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I am hooking up a 75 tachometer to my HEI system. I have read that you need to have a tach filter installed to protect spikes to the tachometer. Can someone tell me what this filter looks like and do I really need it? If I do need it, how do I install it?
A tach filter is "installed between the Tachometer and the Ignition Trigger Source (usually the coil) this filter traps, redirects, and dissipates the high voltage spikes and surges that are emitted by any late-model high-energy ignition system. Also modifies the sharp up-and-down spikes into a semi-square wave signal for steady pointer readings and faster pointer response."
Here's what is looks like and where to buy one (among several online stores):
A tach filter is "installed between the Tachometer and the Ignition Trigger Source (usually the coil) this filter traps, redirects, and dissipates the high voltage spikes and surges that are emitted by any late-model high-energy ignition system. Also modifies the sharp up-and-down spikes into a semi-square wave signal for steady pointer readings and faster pointer response."
Here's what is looks like and where to buy one (among several online stores):
I ran without one for a while because I couldn't find one. (That was about 8 years ago.) I noticed the needle wasn't as steady as tachs on my other vehicles, but that's not why I put one back on. A C3 owner at a local Corvette show thought that not having one could affect the printed circuit board in the dash, but he didn't know for sure. I still don't know if the printed circuit has anything to do with the tach, but I certainly didn't want another problem on top of the hundreds I didn't expect in the first place. I noticed, however, that the tach is very steady with a filter in the circuit.
I replaced the filter on my 1979 works well. I replaced the Ignition system to a MSD. Do not need it any more. It is disconnected and still on the Intake. Send me your address and I will send it to you. If it dose not work you are out nothing. It will just endup in the trash, otherwise. cleonwingard@hotmail.com