C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

Early C4 Tach Reading Question

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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 10:01 AM
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Default Early C4 Tach Reading Question

I was curious where the factory rev limiter was on my 1988 Corvette with the L98 so I held it in gear and spun it up until the tach said 7000 rpm and then I got scared and backed off. I know, not very wise with valve float and the possibility of a piston punching a valve but it ended up being okay. However, the reading on the digital tach was super sporadic past about 6000rpm where the tach reading would change several hundred rpm constantly without my speed, load, throttle input, or sound changing. Do these cars just suck at reading the engine speed past 6000 rpm? And if so, how can I change that for the better? I'm building an L98 that will rev past what the the factory motor can but would like to keep the factory digital cluster.
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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 11:27 AM
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There is no rev limiter, its a fuel cutoff and in the L98s OE programming, its like 10000rpm....because the intake will never let you get there.

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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by vader86
There is no rev limiter, its a fuel cutoff and in the L98s OE programming, its like 10000rpm....because the intake will never let you get there.
Interesting.... Do you have any idea as to why it struggles to accurately read past 6000?
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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 12:38 PM
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Sorry, is this question for real?
A TPI intake will choke out way before 6k as mentioned.
6k - 7k the LT4 would pop valvetrain at 7k
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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by LOJ Garage
Interesting.... Do you have any idea as to why it struggles to accurately read past 6000?
I would question whether you actually got to 6000rpm with a stock TPI intake. At about 5800 it would be out of breath. I don't know that the tach filter is properly calibrated in any case.

If you've modified the intake at all to get higher, then yes you'd probably hit valve float.
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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 02:38 PM
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Originally Posted by THE 383 admiral
Sorry, is this question for real?
A TPI intake will choke out way before 6k as mentioned.
6k - 7k the LT4 would pop valvetrain at 7k
The question is for real but I obviously doubted the accuracy of the tach past a certain point, which is why I’m asking the question. In my original post, I said I spun it up “until the tach read 7000rm,” not stating that the motor was actually doing that. I guess the better way to phrase the question would be why does the tach become inaccurate past a certain point and can that be remedied?
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Old Sep 27, 2022 | 03:11 PM
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I would imagine you cross validated the cluster.
Verses a scan tool and or similar reading to compare the true real time RPM.
Factory tire size, VSS, gears?
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