Tachometer woes, I have a question!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 250
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From: nashville TN
Tachometer woes, I have a question!
I had the distributor out of the car last month. It is a 71 with a direct drive tach cable. Saturday, on the way to a car show, the tach went to zero and has remained there since. I have looked in the AIM. I have two questions. Does the tach connect to the back of the instrument like (in the same manner) the speedometer cable does? What are the logical steps in trouble shooting this failure? I already checked the connections and they appear to be tight and connected.
Rick
Rick
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,906
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From: Berlin
Re: Tachometer woes, I have a question! (Rick Church)
I think the connection is similar to the speedo cable. To easily check if the tach is connected right inside the dash, pull the cable out of the distributor and spin the end with your fingers. You should see the tach needle move from that. If yes, then maybe you have a worn gear in the distributor. If not, then the cable is probably broken.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 695
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From: Ashley Michigan
Re: Tachometer woes, I have a question! (Rick Church)
hey rick, I recently fixed the same problem- hopefully. To check, unscrew the cable from the back of the distributor. Have somebody sit in the car, to watch the tach. See if you can spin the internal shaft sticking out, it should turn pretty easily. If it doesn't turn, or doesn't turn easily, you've got to replace the cable. It is actually very simple to replace, just takes patience. It does unhook from the back of the tach, just like a speedo cable would from a speedometer. -Press in on the rounded clip, pull the cable. this is all possible without removing any of the dash!! I did mine in less than ten minutes. If you know how to unhook/hook up a speedo cable, you're all set. It's a little tight down there, but very possible. All you need to do, is lie on your back, and look up under the dash with a light. Find the cable, unhook it, pull it out, feed in the new one, plug it in. I went without a tach for a while- no fun. This is definitely an easy job, but requires patience, as you can't actually see the clip that holds the cable, you must feel your way around. Good luck :thumbs:
