Do unmeasured particles function the same as when measured? If there are particles that we are uncertain of are in a state of superposition, do they still function as they would when they are measured? For instance say there is a mechanical clock, and the gears are quantum in superposition, would the clock still function? Or would it be impossible since there is not a measurement to bring the particles into a specific state?
 A: Your notion of "function", IHMO, is a notion of (classical) reality.
A quantum superposition (corresponding to different eigenvalues of a physical operator) does not correspond to a reality situation. 
Once you have done a measurement and project in a particular state (corresponding to a particular eigenvalue of a physical operator), you come back to a reality situation. 
Said differently, the state 
$|clock\rangle = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|fast-clock\rangle + |slow-clock\rangle)$
does not correspond to a reality case. You may describe it by "fast-clock" OR "slow-clock".
However, after having done a measurement, you have one half probability to be in the fast-clock state, and one half probability to be in the slow-clock state.
Suppose, that after measurement, we are in the fast-clock state, now, we are in a (classical) realist  physical situation, so really the clock is now functionning as a  fast clock. 
A: 
If there are particles that we are uncertain of are in a state of superposition, do they still function as they would when they are measured?

What one has to keep in mind is that the underlying nature of everything we see macroscopically, is quantum mechanical.The atoms/molecules composing this keyboard Iam typing on  are in a quantum mechanical superposition, i.e. in principle each key  could be described by a probability function, but this probability function is centered at the macroscopic dimensions. All the quantum mechanical indeterminacy due to probable solutions each time one hits the key is so small to be unmeasurable. This is due to the very small value of h_bar, 1.054*10^-34 Joule*second the constant that is characteristic of quantum mechanical behaviors. 

For instance say there is a mechanical clock, and the gears are quantum in superposition, would the clock still function?

Mechanical clocks function all the time and the gears are in a quantum superposition all the time except at such small dimensions that the classical description of gears holds as far as measuring time with them, as I said due to the smallness of h_bar. It is very seldom that quantum mechanical behavior can be seen macroscopically, in special materials, as in superconductors or superfluids, and then the measurements are carefully designed to the special environment.
A: Observers don't have a special role in quantum mechanics. An observation is just a kind of interaction between two systems: the measurement apparatus and the system to be measured. This interaction need not be direct. For example, you can measure where an object is by reflecting light off it and looking at the light rather than looking at the object directly. A measurement is an instance of an interaction takes information from the measured system and copies it into the measuring instrument and possibly into other systems as well. Measurements are specially chosen to make it easy for people to get the results and to test whether the measurement instrument is interacting in the way you think it should be.
Quantum mechanics explains the outcomes of experiments by invoking the existence of multiple versions of each system that interact with one another by a process called quantum inference (see "The Fabric of Reality" and "The Beginning of Infinity" by David Deutsch). If the system undergoing interference undergoes an interaction that copies information into other systems this prevents interference. The system then exists in multiple versions that no longer interact with one another.
A mechanical clock will undergo a lot of interactions that spread information to other systems and so it will not be possible to do interference experiments with it. The position of the clock's hands will be in a single place to an accuracy so small you would never be able to notice the difference with the naked eye. As a result the clock will show a single reading and will function as such clocks usually do.
If you're interested in learning some of the maths of quantum mechanics you might try "Quantum Mechanics: A Modern Development" by Ballentine and "Lectures on Quantum Computation" by David Deutsch. For a technical explanation of the way in which information spreading interactions prevent interference see
http://arxiv.org/abs/quantph/0306072.
