Cuckoo Clock Troubleshoot

Please note that the following methods only cover certain problems and only provide possible solutions.

Clock/pendulum stops
Cause: The clock doesn’t hang straight on the wall and/or the pendulum cannot swing freely.

Solution: Please ensure that the clock hangs straight (!) on the wall and that the pendulum can move freely without touching other objects. If necessary, readjust the clock vertically and check if the clock ticks evenly.

Clock runs too fast/slow
Cause: The pendulum isn’t regulated correctly.

Solution: If your clock runs too fast, move the disc of the pendulum downwards until the pendulum ticks away evenly.
If your clock runs too slow, move the disc of the pendulum upwards.

The cuckoo doesn’t chime on the hour (and on the half hour) but at other times
Cause: The minute-hand has been moved.

Solution: Turn the minute-hand clockwise until the cuckoo chimes on the full hour. Then stop the pendulum. Loosen the screw that fixates the hour- and the minute-hand on the clock-face. You should now be able to move the minute-hand. Place the minute-hand at „12 o’clock“, then fix the screw and swing the pendulum. Now the cuckoo should chime on the hour (and with mechanical clocks also once on the half hour).

Cuckoo chimes the wrong time, e.g. three times at 5 o’clock
Cause: The hour-hand has been moved.

Solution: Let the cuckoo chime on the hour by moving the minute-hand clockwise towards 12 o’clock. Count how many times the clock strikes. Afterwards you can carefully move the hour-hand to the according time. Also don’t forget to then also set the minute-hand to the right time again.

Cuckoo door stays open after the cuckoo has chimed
Cause: The wire that moves the cuckoo isn’t in the right position. Solution: Open the case on the clock’s backside and look for a thin wire that runs from the bottom of the clock upwards towards the cuckoo’s tail. If this wire is located over the cuckoo’s tail, carefully open the cuckoo door in the front, so that the cuckoo moves forward, and position the wire underneath the cuckoo’s tail.

The cuckoo doesn’t chime
Cause 1: The cuckoo door is blocked by the door latch.

Solution 1: There’s a small wire latch that secures the cuckoo door during transport. Please make sure that this wire doesn’t block the cuckoo door. If necessary, move the wire latch to the side so the cuckoo can come out to chime.

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Cause 2: The clamps on the bellows haven’t been removed after transport.

Solution 2: Open the case on the backside oft he clock and remove the clamps from the bellows that are only there for security during transport. (Don’t throw these clamps away so you can use them again if you need to transport the clock in the future.)

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Cause 3: The night switch-off is activated.

Solution 3: Please make sure that the night switch-off is not activated by pulling the lever in the right position. You can find more information on the different positions in your cuckoo clock’s manual or directly next to the lever (depends on the manufacturer).

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Cause 4: A gear chain has fallen off.

Solution 4: Begin by removing the pendulum and weights. Then open the backside of the clock’s case and look for a chain that might have slipped off the gear. If that’s the case, fix the remaining chains using a thin wire that you carefully thread through the chains directly underneath the bottom of the clock’s case. By doing that you prevent other chains from slipping off the gears. Now you turn the whole cuckoo clock upside down and try to get the chain back on gear.