On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 2:10 PM, neil n <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> Searched, stared at Jetta cluster PCB, asked elsewhere so hope posting
> here is ok. Got the part for free, so might as well see if I can't use
> it.
>

  Yo, Neil

  If you are 1/2 as easily frustrated as I am by obscure electrical
circuitry,  and you might find marginally better things to do with yourself
than fiddle-de- fark around with teenie little wires and multiple pages of
obscure manuals...You might just consider going to a chain auto store and
getting a real modern aftermarket tach for cheap. If you really really want
to have a gen-u-wine VW tach for some reason...skip this post and continue
on...sorry for bothering you.

 I think the one I have mounted in my 84 with Jetta motor was under $30 and
connected up in about one minute..to the coil wire, of course. I did have to
find the blue/gray instrument lighting source wire..that took me a while...
I also had to run an additional wire from engine to dash.    I was needing
some other gauge sensor sending wires for my Oil pressure and Oil temp
gauges anyhow...so I ran a 4-wire trailer wire from the engine compartment
to the dash area..I still have one unused wire, which I plan to use later.

  I mounted my tach in the cluster area where some vans have a digital
clock, just on top of the steering column.  Then I went somewhere in my van
(cruising at around 3700 rpms=70mph) and had some fun, rather than dorking
around in my shop forever.  The Cheapo Equis tach works just fine, has for
over a year now..

 I have a couple of  half-disassembled diesel Vanagon clusters (or maybe
they are from a 90 gasser, who remembers?)  with a tach and another VW
Vanagon tach from somewhere and about 3 foils that don't match anything,
plus a bunch of clusters with various problems....I did spend a few snowy
winter afternoons inside trying to follow all the various "Pin 16 to plug
14, then 14 to 23, leave that one loose,...blah blah blah" but after about
the third or fourth try...I put all that stuff back in my parts loft...I am
also not a big fan of jigsaw puzzles.

  Don Hansonn