Hello there I am new to this forum and am slowly working on my Cougar. I know the old Tach (through research) is a through current signal. I took out the whole dash and replaced with a Classic Dash with all new Autometer gauges. My problem is my New Tach wont read from the negative Coil, everything else is hooked up properly. The old tach has been bypassed by plugging in the two wires. Do I need a MSD tach adapter still? Anybody else run into this issue by going all aftermarket?
What does the wiring diagram that came with your tachometer say?
Hello Royce, diagram says signal to Negative Coil, Red to switched power, black to ground and white to switched lighting. Which is all correct. My problem is since Ford has factory Tachs used to measure current instead of your typical 12v signal. Im wondering if Im missing something? Everything works on the Tach except the actual reading. Its driving me nuts.
How the factory tachometer worked does not matter anymore. Wire it like it says and it should perform fine.
No sir, thats why Im asking what the deal is. Why Im wondering if I need a MSD adapter or something, Im stumped.
The adapter allows use of the OEM tach. You don’t have one any more. If the tach is defective maybe you need to return it for warranty.
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Royce is correct. The aftermarket tach is very simple and ignore how the factory one works as it will not have an effect on the new tach.
Double check your wiring and make sure all your connections are good. If its not working it might be DOA or your wiring is not correct. Your wiring your signal wiring straight to the coil correct?
One thing I had to do on my particular setup was add a noise filter to my signal wire. The tach worked but the needle would bounce around at times. At direction of speed hut I installed the filter and it has been good to go.
Ok, Ill recheck then, and yes signal to Negative to coil. Hopefully its not DOA that tach was expensive.
10/4 Ill double check. Its good to know we are good to go with basic wiring and no adapter. Ill return mine to Amazon
Where in Texas are you?
North of Austin here
I live in New Braunfels, about 1 1/2 hours from you.
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Make sure it’s a genuine auto-meter. Lots of fake imitation parts on Amazon these days, I wouldnt be surprised if it was a fake if it came from Amazon.
I really enjoy the speedhut gauges. So much better and IMO accurate compared to the OEM standard gauges I once had. You will enjoy yours too once you get it figured out
Very nice brother! I ordered the set from Classic Dash so Im pretty sure they are authentic. I would have liked to keep my OEM gauges but they were worn and tired, the owner before me painted a horrible red. I used the opportunity to just redo it all. Still waiting on some things but its getting there.
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What ignition are you running? The tach should work fine on the distributor side of the coil as long as you are running points, Duraspark or a Pertronix Ignitor.
If you are running a ReadyToRun distributor or an external box like the MSD-6/7 you need to connect the tach’s signal wire to that device’s tach output per the ignition manufacturer’s instructions.
Also - make sure that the coil is wired correctly - I have had customers connect to the coil negative post complain the tach doesn’t work only to find that the OEM wiring was switched on the coil.
Wow its THE Rocketman! Hello sir! As far as my Ignition I need to check. I know I dont have a MSD 6AL but I do have a Blaster coil and a blue distribution Cap. Im going to check tomorrow when I get to my vehicle and Ill post pictures.
Wiring up an aftermarket tach is relatively simple. The real Autometer guages have always been fairly easy with simple directions. The old tachs were wired fine, until the tach had issues and the car wouldn’t run. I would check your wiring and make sure something isn’t crossed or touching. If thats all good you probably need to pull it out and test your new tach. I’ve chased my tail on new parts that are bad out of the box.
I think I found the issue! I had my wire hooked up to a pigtail thinking it was part of the negative coil and it wasnt! I put it straight to the coil and tach is badass!
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How is the fitment of the autometer panels?
Not too bad, takes a LITTLE finesse but overall good. The cutout for the bottom right gauge is tight for a Cougar, you will have to shave a little of the frame but it still works.