Tach Questions.

SmokinCAT

SmokinCAT

Cheap and Easy.
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
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Anyone running an autometer diesel tach, I need to upgrade from my mechanical tach that is currently in my truck.

Looking at their install instructions the say to make a plate for the pick up to read, I was thinking I could do something using my balancer.

What have some of you guys done for the pick up to read off of.

Thanks
 
Isspro makes one that has little magnets you glue to the balancer an dakota digital has a kit that picks up off your flywheel! An dakota also makes one to read off your alternator! I've used all 3 an they all work great, just depends on your application as to which one works best!
 
How do the alternator pick ups work, wouldn't the alternator have to spin the same speed as the engine?
 
After looking them up, I will have to look into the compatibility with my alternator.
 
They are adjustable! I use a photo tach to set my idle rpm an wide open rpm!
 
I take it you use the diesel pulse adapter to the timing gun.

I don't have that option.

I can use my current tach for the low idle but I don't have a way to do the high rpm, current tach only goes to 3500 and that isn't high enough.

Thanks for the input.
 
No, i use a photo tach! You put a piece of reflective tape on the balancer an it reads rpm off that! Works fairly good! You can buy a cheap photo tach at Harbor Freight!
 
Here is what I did, I took a MSD mag pickup I bought from Summit, and built a mounting bracket for the balancer to center it over the 4 bolt openings in the center, that gives me 4 pulses per revolution. I then routed that through a hei unit from a V-8, you can find the schematics on the internet (don't use the one that says you need a resister), and I then used a regular big tachometer.

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or put a gas tach in place of your diesel tach in the cluster if its a 94-98 12v.... Thats what I did and it works like a dream
 
That might work if you have a pcm, I gutted everything out of the mud truck. About 40lbs of wiring and electronics.
 
PSUCE provided me with this links when I asked about Tachs (so you can thank him)

PROBE

Tach He Used

Instructions

Now I was going to have a friend mill 4 - 1/4" slots in my dampner to get the signal. I wanted to use a different tach for price and size (85 chevy daily driver, Not a competition vehicle......yet). But due to the lack of instructions, some tachs seem to want 8 pulses per rev, and others 4. I haven't done mine yet, but need to in the near futhure.....being Tachless sucks!!

Hope this helps.
 
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