Does anyone know what time it is in a Series II E-type?

The Smiths clock on a series II e-type is notoriously failure prone.

A few things are working against it. For one, the original battery is a mercury type, which isn't available for environmental reasons.

Next up, the original battery is very small and doesn't last very long, meaning a lot of the cars spend long periods of time with the clock stopped.

Finally, the clock mechanism is a little weak and any rough spots in the gearing will cause the unit to stop cold. Coupled with the fact that few clocks run for years because of the battery problem, the above factors all combine to make a clock that rarely runs.

The fix is twofold, clean the innards so that the unit works well, and connect it to a better power source so that it'll run for at least a few months continously.

Here's my take on the situation.

Update: The clock is still working, and didn't require time adjustment! If you do the same job you might have to adjust the clock speed using the screw on the dial. Because of the extra voltage, the flywheel seems to get a bigger "kick", goes a little further on each cycle, and actually runs slower.

All of these images are thumbnails, click on the image to see a larger version.

		Here is what the unit looks like from the back, after you remove the can from the rear. The main circular element is, for lack of the real term, the flywheel. It oscillates back and forth once every second, and it's connected to the gears that move the hands. The role of the battery is to provide a "kick" to this wheel every time it passes a certain point, keeping it moving forever as long as voltage is present. (or that is the goal!) September 13th, 2000
		Here's the view in the side, showing the plastic gears that actually keep time. In here is where you want to remove any grime. I don't recommend compressed air or solvents, a good puff with the lungs is about all you should need. Also visible here are the lock tabs that you have to gently ease the can past to get to the innards at all. September 13th, 2000
		A radio shack D-cell and a radio shack D-cell holder, total cost under $5. I first connected the whole mess outside the car to see if the clock would work again. It worked for long enough to exhaust my patience, that's a start. So I put the case back on, and crimped proper connectors onto the battery holder to match those on the clock. There is lots of room in behind the gauges to stick the D-cell holder. September 13th, 2000
		...and back in the car. We'll see how this works. Before the clock would work for a while, but not usually longer than a few hours and it would stop whenever it tried to pass 3:50. We'll see if the cleaning and the better current source can prevail! September 13th, 2000

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