So, for about the past month I've been having an intermitent problem with my factory tachometer. I'll be crusing around, the needle will violently jump around a bit, then it will read real high, like reading 3200 rpm when at idle. It isn't stuck at that rpm, it actually still goes up when I rev the engine, and even reads within 100 rpm of correct when I'm bouncing off the limiter. My first thought was that maybe my igntion module was on it's way out and going spaz and firing the coil when it wasn't supposed to, but I'm convinced that my problem is elsewhere, the truck is still running perfect. I am thinking that my problem is probably in the tach itself, I probably just bounced it off the stop up above 6000 rpms one too many times or something. Has anyone ever had a similar problem?? Any ideas?
THanks,
Jason

Is it just the needle or is the engine actually doing it?

Just the needle, absolutely no change in what the motor is doing, idle is still right around 900 where it should be.
Jason

In case anyone else has a similar problem, I'll post my fix.

I ended up searching over on corral.net for this problem, and it seems that from time to time the mustang guys have the same problem I had. I pulled the tach out of the instrument cluster, and looked at all the solder joints on the board. A few of them looked a little poor, but none looked burnt or broken. I touched the poor looking joints with my soldering iron and dipped a little fresh solder on them. I then put everything back together, and bam! tach works as new!!!
Jason

Question, was the factory tach only offered with the auto tranny console? I have a '94 2.3L manual and have been looking for a factory tach, but have only found ones with the column gear indicator for autos.

Hummm... actually, when I had mine apart, I did notice that there was a blanking plate that bolted in to block off the gear indicator hole. I bet that if you found an auto instrument cluster, you could unbolt the indicator and bolt in the blanking plate from your 5 sp. cluster and be fine. Maybe someone else out there knows for sure??
Jason

Originally posted by jasonsmf
Hummm... actually, when I had mine apart, I did notice that there was a blanking plate that bolted in to block off the gear indicator hole. I bet that if you found an auto instrument cluster, you could unbolt the indicator and bolt in the blanking plate from your 5 sp. cluster and be fine. Maybe someone else out there knows for sure??
Jason


Ya, That should work......