Support and troubleshooting mechanical cuckoo

The cuckoo does not come out or hello

Check the following:

- The hook that closes the bird's door is open.
- The two clips blocking the bellows inside the cuckoo are removed.
- If the cuckoo has a stop lever on the side, or below the clock, that it is in the ON position.
- The clock must be perfectly vertical (that it does not tilt forward or backward) and that it does not tilt sideways either.

The cuckoo sings when the minute hand is not at 12 o'clock (XII)

This usually comes from the BIG needle that has turned on its axis, due to too abrupt handling.
(BIG hand = Minutes)

1. Start by turning the BIG needle until the cuckoo sings (if the needle is completely out of its axis and it turns in a vacuum, start by tightening the nut that holds the needles, so that you can make the bird sing when it turns).
2. Once the cuckoo has sung, unscrew the axle nut a little (without removing it) by holding the BIG needle so that it does not turn with the nut! When the nut is loose enough, pull the LARGE needle towards you to release it from its axle.
3. Return the LARGE needle to 12 and tighten the nut while holding the BIG needle to 12.
4. The cuckoo now sings when the BIG hand is on 12 hours.
5. If the cuckoo clock does not sing me the number of times corresponding to the hour, go to the next step to adjust it.

The number of cuckoo calls does not correspond to the hour

To set the clock that does not sing the correct number of times, do the following:

1. Turn the BIG hand to 12 o'clock - XII (clockwise). Suppose he sings 3 times.
2. Then take the SMALL needle out of its axis: to do this, gently pull the SMALL needle towards you using both hands (see illustration opposite: The axis is like a cone; pulling the needle towards you you it will relax, and pushing it in the direction of the cuckoo it will fix).
3. Point the SMALL hand at about 3 o'clock (or the number of strokes made before), and push the hand in to reattach it on its axis.
4. Your cuckoo clock is now synchronized (the time with the number of cuckoo calls)
5. To set the time now, turn the BIG hand (clockwise) while waiting each hour for the cuckoo to sing, until the correct time.
   (Note that the clocks we sell in stores have modern movements, which allows the cuckoo to be set on time by turning the hand counterclockwise! If your cuckoo is older, in doubt and in order not to damage the movement, set it ONLY clockwise!)

Video explanations:

Cuckoo clock time goes too slow or too fast

The speed of the clock is punctuated by the balance: - If the cuckoo hour advance, slide the pendulum pattern slightly towards the bottom. - If the hour delays, make him slide towards the top. (+/- 1mm = 5 minutes per day, sometimes it takes one to two weeks to precisely adjust his cuckoo)

Needle fixation detail

Here is the order of fixing the nuts and needles on a mechanical cuckoo:
Link to the nuts

The minute hand does not turn

If the minute hand does not turn, it is usually because the nut that holds the hands has come loose (usually due to too rough handling). Proceed as follows to reposition the minute hand correctly:

1. Start by tightening the nut that holds the needles.
2. Turn the large needle until the cuckoo sings.
3. Once the cuckoo has sung, unscrew the axle nut a little (without removing it) by holding the BIG needle so that it does not turn with the nut! When the nut is loose enough, pull the LARGE needle towards you to release it from its axle.
4. Return the LARGE needle to 12 and tighten the nut while holding the BIG needle to 12.
5. The cuckoo now sings when the big hand is on 12 hours.
6. If the cuckoo clock does not sing the number of times corresponding to the hour, refer to the step "The number of cuckoo calls does not correspond to the hour"

The cuckoo clock stops

This can come from different reasons:

- The first is that the cuckoo is not leaning perfectly against the wall. Make sure the nail is pointing straight up (not horizontal), so that the cuckoo does not tilt forward, backward, or sideways.

- A second reason is that the cuckoo clock mechanism might simply be dirty and need a little maintenance. To do this, open the back panel, dust the inside (by blowing or, better yet, with a can of compressed air), and lightly oil the mechanism with a mechanical lubricant such as WD-40 (available in most supermarkets; see photo on the right). It is important to clean it thoroughly and dust off Clean the mechanism before spraying oil! Otherwise, the dust will turn into a paste and it will be worse than ever. Also, be careful not to spray the bellows. If oil drips, clean any spills immediately to avoid staining the wood. Close the back panel and hang your cuckoo clock on the wall, attaching the weights. but not the pendulum, and launch the metal rod on which the balance must hang, in order to make the movement turn more quickly. Let the cuckoo run like this for one or two days in order to make the mechanism work properly (the time will be wrong, and it will cuckoo more often. This is normal). Then suspend the pendulum, and there is a good chance that the cuckoo will restart normally

- Another reason that some customers have told us is that the cuckoo clock should not be placed in a place with drafts (between two windows for example ..)

Important notice if you move your cuckoo

If you are moving your cuckoo, before unhooking it from the wall, raise the weights to the top, then remove the weights. To prevent the chains from coming out of their gears: pass a wire or a string at the top through the chains so that they cannot move! You can then wrap the strings around the cuckoo clock.
Also close the bird door by rotating the hook.

Official instructions

Official instructions are available here: Download official instructions of mechanical cuckoo

Your questions by email

Please note that we do not provide email support for cuckoo problems. Thank you for your understanding.