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:George Laubach
Date:Sun, 2 Feb 2014 10:40:59 -0600

Thanks Don and Mark,

Back to the OP's original question in just a moment.  My apologies.

1. Which male connector at the coil do I attach my wire?
2. Is there a friendly VW vendor that sells a tach (just a round stand-alone type, like the add-on oil pressure gauge from VC (that I installed last fall))?

Thanks,

Skip

Sent from my iPad

On Feb 2, 2014, at 9:38 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

> I followed the instructions in the box my tach came in.  The "simple" way is to run a wire from the coil to the tach.  But, the coil's in the back of the bus, so you have to run a wire up to the dash.  I've  previously run a 4-strand "trailer connect" wire from my engine bay to the dash to run my other add-on gauges anyhow, so it was very easy.  I'm guessing there is some wire you could get a tach signal from that might already be somewhere up front, but I find it bothersome fishing around under the dash in all those wires.  I did trace the instruments light wire to a blue/gray teeny little one to connect the new tach's night lights to the dash light's dimmer function.
> 
> On Feb 2, 2014 7:04 AM, "George Laubach" <skiplaubach@comcast.net> wrote:
> I would like to add a tach (like Don, except without the pre-work/time/frustration of dealing with the foil) to my '84/Digijet. Is there a write-up for the "30 minute install"?  AKA, where do the wires go?
> 
> Thanks,
> Skip
> Illinois
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On Feb 2, 2014, at 8:46 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> 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.