Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 09:31:24 -0700
Reply-To: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Speedo to tach (?)
In-Reply-To: <000801c79bc1$45652b40$8cb2d8d1@dhanson>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
If you did not also get the blue plastic foil circuit assembly on the
back of the cluster then you don't have what you need. The tach you
described is the right one but it needs the blue foil that came with it
for the connections to be in the right spots.
Yes, some of us could eventually make it work with the wrong foil but
that takes more skill and patience than most people have. Your thinking
about what the various connections are is off base. You need the right
blue foil so you won't have to figure everything out the hard way and
likely fail in the end.
Mark
Don Hanson wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I've been to the archives and found a couple of very extensive and precise instruction write-up on how to replace my dumb analog dash clock with a tach. A few weeks back, I also asked where to take the signal for the tach, so I have that. But..
>
> The tach I got (off the Samba) isn't like anything I see mentioned anywhere. Rather than the long many-pinned long rectangular
> plug you normally see and that is detailed in the write up on the Vanagon list archives, this one has a four pronged rectangular plug socket, recessed into the rear of the tach portion of the instrument cluster I have. The plug socket is 5/8" long by 1/8" tall, oriented horizontally just slightly off center on a raised round base that protrudes from the rear of the housing.
>
> Unlike my 84 instrument cluster, which has the longer many pinned vertically oriented socket plug, this one also has 5 posts, or wire terminals that protrude behind the fuel level indicator(at the '5:O clock' position on the face of the tach, and from behind the coolant temp indicator (at about 7 O clock) The temp indicator has three posts, one of which must be the indicator light that is in the center of the temp gauge..There is also a metal plate with a 3 pronged male "trident" terminal at the rear of the instrument above the terminals for the temp indicator....maybe a ground terminal. I have not removed the whole back because there are lots of delicate looking springs and teenie wires inside, it appears, and being a ham-fisted fellah, I don't wanna bust anything..
>
> Stamped in ink on the rear of the tach back cover is "3. 87" which I assume is the date of the part. The face of the tach is marked green from 2k-4k and red/orange from 5500-6k with some shading about 500 rpm beyond the numbers mentioned. Perhaps this is from a diesel? Dunno, but..
>
> Should I bother trying to make this one work in my 84 GL, since the connections are so different than anything I have seen referenced anywhere, or should I attempt to translate the proper wires' positions in the "tech/Tach article" and pull em out to put onto this one I have now? I paid just $20 for the whole cluster housing with only the tach head still inside, but it looks like it has not been damaged or abused and should work, if it's appearance and condition are an indicator of how it's been handled...
>
> PS. I don't really have the skills to trace circuits on the Bently pages and then translate them back to reality in the van, but I do have reasonable mechanical and some electrical skills and I can do careful work..
> any advice?
> Don Hanson
>
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