Tachometer

[Dieselguy123]

I want to put a tach in my 90 6.9(swapped in) but I dont have any of the original provisons for one.....Such as the cam sensor and the housing It mounts into.....Now with these older fords(diesels) can you run an aftermarket tach or are the stock ones what you are stuck with ....Thanks in advance. Brad T.C. Michigan

 

[Mr_Roboto]

There is nothing on the engine to give a tach signal. Aftermarket tachs take their signal from a gasser ignition signal, which you do not have.

If you want to go aftermarket, you will need to find a tach specially set up for diesels that will have a magnet that you install on one of the pulleys, and a sensor. Or else you can find an alternator that has a tach cable drive (common on diesel tractors and older heavy trucks).

 

[krawlr]

I've been thinking about building my own cluster with this tach: http://www.delcity.net/delcity/servlet/catalogdetails?item=90305 and this sensor: http://www.delcity.net/delcity/servlet/catalogdetails?item=90730 Kinda pricey but I really like the look.

 

[Agnem]

I want to put a tach in my 90 6.9(swapped in) but I dont have any of the original provisons for one.....Such as the cam sensor and the housing It mounts into.....Now with these older fords(diesels) can you run an aftermarket tach or are the stock ones what you are stuck with ....Thanks in advance. Brad T.C. Michigan

Are you saying this is a conversion from gas, or 7.3 to 6.9 conversion? Does the instrument cluster have a tach already?

 

[Dieselguy123]

It was a conversion from gas. So no tach.... and the donor truck didnt have one either...I used to have an 86 with one and I know it had some sort of cam sensor(i think)is that what the tach works off of? THanks

 

[Agnem]

Having recently put a tach in the Moosestang, I can tell you that your best bet is to keep your eyes open for a diesel instrument cluster with a tach in it, and then get yourself the 7.3 style IP gear tower and sensor. Sadly, there are a few IDI's thrown away in this country probably every day, so there should be plenty of junk yard parts out there. It's just a matter of diligence to find them. I have also built my own tachometer for the Moose Truck, and while it works just as well as the factory one, if I had to do it over again, I would try to go stock.

 

[trj]

6.9 to 7.3 Tachometer Conversion

Having recently put a tach in the Moosestang, I can tell you that your best bet is to keep your eyes open for a diesel instrument cluster with a tach in it, and then get yourself the 7.3 style IP gear tower and sensor. Sadly, there are a few IDI's thrown away in this country probably every day, so there should be plenty of junk yard parts out there. It's just a matter of diligence to find them. I have also built my own tachometer for the Moose Truck, and while it works just as well as the factory one, if I had to do it over again, I would try to go stock.

What drives the tach on a 6.9? Will it drive the tach on the later 7.3 IDI?....or is there some sensor I can use from Pick-n-Pull maybe? I knew the 7.3 housing had the sensor but not having the equipment to re-time the IP and not wanting to disturb its location I didn't change the housing. Hope there is a simple option! Thanks for any info. or ideas you may have.
Tom

 

[CDX825]

Tom some 6.9s had a hole in the IP gear housing for a sender like the 7.3 did.

 

[towcat]

What drives the tach on a 6.9? Will it drive the tach on the later 7.3 IDI?....or is there some sensor I can use from Pick-n-Pull maybe? I knew the 7.3 housing had the sensor but not having the equipment to re-time the IP and not wanting to disturb its location I didn't change the housing. Hope there is a simple option! Thanks for any info. or ideas you may have.
Tom

a magnetic sensor drives the tach.
check out this thread......
http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=26060

 

[GenLightening]

I want to put a tach in my 90 6.9(swapped in) but I dont have any of the original provisons for one.....Such as the cam sensor and the housing It mounts into.....Now with these older fords(diesels) can you run an aftermarket tach or are the stock ones what you are stuck with ....Thanks in advance. Brad T.C. Michigan

I'm pretty sure there was a 90ish diesel tach in the Picknpull here, would you like me to check for it next week? I passed it by because everyone is looking for the early ones. You'll need to get a sensor from Ford and I think one of the trucks had a housing too. Probably be able to get them for $40 or so.

 

[CESMITH]

Automeater makes a tach that has a pickup on the alternator they work ok but it needs to be calabrated with a mecanical tach

 

[Evil_Jester]

i think auto meter also sells a diesel tach that reads to like 5K rpm, it requires you to make a tone wheel that has 4 notches(one every 90deg) to fit your harmonic balencer.
i think thats a better idea than the ones that run off of the alternator... i mean, belts slip. if it was a serp belt setup it might be ok, but the older v belts.... man those things are allways getting lose.

 

[Evil_Jester]

ya heres a link to the one i was talking about.

http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugedetail.aspx?ref=search&gid=2749

 

[trj]

I have the tach in the dash of the 1992 and the connector that went to the IDI is just hanging there by the IP. I transplanted (after catastrophic engine failure) another engine that has no sensor or plug for it in the IP housing (Mel: thanks for the try, guess my luck is still the same old story though….no hole or plug in this housing). I have the old housing and sensor (Doug: Thanks for the offer though!) but would rather not change the housing due to disturbing the pump and injector lines. I’m trying to do this on the cheap and since the donor truck I took it out of (1986) has a tach in the dash, I assumed there must be some other sensor on that engine that I might move over to the 1992??? Anyone know??? The story I got on the donor 1986 truck is that the engine came from another truck though, and I can’t remember if the tach was working before I pulled it. Is there some other sensor located on some IDIs I might have here on the donor truck and engine? Anyone know???

Jester: I like the idea of the trigger wheel but would like to use the stock tach now in the dash. I wonder if a trigger wheel could be made and use the stock sensor I already have from the blown engine with a fabricated bracket as shown in the Auto Meter install instructions? I assume it would have to have the same number of notches as the IP gear? I’m pretty confident I could make the wheel ok assuming there aren’t TOO many teeth! Does anyone know how many teeth the IP gear has????

Also I note there are all kinds of sensors in the U-Pull-It places. Are they all pretty much interchangeable or do some generate a pulse that would not work with our tachs??? With all the ignition module sensors and crankshaft sensors on the newer cars there HAS to be a way to do this. Ideas guys!!
Thanks!

 

[trj]

Come on guys....any ideas here? How can I make/add a trigger wheel on the crank or some where that will operate the stock tach?