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Tachometer Install

Discussion in 'Subaru Sambar' started by Deanclean, Nov 6, 2012.

  1. Deanclean

    Deanclean Member

    Hi Group,
    Finally got around to installing a tach on my Sambar. First I must say thanks to "Wainair" and "Stormin" for their tachometer posts. I don't have my workshop manual yet and their posts made it very clear on what wires needed to be tapped into in the steering column. For the most part it went pretty smooth. I did have problems initially because I used those plastic self tapping connectors that are supposed to strip and make a connection to the wires. That was my biggest mistake. I thought they would make things easier, but it just frustrated the hell out of me. They did not work worth a damn for me. Once I stripped the wires myself and soldered the connections everything worked great. Here are some photos. The first is the truck after it is warmed up and idling, it idles around 1000rpm. The second shot is the truck on the expressway at higher speed. The third is just of me trying to get work done in the tight space under the dash. Thanks again guys.
    Ryan

    tachidle.jpg tachspeed.jpg tachme.jpg
     
    Drain likes this.
  2. Buckwheat363

    Buckwheat363 Member

    Hey Deanclean, good job on the install. I also have a sambar and im wondering what rpm it idles at as well as what it turns at about 90km but I have not installed a tach yet.... is yours supercharged and what size tires are you running? if its the same as mine then i guess i wont need a tach :cool:
    Thanks
     
  3. Deanclean

    Deanclean Member

    Hi Buckwheat,
    Once its warmed up it idles at 1000rpm. At 90km/h its at about 5000rpm. Mine is not supercharged and Im using the stock 12" tires. I hope that helps.
     
  4. Stormin

    Stormin Member

    That's the nice thing about this forum, helping each other out!! Looks good Deanclean. Even if those clamp on wire connectors would of worked in the long run you would of had issues anyway. Good choice on soldering, that way you can do it and forget it.
     
  5. Brayden

    Brayden New Member

    Which wire did you tap into to go to the green wire on the tachometer. I got a tach but tried hooking to a few wires with no luck getting the guage to read
     
  6. Maximal

    Maximal Active Member

    The tach signal wire aka green wire hooks up to coil negative, coil negative on sambar is the yellow wire. It's in the main wiring harness in the middle of the front of the cab or you can run a wire to the rear to the coil and splice it in there, that's what I did. That's all you have to do
     
  7. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    hi I’ve got a 1998 sambar and purchased a aftermarket tach to install but i can’t seem to find a solid yellow wire amongst the central front harness. There is not a lot of space to get right in, after 2 hours of finding every yellow combination stripes and spots I gave up.
    Any chance the 1998 sambar has a different colour for the tachometer signal ?
     
  8. Shaggy

    Shaggy New Member

    I installed a tach in my 90 and if I can remember correctly the signal wire was yellow with a black stripe. Go to the coil and find the yellow wire and then match it up to the main harness in the cab. Goodluck
     
  9. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    Thanks I’ll have a look
     
  10. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    Hi
    Just checking I have the coil marked up correctly with the red arrow.
    the blue arrow shows the cable connecting to the coil from the central point of the alternator
    Many thanks for any pointers
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    or is the coil shown in this second picture
    Or is this next photo the coil?
     

    Attached Files:

  12. rkrenicki

    rkrenicki Active Member

    The Yellow tach wire back to the coil is only present on some vehicles. My 1992 SC truck did not have it. The connector on the coil had 4 positions, but only 3 wires installed from the factory. I added a pin and ran the wire up to the cab for my tachometer. I am not even really sure if the coil for the carbed vehicles even have the pin at all.

    Vannie: The first picture there was the coil. the second is the starter motor. Can you take a picture of the connector on the back-side of the coil? Where the smaller wires are?
     
    Vannie likes this.
  13. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    Coil management from the rear angle
    which wire is the Tach one please
    If at all? 19051397-4929-4AEA-8EDF-48D53AED7E70.jpeg
     
  14. Jigs-n-fixtures

    Jigs-n-fixtures Well-Known Member

    The tack goes on coil negative. If you take a meter, and check, for voltage at the small terminals of The coil. Remove the plug from the coil, turn the ignition on, and probe the pins in the connector. One of them will show voltage, the other won’t. The one that doesn’t have voltage, is the trigger wire which causes the coil to fire, when the points open and close.

    The tack works by grounding though this same wire. Most of the terminals can be disassembled, and the extra wire to the coil crimped in if necessary.
     
    Vannie likes this.
  15. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    After a good 4-5 hours.
    I finally found the correct yellow wire with a grey/silvery smudge. There were in fact 2 of them and it was a process of trial and error splicing into each and testing on the main harness, I just wanted to do it this way to avoid having to run a wire from coil back to cab.
    Works a treat, backlit when side lights or main beam are switched on. Even has a shift light bulb which I can set the rpm threshold.
    Very happy indeed
     

    Attached Files:

    Hullen likes this.
  16. Vannie

    Vannie New Member

    And another thing
    Mine is a 3AT auto transmission
    Warm idle is 1k rpm
    Just over 5k rpm at 50mph
    No had a chance to open her up to see what mph I get yet at 6-6.5rpm
    But seems about right.
    Many thanks for all your help fellow truckers
     
  17. Reese Allen

    Reese Allen Member

    Thank you for following up and sharing what you learned. No doubt it will be helpful to many people in the future.
     
    Vannie likes this.

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