Aftermarket Tach install

[notmuchmud]

Hey all, I have a '98 F150 4x4 4.6L w/o a factory tach in the cluster, just wondering which wire I will need to tap into to get a signal, I picked up a tach that had the option of just using a spark plug wire but the signal is too erratic and I would like to just hook it up directly to the source, any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

[fordtough.ca]

What tach did you get
Does it have alternator hook up ?

[notmuchmud]

it has the standard 4 wires, (black,white,green,red) and a brown wire that has a thing that replaces the green wire in the install, its an equus i bought from crappy tire...haha

[fordtough.ca]

Most aftermarket tachs have a switch, on the back or inside to select the # of cylinders

Also see below:

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg228/fordtough-ca/signs/tachdiagram.gif

[notmuchmud]

Yah, it has a switch on the back but you only use that if you use the green wire cuz the spark plug wire pick-up elimates the use for the selector switch, but i will call around and see if i can find one with a tach in it already, i never thought of it, it would sure make things easier, i really don't like cutting into wires so that would eliminate that!

[1SILVER06F150]

With most aftermarket tachs,you will need the tach adapter to work with the Ford Ignition,had to on my '03 Mustang GT,and had to on my '85 Mustang GT.If this was for the '98 mustang,i would able to help you LOL,but i'm not familiar with the wiring harness of the modular Ford F series pick ups yet. :icon_confused:

[notmuchmud]

Ahh ok....that makes more sense, I must have read through the instructions a ton of times for the install but nothing i did worked, the adapter would make sense tho, i will call around for wrecking yards tomorrow, i found a cluster out of i think it was around a '99 lighting but i wasn't sure if the 4.6 and the 5.4 gauge clusters were the same, hey grafix, that does look a ton better with the tach, it looks like the same one out of the superduty, except it doesn't say diesel fuel only...haha

[f150phule]

Would installing a cluster w/tach that has the digital odometer work in the 97-98s that have the analog odometer?

[f150phule]

Crap..thought I might have found a good deal...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160224167224&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006

Marco --- how hard was it to find an analog cluster w/tach?? Price range??

[notmuchmud]

i managed to find an analog cluster for $100, i didn't have a hard time findin it, just called a few wreckin yards and they had a few to choose from, i was able to find the tach signal wire under the hood so i just used that one instead, i had already drilled the holes and mounted the tach so i figured it was easier tappin into a wire than it would be to yank out the cluster, it was the pink w/ white stripe which i found in the haynes manual

[f150phule]

nice find, were you able to change the odometer to match the numbers from the old one?

[notmuchmud]

haha...that doesn't work, a friend of a friend tried that and when it rolls over to the next 000, the odometer stops counting, usually with gauges its a hit or miss with the matching odometer reading, but usually the trucks around that year seem to have roughly the same mileage i found

[f150phule]

Would a dealer be able to reset the numbers?

[Roadwarrior]

I know i did the same swap when i had a mercury topaz. I wanted the tach on it and found a cluster with it all. The mileage didnt match but i ended up just leaving it. Just find a cluster with lower mileage lol.