I'm clocking out

Anyone with an s30 knows that it is just a matter of time before their clock stops working.  In my case, the failure of the clock had occurred before I acquired the car.  The clocks in the earlier Z's used a traditional clock mechanism with an electric motor that was continuously winding the spring.  In the later cars (mine included), a circular pendulum driven by an electromagnet was used to keep time.  After some research, I found that the components on the circuit board commonly failed.  The capacitors were usually first, followed by the transistor.  I felt confident that I could restore this clock to working order.

After removing the glove box I was able to access the clock for removal.

I then disassembled the clock.  All was in good shape and things were progressing smoothly.

After removing the wires I was able to inspect the mechanism and the circuit board.  While no glaring issues were evident, I began by replacing the three capacitors.

At this point I replaced the circuit board and applied power to the clock.  The pendulum would begin to oscillate, but eventually slow to a stop.  I still had a chance, though, as the transistor commonly failed according to my research.  I found some C828 transistors (apparently these are not commonly used anymore) on eBay and replaced the existing transistor on the circuit board.

It was now time for the big moment.  Unfortunately it was the same result; the clock would start working but then eventually slow to a stop.  As I pondered how to proceed, I considered the fact that my coil may be damaged as it is very delicate and the wires are very thin.  I considered purchasing a refurbished board from zclocks.com, and while I have read nothing but good things about his work, I would still have a clock that is based on 1970's technology and could suffer a similar failure in a few years.

I then decided to clock out on this effort and take another approach.  Stay tuned for more on my clock saga...  same bat time, same bat channel....