Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 15:17:59 EDT
Reply-To: JordanVw@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: JordanVw@AOL.COM
Subject: Installing a tach/dig clock into a early or non-GL vanagon
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
this was taken from an old LiMBO issue w/ some revisions...
installing a tach/dig. clock into a early vanagon '80-'84 or any other post
'84 non-GL model that didnt have the tach/dig clock....
if you want to replace that non functional analog clock face on the right side
of your vanagon speedo cluster, or just want to update to the later model
tachometer w/ digital clock, then you'll need to do a bit of rewiring (if you
have a pre '85 model) of the 14 pin multi-point connector that attaches to the
instrument cluster wiring harness. It is first necessary to locate a good used
tach/dig clock with the complete wiring harness on the back of the tach (blue
plastic ribbon encasing lots of small flat copper wires) It is not necessary
to replace your existing speedo.
the following is how to put a later tach/dig clock into a aircooled vanagon.
__________________________________________________________________
new pin | old pin | description | color (on aircooled vans)
_______|___________|____________ _|__________________________________
- | 1 | vacant | no wire
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
3 | 2 | ground | brown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
1 | 3 | inst. lights | grey/blue
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
2 | 4 | high beam ind. | blue/white
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
3* | 5 | main ground | brown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
6** | 6 | vacant | -
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
5 | 7 | clock | red
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
7 | 8 | fuel gauge | purple/black
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
8 | 9 | positive (15) | black
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
13*** | 10 | oil pressure ind. | blue/black
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
14 | 11 | EGR | green/black
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
- | 12 | vacant | (diesel only)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
11 | 13 | alternator warn. ind.| blue
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
10 | 11 | indicator term. 49a | blue/red
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
9**** | - | tachometer | your choice
(usually green, tho)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
* this wire is the "true" ground and must be in position 3 in order for the
instrument panel lights to function correctly. The wire in the OLD position #2
can be jumpered into this one, it is a smaller ground jumper that leads to
another switch on the instrument cluster. If you need to purchase any multi-
point connector terminals, they are available from your local VW dealer for
about 50cents each.
** #6 is the position for the coolant temp. gauge. if you're putting this
tach/dig clock into a aircooled van, this could be run to the oil temp.
sender, but i'm not sure how the two compare temperature wise...
*** The later Vanagons have high, and low pressure oil switches. i chose to
use position 13 (not 12) because that is the low pressure indicator. it seems
to work fine with normal use, but then i haven't run the oil out to the point
of losing enough oil pressure to test it's fail-safe operation...
**** In order to actually use the tachometer, a wire ( i picked green) must be
run from terminal 1 on the coil in the engine compartment, all the way up to
the instrument cluster. This actually isn't too difficult if you start at the
back and follow the existing harness most of the way up underneath the van to
the front.
It took some time and a Bentley manual to figure all this out, but it looks
pretty cool to have that tachometer, and digital clock in the early vanagon.
Everything seems to work fine, except the hi-beam indicator light. The light
works, but it's just reversed, so the green (blue) LED is always on when the
hi-beams are off.....no big deal...
the previous article was written by Stan Wohlfarth Editor of LiMBO
he put the tach/dig. clock into his '81 aircooled vanagon.
