Installing tachometer
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Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 55
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From: Vancouver Island BC
Car: 1987 Camaro Sport Coupe
Engine: None
Transmission: T5
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Installing tachometer
I recently got a tach as like with many V6s, it didn't come with one.
However I'm having a real pain installing it. I should be able to figure out which fuses it connects to but I cannot find where to get the actually signal for the tach.
Supposedly I just connect it to the negative of the ignition coil but I have no idea which wire it is, the only wires I can see connected to it are kind of plugged into it and are red and yellow while supposedly I'm looking for a white wire. The ignition coil does seem to physically connect to something above which seems to almost go into the firewall and it does have a white wire coming out of it along with three or so other wires but I'm unsure if it's the right wire because it doesn't look like it's actually the ignition coil.
I'd appreciate any help from someone who has installed an aftermarket tach in these cars.
However I'm having a real pain installing it. I should be able to figure out which fuses it connects to but I cannot find where to get the actually signal for the tach.
Supposedly I just connect it to the negative of the ignition coil but I have no idea which wire it is, the only wires I can see connected to it are kind of plugged into it and are red and yellow while supposedly I'm looking for a white wire. The ignition coil does seem to physically connect to something above which seems to almost go into the firewall and it does have a white wire coming out of it along with three or so other wires but I'm unsure if it's the right wire because it doesn't look like it's actually the ignition coil.
I'd appreciate any help from someone who has installed an aftermarket tach in these cars.
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: LeRoy, NY
Car: 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT
Engine: 2.7L V6
Transmission: 6-speed
Axle/Gears: 4.41
Re: Installing tachometer
Follow the plug wire that is on the center of the distributor cap to the ignition coil. I don't know what you're looking at (unless you're looking at the pickup coil in the dizzy for some reason), but the coil has 5 wires: the big black wire running to the dizzy cap, 2 wires (tan and black) in a black connector running to a 2-wire connector on the ignition module, and 2 wires (pink and white) in a gray connector that is coming out of the engine harness. The white wire in the gray connector is the one you need to tap into for the tach.
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 208
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From: USA
Car: 1985 Pontiac Firebird
Engine: 2.8 LB8 HO
Transmission: 700R4 with OD
Axle/Gears: 10 bolt 7.625 open-factory 3.42
Re: Installing tachometer
Another option is to swap in a V6 gauge cluster for your year car. This saves hacking your factory wiring harness, always undesirable, and potentially dangerous when doing it around the ignition system. Camaro guys have it easy, since the swap is plug and play. Here's the tech article.
https://www.thirdgen.org/gauges
https://www.thirdgen.org/gauges
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver Island BC
Car: 1987 Camaro Sport Coupe
Engine: None
Transmission: T5
Axle/Gears: 3.42
Re: Installing tachometer
Follow the plug wire that is on the center of the distributor cap to the ignition coil. I don't know what you're looking at (unless you're looking at the pickup coil in the dizzy for some reason), but the coil has 5 wires: the big black wire running to the dizzy cap, 2 wires (tan and black) in a black connector running to a 2-wire connector on the ignition module, and 2 wires (pink and white) in a gray connector that is coming out of the engine harness. The white wire in the gray connector is the one you need to tap into for the tach.
Supreme Member
iTrader: (8)
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,240
Likes: 6
From: LeRoy, NY
Car: 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT
Engine: 2.7L V6
Transmission: 6-speed
Axle/Gears: 4.41
Re: Installing tachometer
Okay, I followed the plug wire to the ignition coil and I see what you're talking about and there are four other wires coming out of it but they are surrounded by electrical tape at the base (Obviously wasn't like that out of the factory....) and coming out of it is two black wires, a pink wire with a black stripe and a tan wire. So I'm assuming it's one of the black wires (because the wiring seems to have been messed with before.) but both of the black wires go to the same connector on the distributor.
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