Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:13:59 -0400
Reply-To: Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Fisher <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: 88 GL - Resolved: Tach Inop after new coil install
In-Reply-To: <52D1C8C2.7010006@gmail.com>
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I also had an inoperable tach after replacing the coil. I never found
anything so I eventually decided that I must've broken a wire. I did note
that the connector seemed kind of loose, and in fact it fell off one day
when I was driving over a rutted dirt road. That's always fun, to have the
car hit a bump and just die, totally and completely.
It was also a kind of a pita going without the tach since I'd gotten used
to driving more from the it than the speedo, and particularly now that I
have to think in kilometers instead of miles.
After seeing John's explanation I decided to take another look at it (with
better glasses and stronger light), thinking I might have done the same
thing he did. Much to my surprise I saw that the spades on the new coil are
a little more than 1/8" narrower then the slots on the connector. When I
lined it up on the spade closest to the wall, the inner spade went up into
the void in the plastic between the two 'legs' of the connector. It was
very difficult to see it. I had to bend them out somewhat and then
basically force it on. It's a little tighter, and the tach works again, but
it ain't right and I don't like it.
The spades appear to be held on by a nut, so I'm going to see if I can find
my old coil and swap them out. I love the van but I'm about over all these
bizarre little booby traps that keep cropping up. :/ Anyway, that's
perhaps something for folks to keep an eye out for whenever they're doing a
coil swap. It'd be interesting to see if anyone else runs into that
problem.
On Sat, Jan 11, 2014 at 6:42 PM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:
> The final solution was to replace the double connector with the two
> green wires. I cut the two green wires - put faston connectors on each
> wire, and connected to the coil, worked like a champ. Engine fired right
> up - tach is operational.
>
> I cut the connector apart to see what was wrong and found the copper
> inside was crushed. No way that was going to make a good mechanical
> connection. I can only believe that the terminal blades on the new coil
> were rough or something causing the material snag and curly up inside
> the connector housing, thus making for a bad connection.
>
> Now it works.
>
> Thanks to everyone for the input on this.
>
> JOhn
>
--
Cya,
Robert
'87 2.1/Auto GL
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