant?

At the right is the fuse position, above the clock is the pwr ant.  Second picture is the backside.  The red wire just left of center is the pwr ant position, which is above the empty contact position for the clock.

Thanks,

Art

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The clock is mechanical and runs off a main spring.  The main spring is wound when it receives a 12V jolt.  There is a set of points in the clock.  When the mainspring winds down, the points close and 12V rewinds the main spring.  Make sure those points are clean and make good contact.  You should have a constant 12V going into the clock, but the current only flows through the clock long enough to wind the main spring, a fraction of a second.  You can wind the main spring by hand and the clock will run without any electricity until the mainspring winds down.  The clock doesn't run very long on one winding.  Take it back out and play with it and you'll figure it out. There is also a ground wire in the back of the clock. Make sure it's grounded on the other end.  The light has a separate wire and grounds through the clock body.

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20 minutes ago, RivNut said:

So that there's no a constant flow of 12V to it.  

??????  Sorry don't understand.  I was asking about how it is wired.  No fuse for clock, and the clock is wired to the pwr ant along with the pwr ant.  It looks factory wired.

 

Art

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This isn't unusual........I've run into this a few times in my car repair shop over the years, where the carmaker changes up the way they

distribute power to the circuits and don't bother to relabel or redesign the fuse box.  For example, in the early 2000's the Chevy Silverado, Tahoe and Suburban

have a fuel pump relay in the power distribution box under the hood that is labeled as such and it is not connected in any way to fuel pump operation. Instead

power is distributed through a box on the frame rail. Back in the 90's many Fords had power distribution boxes that were mislabeled, driving the mechanics nuts trying to track down the problem in a circuit.

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Seafoam,

Thanks.  So I can just leave things alone.  It appears it is all within the harness.  There is conductivity between the 3 points, clock, pwr ant connectors and the red wire on the back of the fuse block which is for the pwr ant fuse.  The clock fuse position is not used. 

Thanks again.

 

Art

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4 hours ago, awk409ak said:

??????  Sorry don't understand.  I was asking about how it is wired.  No fuse for clock, and the clock is wired to the pwr ant along with the pwr ant.  It looks factory wired.

 

Art

I don't know where the power source originates, just what each wire coming into the back of the clock does.  What's your specific question?

 

Check the wiring diagram in your chassis manual and see what it shows.

Edited by RivNut
Ref. Chassis manual (see edit history)
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Art, so do you have 12V to the Clock?

As for the wiring, the '64 Shop Manual shows no fuse for the 'fuse' slot but the 2nd from the top is labeled 'Courtesy & Clock'. It has the double Red crimping on the fuse clip. Not very good protection if you ask me going from 2A to 5A.

The power antenna has a single Red termination on that fuse clip. No Clock on it.

Note that one side of the fuse block is 12V live (Red feed) and the middle and opposite side are 12V switched (Brown feed).

Also, those fuse clips are rusty on practically all old GMs even from dry climates. So removing and re-installing a fuse in a suspect circuit might make for a better contact. Using 'NO-OX-ID' for all fuse clips even better.

I see you still have the odometer reset knob!

 

 

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XframeFX,

You are right!  I checked the continuity from the clock (red wire) to the courtesy light fuse contact (red wire) and I get continuity.  But I also get continuity to the pwr ant (another red wire), which is a few locations below the courtesy light fuse just above the empty clock fuse location.   What shop manual are you look at the body or chassis and what page.  I found the page in the Chassis Manual page 10-156.  I have both and did not see anything with the clock, but I very well could have missed it too.

 

Still does not resolve everything.  My clock works (that's the important thing), I just don't understand yet how it is and why there is no clock fuse or why there is not a wire from the clock fuse location to the clock.  I guess I'd like to know what is correct, and you may have answered that.

 

Thanks a lot for info.

 

Art

Edited by awk409ak
strike two lines (see edit history)
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Art, the last 2 pages of Section 10. Your fuse block is consistent with my '64 Canadian Buick Manual for 4400 to 4800 Full Size Buicks on page 156. 1963 Buick Manual has it all crammed in to 1 page. The early '63 Riviera's had a separate harness for the power antenna like the Electro-Cruise and power windows. It was a 12 circuit fuse block limitation until the 17 circuit fuse block common with your '64 was used. Both '63 fuse blocks used the 'clock' slot. as mentioned earlier, GM had some reason for your arrangement.

Continuity between the 2 circuits is 1 thing, voltage is another. perhaps the 2 Red wires melted in the harness as no GXL or SXL automotive wire existed back then. Test by removing the Courtesy & Clock fuse and test for 12V at the clock or simply if the Clock keeps going on the power antenna circuit.

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  • 3 years later...

Back to the function of the clock.  Mine runs15-20 minutes fast in 24hrs.  When I set it back shouldn’t that activate some fast/slow cam inside (before I take it apart)?  Doesn’t seem to “catch on” that I’m turning back the time consistently.

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6 hours ago, Deanoko said:

Back to the function of the clock.  Mine runs15-20 minutes fast in 24hrs.  When I set it back shouldn’t that activate some fast/slow cam inside (before I take it apart)?  Doesn’t seem to “catch on” that I’m turning back the time consistently.

When mechanical clocks age the oil on their pivots dries up. Add to that dirt collected where the oil was.  With more friction comes less swing in the movement. Hence the pulse of the clock motor happens in a smaller arc= more pulses per minute= clock runs too fast. 

In my past life I was a clock and watch maker 😆 

If I wanted accurate time I would do the quartz conversion others allude to. 

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A clock repairer friend recently went through and cleaned this clock, which had previously been inoperative.  His thought was that maybe the oil he used was too light, allowing it to run faster with less friction.  One of my questions was if there was a self regulating mechanism, but it doesn’t sound like there is, or, if so, hasn’t been mentioned.

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9 minutes ago, Deanoko said:

A clock repairer friend recently went through and cleaned this clock, which had previously been inoperative.  His thought was that maybe the oil he used was too light, allowing it to run faster with less friction.  One of my questions was if there was a self regulating mechanism, but it doesn’t sound like there is, or, if so, hasn’t been mentioned.

There is but not for 15-20min s day more like a couple minutes a week. 

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I was given '63 Wildcat parts that included a clock. Shortly after, I ordered a Quartz Conversion for one of the 3 clocks I now had. Once completed, I decided to use the chrome bezel from that 3rd clock given to me since it was perfect. I then discovered that clock was fully functional and really didn't need the conversion. duh!

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  • 5 months later...

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