• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Tic Toc Tach

RR383

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
358
Reaction score
1
Location
Tennessee
My recently purchased 70RR has a Tic Toc Tach that is not working...was this dated style tach a problem to stay working even back in the day? Would like to get it up and running...
 

Big John

Sit back, relax Don't bitch about the cigar smoke
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
5,057
Reaction score
79
Is both the tach and clock not working?
 

Beekeeper

Active Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Location
TN.
The quartz clock movements are a good replacement but you do lose the tic on the second hand. instead of ticking it's way around it's a steady movement. I repair the original clocks if you need that service let me know here's the skinny on what usually happens to them. the clocks have a electric coil that winds the clock up about every couple of minutes by way of a contact that makes when it winds down. so when these cars are left to sit and the battery drains down at the last wind down when voltage gets to low the contact makes
and there's not enough voltage to rewind it the coil coil stays energize indefinately and thus burns the coil up.
 

Big John

Sit back, relax Don't bitch about the cigar smoke
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
5,057
Reaction score
79
First thing I would do if it were me is check the power to the clock/tach. Your service manual is your friend here and will give you wire colors and routing.

If there's power, you may have a couple issues. With the clock, as was mentioned, the usual problem is the coil. I had the one in my 300 rebuilt because I love to hear it tick and wind. That's just me....

The tach might just not be hooked up under the hood. They don't fail as often or fail completely like a clock. Wire hooks to negative side of coil.

The other possibility is the tach might not be working well with an electronic ignition system. I'll bet your car has been converted from points. Usually they work, but are not known to be accurate. They won't work at all with a MSD ignition.
 

RR383

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
358
Reaction score
1
Location
Tennessee
BTW, thanks for a PDF version of the all important service manual. In this very early stage of ownership quite frankly I'm not sure what I have. I'm getting this feeling there were those who may have put there hands on this runner and truly didn't know what in the @#%* they were doing. Although the car really and truly looks unmolested for something that is a bit over 45 yrs. old. I have an excellent platform to which to work from...and I want to sort each and everyone of these issues out.
No MSD multi-spark electronic ignition system here. And I may still have a stock points distributor...haven't looked under the cap. What repair facility tuned up you tach/clock?
 

Big John

Sit back, relax Don't bitch about the cigar smoke
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
5,057
Reaction score
79
The place I used was just clock repair. This was in my Chrysler 300. I really don't have a known source for your repair.
 

Beekeeper

Active Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Location
TN.
I repair the clocks. As mentioned check for 12 volts at the clock wire to do this first check the clock wire to ground which should be the tach housing itself if you have voltage at the clock wire the clock should work. If 12v isn't present at the clock wire next test it to a good chassis ground if you then have 12v the tach housing isn't properly grounded. The tach board can be replaced
with a new one and is a fairly simple job.
 

RR383

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
358
Reaction score
1
Location
Tennessee
DSCF0642.jpg

This is the tach/clock combo that is not working. I've seen different variations of what was offered as an option back in the day. How many of you have this style? Would like to get both functioning once again.

DSCF0642.jpg
 

Photon440

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
148
Reaction score
11
Location
Surrey, BC Canada
That isn't a tach/clock, it's just a clock which was one of the options.

If it had the tach, it would look like this:
t-t-tach crop lrg.jpg

t-t-tach crop lrg.jpg
 
Last edited:

Big John

Sit back, relax Don't bitch about the cigar smoke
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
5,057
Reaction score
79
Yea, that's just a clock.

I used these guys and was real happy. They could do a quartz conversion or restore it so it works (ticks and rewinds) like it used to. I had mine done like it was because I love to watch it tick off the seconds rather than a sweep hand. http://www.clockwks.com/The_Clock_Worx.html
 

Big John

Sit back, relax Don't bitch about the cigar smoke
Joined
Sep 8, 2008
Messages
5,057
Reaction score
79
Do you recall what the restoration cost was?

Sorry, I don't remember. I do remember getting a quote first and figured it was reasonable and competitive. I think it was around $60-70 plus shipping, but I could be wrong. I remember there was an additional charge quoted for a burnt out coil, maybe $40, but mine didn't need replacing. The clock ran great when done and was back in a very timely manner as promised (get it... timely... I crack myself up sometimes).
 

Photon440

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
148
Reaction score
11
Location
Surrey, BC Canada
I cleaned my contact points, cleaned and lubed the mechanism with some light weight synthetic oil made for clocks and turntables and it works fine. You can test it on a bench with a simple 9V battery, it doesn't need the full 12 volts.
 

RR383

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
358
Reaction score
1
Location
Tennessee
Gentlemen how involved is it to remove the clock. On the '70 model I see screws at various points over the gauge cluster. Is access simply by removing the screws and carefully laying the whole unit back towards the steering column?
 

RR383

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
358
Reaction score
1
Location
Tennessee
I cleaned my contact points, cleaned and lubed the mechanism with some light weight synthetic oil made for clocks and turntables and it works fine. You can test it on a bench with a simple 9V battery, it doesn't need the full 12 volts.

Hey, how hard would it be to install the optional tach/clock unit? Is it available aftermarket? I might just leave that option open especially if I need to spend money, etc.
 

RR383

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2016
Messages
358
Reaction score
1
Location
Tennessee
Wow...roughly 130.00 dols. more for the tach w/clock combo...than the clock alone. Hummmm....how bad do I need either one?
 
Back
Top