Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
Subject:Re: Looking for an 86-up instrument cluster w/tach
From:mark drillock
Date:Sun, 2 Feb 2014 07:00:36 -0800

The wires only need to be moved around in 84 and older vans, to add a
tach cluster. The 14 pin connector is easy to open up and then you just
move the wires to the correct slots based on wire colors so the 84 and
older wires go into the later positions. The 86+ cluster oil alarm is
easily bypassed in any of 3 ways. It shouldn't take much more than 20
minutes to move the wires and bypass the alarm. I'm sure I could do it
in 5 minutes but I have done it many times before. None of this has
anything to do with putting a tach cluster into an 86 or newer Vanagon
since those models are plug and play with no modifications needed.

Mark

Don Hanson wrote:
> I tried the "move the pins, etc" to put a Vanagon tach into my 84, with
> lots of frustrating and relatively expensive failures. I spent a lot of
> time removing and re-removing the clusters and foils trying to resolve oil
> pressure warning system anomalies and dealing with those minute
> connectors.   I finally decided a small modern aftermarket tach, which I
> mounted dead-center on the cluster in about 30 minutes.  I spent about $20
> on that and it's giving good readings, though it IS just a bit too bright
> with it's LED backlights.
>