I don't know if this si the best place to post this, but here goes:

Ever since I bought my 91 Z Convt., the tach has not worked. It's a manual so it's kind of dissapointing. Before I take it someplace to have it checked out, I was wondering if it was something easy I could do myself. My problem is that the tach isn't reading right. When I turn the car off, it goes to zero, but when I turn it on It shoots right up to 6 or 7. And when I push the gas, it tops off, and stays there. Could this possibly be an electrical problem? I know nothing about tachs, so any help would be appreciated (as in something to check, or someone with a similar problem).

Thanks in advance.

 

try checking fuses, maybe one popped?

 

I checked all of the fuses, and they're fine. And, if it was a fuse or wiring problem, would the tach still work like it does? Wouldn't it not move at all?

 

hmm your right if it was a fuse it wouldnt work at all, did you check all the wires going to the tach? one of them might be grounding out

 

How do I get the headlight switch off? Without that, I can't get the dash off. I've tried pulling, but it doesn't budge and I don't want to break anything. Also, once I get the dash apart, what do I look for? Just a disconnected or damaged wire?

 

Another thing...It is the exact same problem as explained here...

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...highlight=tach

Unfortunately, that person nerver got an answer either

 

No One knows?

 

Definitly sounds like a wiring problem.
Look at where the tach plugs into the distributor, and start checking from there.
It sounds like it's either a bad ground, or a wire grounding out somewhere.

 

Ok...I know I'm going to get laughed at for this, but I'm new to all this car stuff, and well...Exactly where is the distributor, and where does the tach plug into it at? Sorry, I don't know much...but I want to learn, so it's all good, right?

 

No problem at all. No one is laughing, we all had to learn at one time or another.
The distributor is the black round thing twords the back of the engine, and has all the spark plug wires coming off of it.
Look to see if their is a square piece in the center of the distributor. If there is then you have an in cap coil. If there is not and there is a splug plug wire coming out of the center of the distributor, then you have an external coil. Follow the spark plug wire in the center. It should lead to a cylender type object. This is your coil.
If you have the in cap coil ( the round thing that all the spark plug wires are plugged into is called the distributor cap), then there is a spot marked on the back that says TACH, these are the wires you should look at to see if they are bare, or rubbing against any metal.
If you have an external coil, then you have to find the negative side of the coil. It should be marked on the connector on the coil.
This is where the tachometer plugs in. Start checking these wires to see if any are bare or rubbing against any metal.
Also try to look at the back of the motor and see if you can see a braided type of wire. This is one of your main grounds. Make sure this is not broken or loose.
Good luck with this. We should be able to figure this little problem out.

 

I have also asked this quesiton a few years ago. No one knows tha answer. The same thing happened to my tach. I will tell you what its NOT. It is NOT any of the wires that go to the distributer. I had them all changed when I switched to the 87-up HEI setup. I'd look at the connections at the tach itself, if everything looks good there you probably need a new tach.

 

Yeah man, don't sweat it. Every single guy in here, no matter what BS they give you, was once in the same position you're in now at one time or another. People aren't born knowing the firing order of a SBC. You came here to learn and you've come to the right place . Don't let pride get in the way of enlightenment.

 

Thanks...

Maybe you guys can help me with a couple of other problems I'm having with my car. It was running perfecty through the summer, but last week...It just seems like everything fell apart at once. I got so fed up with it, I registered my 1990 dodge Omni windter beater POS (which has over 200,000 miles on it without a single tune up or oil change in *** knows how long, and still runs like it's brand new) and just parked my camaro so I can save up the money to fix these things so I'll be able to drive with the top down in the summer. Anyways...
besides the fact that I got a flat tire the other day... I went to start the car a few days ago, and it just wouldn't turn over. It cranked and cranked, but just wouldn't start...until about 5 minutes later. But, when it did start, I noticed it was shooting liquid out of the exhaust. Not a lot, but noticable. I thought it was just condensation, but as it started to show on the ground, I noticed it was black, so I touched the exshaust pipe, and my finger got covered in a black fluid I'm assuming was oil. Any ideas what that could be?

The other thing is with my steering. A few weeks ago I noticed when I turned the wheel it would sometimes make a noise sort of like two objects rubbing against each other, or like one pushing (forcing itself) past something else. Now I have to turn the wheel about twice what I had to before to go around a corner. Again, any ideas?

Alright, I'll stop my ranting, and I don't know if this was the best place to post this, but you guys seemed helpful so I thought i'd ask. I just want to know some possibilities of what these could be, so I have something to tell my mechanic when I do bring it in hopefully in early spring.

Oh, one more thing...With the car just parked, is there anything I should know, or do? (Like start it and let it idle every so often?)

Once again, thanks...I really aprreciate it.

 

A good rule of thumb of mine that I have taken to heart is try and start the car and let it idle up to operating temperature at least once every two weeks. You don't have to, you could probably get away with a month or more but I feel good with every two weeks and its worked for me. For more info search for my name, Vader and winter storage, he thoroughly answered my same quesiton about a year ago.

Now to your problems. That nosie you are hearing is the power steering system. Your fluid is low. Most likely you have a leak somewhere in your system. Fill up the system, run the car, turn the wheel, and then check the ground and around the engine bay for leaks. You'll probably just have to replace a bad line.

The oil in the exhaust I think is due to a bad gasket on the heads or intake manifold. It looks like you going to have to get yourself a manual and start the educational process of ripping apart the motor. It really helps that you have a car to drive when the camaro is down too. Best of luck. It's very intimidating but its really not that bad at all when you really get into it. I thought I would never ever have my car running again the first time I pulled the heads. It's actually kind of fun once you do it, and we're all here to answer your questions when you hit a wall.

 

Does the smoke that comes out of your exhaust a blueish color? If so it is oil. The black liquid is just soot left in the exhaust system and the condensation that arises when you start the car dissolves it causing the black liquid. If you do have oil, I wouldn't look at the gasket, but instead exhaust guides, seats and valves since they go bad with engines with more than 70-80 thousand miles on them or when your engine overheats. I have rebuilt numerous GM motors and have seen these problems many times before. I am also having the same problem wih my tach and found that cleaning the grounds will usually fix the problem.