Every once in a great while the clock will come on briefly. Just flash on. Like, when I'm shutting off the engine. Then if I immediately turn the key on without trying to start the engine, to see if it will do it again and it might come on again, briefly. 

 

Otherwise the clock seems dead. The clock hasn't worked in at least 15 or 20 years.

 

What does it mean when the clock decides to function for a few seconds? That it would work if.....??

 

Any ideas?

LOL!  Same with mine.  Sometime altitude seems to affect mine.  So prominently displayed on the dash yet mine is usually blank too, as if time is not a worry.    Cheers!

take it apart and resolder the cracked solder joints. works almost every time.

too slow .

it has been known for the solder joints inside to go dry, so do as above.

That's all it could be - the solder joints?

 

I don't know how to solder. Or take the clock out. I really wasn't looking to fix the clock.

 

I was just wondering why the clock would occasionally come on after acting dead for so many years. I mean, what could trigger it?

Once you figure out how to remove the clock just google "cracked solder joint repair"  There's dozens upon dozens of how to's available.

It's not hard and you can get by with a cheap $15 dollar radio shack special.

If you want to mail it to me I would go through and re-solder them all for you at no cost to you other than return postage.

Should I feel blessed that the clock in my 86 seems to work just fine?  

 

That's all it could be - the solder joints?

 

I don't know how to solder. Or take the clock out. I really wasn't looking to fix the clock.

 

I was just wondering why the clock would occasionally come on after acting dead for so many years. I mean, what could trigger it

Edited March 2, 201610 yr by firehawk618

Mine quit working yaaars ago on a dark stretch of highway..

Intermittently it will come on when I press climate control buttons as well those light also have a mine of there own.

. Lol

The clock has an undersized resistor that heats up and over time can melt the solder joint causing it to fail.

I'd like the clock to work but it's not a priority since our cell phones give us the time. And I still wear a watch.

 

I'm a little old lady (yes, my Sube is a little old lady car) and I have no car repair skills. Or tools.

 

I'd be happy to let someone knowledgeable & capable fix my clock, if some one in SW Washington is so inclined. 

I'd like the clock to work but it's not a priority since our cell phones give us the time. And I still wear a watch.

 

I'm a little old lady (yes, my Sube is a little old lady car) and I have no car repair skills. Or tools.

 

I'd be happy to let someone knowledgeable & capable fix my clock, if some one in SW Washington is so inclined. 

If you wanted to pull it and mail it to me I could clean up the solder joints.  No guarantee this would fix it but it's worth a try.

I am working on a repeatable fix and upgrade for the clocks.

 

The main failure is caused by the cheap zener diode and resistor regulator to drop 12V down to 5 that the clock IC runs on.  The power wasted in the resistor is too high, especially in summer when the dash is in direct sunlight, thus the connections fail.

The other problem they have, is occasionally forgetting the time when starting the engine, which I have fixed by adding a couple of parts.

The 2 I have modified and installed in my cars have been flawless for a good while now.

Subaru Nut wrote:

 

"The other problem they have, is occasionally forgetting the time when starting the engine, which I have fixed by adding a couple of parts.

The 2 I have modified and installed in my cars have been flawless for a good while now."
 

 

Mine does that! How do I go about to fix that? Its quick to set it but irritating.

Edited March 13, 201610 yr by Adam K

Once you figure out how to remove the clock just google "cracked solder joint repair"  There's dozens upon dozens of how to's available.

 

It's not hard and you can get by with a cheap $15 dollar radio shack special.

 

If you want to mail it to me I would go through and re-solder them all for you at no cost to you other than return postage.

 

 

Should I feel blessed that the clock in my 86 seems to work just fine?  

 

Thanks for the offer but it is not worth the effort for me. Some day when I sell it the new owner can have the clock fixed if they want.

Mine worked when i first bought the car in 08, but slowly died, i was hoping it might be that easy. After i fix my accident damage, i might just pull it and try it :-)

How do you remove the dash clock? Just pop it out?

It just pulls out from the front. Thin screwdriver blade at the sides between the dash and the back of the bezel.