Clock running slow - Junghans quartz

Chomeur

I have a wall clock which I really like, but it's close to 30 years old, and has started running slow. It's powered by a Junghans Quartz W737 motor, which sits in the back and looks a lot cheaper than the face of the clock. Is it an easy enough matter to change this motor? I suppose the problem might be with the batteries that I've tried, which are rechargeable, and I'm not sure how old they are, but I would have thought they would just stop the motor from working at all if they are low on power, rather than cause it to run slow.

Thanks.

born_again

Try some std batteries 1ST.

Kiran

Low batteries will make it run slow, it's very likely to be the batteries so try them first.

Eldi_Dos

If you do need to have motor replaced it should not be too difficult or expensive for a watchmaker/ jeweller's to do.

I would try cleaning the battery terminals as well as using new batteries first though.

ThisIsWeird

Alkaline batts.
Rechargeable are typically 1.2V, and not suitable for many purposes.

twopenny

My clocks don;t work well on cheap batteries. I haven't tried rechargable.

I find the Energiser ones work best. Slightly up from basic.

But as it's so old it may just be dirt and dust. There are ways of cleaning mechanical clocks but not the electric ones.

My friend used to make wooden clocks with the motors you buy online and used them to replace. Should be something online to tell you how, see if you think it's suitable.

Another option is to go to a Repair Cafe if you can find one in your area. And ask advice. They may even do it for you.

https://www.repaircafe.org/en/

They are always busy in my area so get there early. They are funded by the amount of waste they save so a clock is nice an heavy

They;ve fixed everything from my stuck CD player to my trousers and I always make a good donation to keep them going.

They also take old phones and tablets,to refurbish and give to people who can't afford one.

ThisIsWeird

To answer your main Q, Chomeur, yes, these mechanisms are very straight forward to replace, essentially being held in place by a single central collar.
Care needs to be taken - the trickiest bit is removing the hands without damaging them - they'll need gentle prising off as close to the spindle as possible, ideally using a flat blunt tool - an electrical screwdriver with a layer of insulating tape should do nicely, but chances are they'll pop off easily without damage in any case.
The second hand is sometimes held in place with a screw-on cover - close-up photo. I bet YouTube has numerous bids.
Then you need to match the shaft length when getting a replacement. If you like the clock, then go genuine Junghans or Kenzle replacement, or else one of the bewildering number of cheapest. The last one I did had a silent one-second tick, so the second hand moved authentically, but noiselessly - which was good as there is a competing tic in the room :-)
This is an ideal DIY task.

chrisw

Yes, I've replaced a few mechanisms in the past. It's pretty straight forward and you really have nothing to lose tbh. The radio controlled mechanisms are pretty good and save you faffing around changing the time twice a year.

ThisIsWeird

chrisw said:

Yes, I've replaced a few mechanisms in the past. It's pretty straight forward and you really have nothing to lose tbh. The radio controlled mechanisms are pretty good and save you faffing around changing the time twice a year.

Very good point. And fun if you stay up to watch it correct itself. 

(Did I say that out loud... :-(  )

Chomeur

Eldi_Dos said:

If you do need to have motor replaced it should not be too difficult or expensive for a watchmaker/ jeweller's to do.

I would try cleaning the battery terminals as well as using new batteries first though.

Thanks. Cleaning the battery terminals worked, although I had to use a file on them. They must have been really dirty/corroded. I'm still using the same rechargeable batteries as before.

Eldi_Dos

That's good glad it worked. I usually scrape the terminals with a watchmakers screwdriver to get the oxide off the terminal.