im not much of a "sparky" so i kinda need some help wiring my tach.

first of all... dumby me... bought the wrong kinda tach. hahah:pat: i bought the one that ur are supposed to install into the dasH!!!! i got it on ebay and it was in the box and i thought it was those self contained tachs. AHHH oh well, i made a little mount for it to go on my dash anyways. ill show u pics when im done.

anyhow... so now i have to wire it up. below is a diagram that was included:



the part im having trouble with is the part labled "light switch" and "Switched +12v" .

the wire labled " 1 " ... where does that hook to? can i just line it to the fuse where the head lights go?.... or can i just splice it into the head light wire? ... so when i turn on the head lights, the tach light comes on too?

the wire labeld "2" .... where does that hook to? how can i identify which wire to hook that to?

i could use anyones help.

thanks guyS!!!!

 

Ok, I'll field this one...really easy actually!


WIRE #1

The wire they labeled to go to the light switch should go to a parking light wire so that your tach lights up with your dash lights.


Wire location

Green at the dimmer switch (if a '96+)

<OR>

Green in the drivers kick panel or dimmer or any other accessory that lights up (95- older)



WIRE #2
Your switched power is just a power source that switches on with the key.

Wire Location

IF '95-older 4runner:
Look at your fuse box, you might be able to find an open terminal that has a switched power to it.

Any 4runner/Truck:

Black/Yellow at Ignition harness : should be able to find the harness running next to the heater duct under the steering wheel. Usually wrapped in black tape and plastic.


Let me know if you need any help!

 

hey thanks for the help! that will help A LOT! imma try it 2morrow! ill let you know how it goes

thanks again!!!!!!

 

I remember you got that on Ebay...I think I asked if you were 'pod' mounting it 'cause it's gauge size. Any Autometer 2-1/16" pod will work. Would look good on the pillar.
butnut

 

Yeah I'm in the same situation that joshik is in I want a tach but I want one small enough to go in a pillar pod. I've done a lil bit of seaching and haven't found one. And I can only find two pod pillars and not three like I want for other gauges like voltage etc.

Heh I keep a lil bit of a close watch on what joshik does cause i'll probably be doing the same after the first of the year when I start to get money in to mod my truck which I think is only a year before his.

 

hey again, i got most of it wired up now... i have power to the tach and the light... NOW... all i need is to hook it to the ignition coil.... hm... coil.... where to the coil? i looked at my haynes manual at the section about iginition coils... they have several different types... the round cylinder ones... and then the boxy kind. it says the boxy kind is for '93 and later models. i couldve swore that mine was the boxy one... but mines a 91. sorry for the lame questions but yeh.... :T gotta learn sometime

so where do i hook the tach wire to the coil? i have a 91 3.0v6 4x4 truck.

thanks!!

 

The coil looks exactly like the one in your pic...IF it's the round one. The distributor has a bunch of spark plug wires going to the plugs. One 'plug' wire will be going to the coil 'nose'. See the coil now? Looks for the negative (-) terminal. There will be 2 terminals. Loosen that nut (other wires may be going to it too) and connect the tach wire there. Good luck. Rev it up!
butnut

 

How about if I give you a tach wire and location?


Tach for '91 Toyota 4runner

Black : Diagnostic Connector

The diagnosis connector is located on the passenger inner fender near the fuse/relay box.


Thats right from the Viper database.

 

Hi,
I was just reading everyone's replys to the tach questions. I know it may irk some people a little but there are some short cuts you can take when installing the tach that will ease headaches and install time if you don't mind a few things being different.
1. you've got four wires, black - ground, white - light up, red - power, and green- negative coil.

Black, you can ground this almost anywhere metal, find a quick spot

Red, power can comes from anything ignition controlled in your interior, the lighter is an easy one, you can also ground you tach to the lighter ground

White, if you don't mind the light always being on, usually they're not bright, I've never minded mine being on all the time

Green, there's no shortcut here just run the wiring through a pre existing hole in your firewall, any where wires are going in and out, pull out the stopper and feed the wire through then put hte stopper back in. To find your coil follow the center wire of you distributor cap, the one that doesn't connect to the spark plugs, back to something smaller than a baseball, you coil, neagative and possitive should be labled on this and they're should be nut terminals wher you can fgasten the green wire.

Fastest install: Mount you tach on the column, run the possitive and light wire together to the possitive wire on the lighter adn the ground tot the ground on the lighter. I think the colors for possitive are red and green striped. Feed your coil wire throught the fire wall to the negative coil and hope it works. I did this in a friends fourrunner and it only took about 15 mins.
Do you really care if the tach goes on with your headlights or if it dims with the dash lights anyway?
I know its a little half assed but trucks don't always have to be pretty to work perfect. My 2 cents

 

oh also, imma get a autometer tach cup, so i can just place my vdo into the tach cup and mount. hehe

 

ok... got my tach wire up, almost all the way i mounted it, put the wires in place.... the autometer cup will wait. i did a temp mounting job. made it myself!!!!
here:



but im still having problems wiring to my ignition coil. dunno where the (-) is. :T here is a pic of my coil.



i know ive been stuck on this ignition thing, but can someone help?

thanks!!!

 

ok ALL DONE! All wired up and everything is working great!

thanks EVERYONE!!!

 

"Ok, I'll field this one...really easy actually!


WIRE #1

The wire they labeled to go to the light switch should go to a parking light wire so that your tach lights up with your dash lights.


Wire location

Green at the dimmer switch (if a '96+)

<OR>

Green in the drivers kick panel or dimmer or any other accessory that lights up (95- older)"


If I wire the tach light to the "green wire the drivers kick panel" will the dimmer work on the tach light.
I have tried to wire the tach light to both wires coming to the dash light dimmer knob but the tach light no workee. Its a 92 pickup.

 

Put your ground wire (probably black) to chassis ground.
If you have 12v + at your positive feed and ground it will light up if the light is good.

 

"Put your ground wire (probably black) to chassis ground.
If you have 12v + at your positive feed and ground it will light up if the light is good."

The tach is working except for the tach light. I have the black to ground, the red to 12v power when the key is on, and green to the ingnition coil negative terminal, but can not find a place for the white (12v when the dash lights are activated) If posible I would like the tach light to dim with the rest of the gauges.

 

The only way you can have a dimming light in your aftermarket tach is if you have both the positive and negative leads for the light itself. That is if you want to use the factory dimmer switch. The factory switch uses a variable ground to achieve the dimming. You can do it, but you'll need to use a potentiometer on the postive.