recently purchased a 218 accutron. it was a retirement piece from the mead corp. its a beautiful piece well kept, engraved with the guys name and the 25 years of service and the dates. actually has the word mead at 6 oclock. my problem is while it hums fine the hands dont turn. i have copies of both the 214 and 218 repair manuals i dont quite understand the terminology. while im quite prolific with a manual wind, even to the point a local jewerly store calls me in from time to time this is more than this ole hacker can handle. was wondering if a member could help me with the repair or quote me a price for the work. thanking you in advance jfoley
From what I understand this can be caused by gummy oil.
Remove the batt and service.
#10 Q. Is it OK to run an Accutron that has been in storage for a long time?
A. It is definitely not OK. This is one of the common reasons why coils and index wheels fail. When a movement has not been serviced in many years the old oil dries up like paint and the gear train becomes hard to turn. In addition one or more parts of the movement can rust from moisture causing a jammed gear train. Either of these problems will inevitably cause two kinds of damage.
1. The tiny jewel that pushes the index wheel (ratchet) will poke at the wheel which now offers increased resistance to turning causing damage to the tiny teeth.
2. Accutron coil wire is so thin (0.0006" diameter) that it doesn't take much to cause it to break or for the insulation to fail. When an Accutron is started up in a cleaned and lubricated 214 movement there is a very slight momentary spike in the micro amps through the coil. The starting amps in a gummed up coil are much higher making it possible for a borderline coil to die at the moment electricity is applied. Think of it as an electric motor. Motors have a built-in fan to keep them cool. When an electric motor is prevented from turning while power is being applied the coil wire temperature will rise to the point where the coil burns up. The Accutron coil will not burn but repeated thermal expansion and contraction however slight eventually will cause metal fatigue and it seems obvious to me that even a small amount of sudden thermal expansion of the delicate wire won't do the coil any good. Anyone who has had a light bulb burn out instantly when the light is switched on, has witnessed the damage that starting current can do to a filament that is already weakened from metal fatigue.
A clean, well lubricated Accutron will run cool and happy for a long time. I recommend a service interval of 3 to 5 years.
Text courtesy of accutron214.com
i tried to send a message a few hrs ago, guess it didnt go thru. i had tried the wheels earlier and they turn freely. as stated before i have the service manuals for the 214 and the 218 and according to them i think the problem is adjusting the index finger to the index wheel. i wouldnt know either if i was staring at them and wouldnt know how to adjust them if i did. doesnt anybody in our fine organization want a job.on a similar line of thought i was watching modern marvells on tv this morning. they had a segement on accutrons. said they were first produced and sold in 1960 and last produced and sold in 1977. i didnt realize that they started that early and ended that late. any help with the one ive got will be greatly appreciated. jfoley
I have about 40 Accutrons but I don't work on them and am told that one shouldn't do it without quite a bit of knowledge of them. I think I'm kind of handy, I built a chopper, built a kit airplane and did a body off the resoration of an old muscle car but the teeny parts of a watch drive me nuts. If someone from this forum doesn't show up to service it I can tell you where I send mine. He chages $100 plus shipping plus major parts, which are rarely needed, to service a 218.
thank you very much lyle, if nothing else happens i may just take u up on your generous offer. i took one of my 218 running accutrons and this one i want fixed and with the backs off i could see the differences in the adjustment of the index mech. and am sure thats the problem just dont know how to fix it. very fragile on 40 year old electronics. i only have 4 including the non worker. well one is actually an accquartz. thanks again j foley