Am I being taken for a mug or am I an idiot?

odd_ball

odd_ball

Right, just wanted your opinions on something. As some of you will know from previous posts & my blog, I've been trying to fit an after market tacho.

Initially ordered one, it arrived, wired it up and... It wasn't reading AND was the wring colour once it lit up. Phoned to complain & get a refund but was talked unto accepting a replacement of the right colour, and the other must be faulty...

Took 2 weeks to arrive and... Still dead! Guy is giving me all sorts about some cars having week signals & maybe I need to buy a signal booster... Which I've told him I know is not the case as so many if yoy guys have them working properly...

So just wanted to check before I raise holy hell about it that I have done everything right... In terms of the signal wire, I have tapped that into the blue and black wire, in the second port of the huge plug that is under the centre console, that has a white plastic cover over it and is bolted into its port with a bolt through the centre...

This is correct yes? I've put it in idiots terms basically because... A.) I'm actually an idiot... and B.) So it's perfectly clear what I'm on about and theres no confusion over technical terms etc...

Let me know your conclusions...

Ta...
 
i,ve yet to see 2 k11,s with the same colour wires, so maybe you have the wrong wire oddball ? yours is coilpack ?
 
This is a pic from the Apexi AFC PDF wiring manual. You can see the RPM signal there. I am sure it works. Just splice into it there.

Picture6-4.png
 
frank said:
i,ve yet to see 2 k11,s with the same colour wires, so maybe you have the wrong wire oddball ? yours is coilpack ?
Click to expand...

No, not coilpack Frank... It's so annoying... I tried to get as much info from here as I could & from the manual and as far as I can see it's the right cable? The first tacho did fluctuate a tiny bit, but hardly anything & certainly not accurate!

I thought that maybe the cables could be different colours in different cars... Presumably the location of the cable is the same though, say in any port or plug it passes in to? Is anyone able to provide a photograph of this?
 
Ah, you got to it before I'd written me post... Now is that looking at it from the front yeah? So like, where 16p is on the far left it is actually far right? If that makes sense?
 
odd_ball said:
Ah, you got to it before I'd written me post... Now is that looking at it from the front yeah? So like, where 16p is on the far left it is actually far right? If that makes sense?
Click to expand...

I knew you gonna ask that. lol. I have done it along time ago so i dont remember.
You are looking at the plug and not the ecu.
You cant see that in the centre where the screw/bolt is one of the bits at the top is higher then the one at the bottom. Just look at it the same way. I think the 16p would be on the right, but I cant be certain
 
No, no red/white red/yellow near it... I went to what I believed was port 2, which is infact wrong by looks of it?... Just gonna re try it now...
 
Double post?... Yeah, just reading porkpies thread too... Just hard to make sense without the pictures...

Have to leave for work in a min so this will prob have to wait till tomorrow?...
 
Right, so for clarity, I'm looking at the wires on this thing:
DSC_1255.jpg


That goes in this thing:
DSC_1253.jpg


And these bits are not involved at all (or are they?):
DSC_1254.jpg
 
Yes you are looking at the first pic from the same direction as the picture was taken. Count the amount of wires. The one one the left is 16pin and the far right is 18pin, just to be sure
So find where the rpm signal wire is from my picture in the 14 pin section of the plug and splice into it. Dont cut! And try to solder it for better contact.
 
Right, think I'm getting this now... Second port, top row of 14 pin section is for tacho. So if theres a wire there splice into it, if not then insert one in plug.

Your hand written diagram in other posts and the picture mckenzie put above are looking at the plug from the front, not the back as in my picture, yeah?

Whats all this about black wire and orange wire? And am I connecting anything else other than to this port? Am I connecting to any of those smaller plugs in my 3rd photo?

Also Frank, you asked about a red/white and red/yellow cable? In your diagram these are in the 14 pin section... I had a quick look before work and to memory these are in the second 16 pin section (though I may be mistaken?)

Also, out of interest, in my picture of the back of the plug (the one frank has drawn on) what is the light blue cable you can see, coming out of like the 3rd port to the end?
 
Aye, so front on then... Am I making any other connections other than to the port in question then?

I'd be lost without this forum I tell you! :)
 
odd_ball said:
Aye, so front on then... Am I making any other connections other than to the port in question then?

I'd be lost without this forum I tell you! :)
Click to expand...
i would,nt take the power and earth feeds from the ecu personally, my gauge feeds are tapped into one of the centre console switches (power on/lights on/earth take-offs)
 
Good point that Frank, that's something else I was gonna ask about...

My tacho only has one + and one - which covers everything, unlike some that have seperate illumination connections. Did have it wired to my fag lighter for testing, which isn't ideal as it lights up when key in primed position. Only want it on ideally when the engine is running. Where best to connect to, and remember I'm an idiot now...
 
You need some connection that will come on with the ignition. I personally wouldn't be scared to splice into the ecu power. The apexi ran fine like that for ages and I am sure apexi knows what they are doing.
 
Your car has coil pack and the same connectors as posted above? If so that something I wasn't aware of. I thought all K11s with coil packs had the newer bosch plugs...

Anyhow. Your tacho is expecting a higher voltage breakdown from an ignition coil. Its not designed for cars with coil packs like yours.
 
Ed said:
Your car has coil pack and the same connectors as posted above? If so that something I wasn't aware of. I thought all K11s with coil packs had the newer bosch plugs...

Anyhow. Your tacho is expecting a higher voltage breakdown from an ignition coil. Its not designed for cars with coil packs like yours.
Click to expand...

It's not coilpack... Early facelift...
 
Ok fine, in that case you need to wire it into the coil, not the ecu or it wont work.
 
Within the distributor. I'm sure someone else who has done it will explain.
 
Ed said:
Within the distributor. I'm sure someone else who has done it will explain.
Click to expand...
there are 2 plugs on the dizzy, and you need the blue wire in the smaller plug oddball (but thats the same wire that we indicated on the ecu surely ?)
 
The ecu sends a trigger to the transistor in the unit. there is feedback via a resistor that plugs into the side of the coil. Some tacho units do not work with the trigger or the feedback signal as the voltage is not high enough. I've had this problem with omex shift light units.
 
Right... Found what I thought would be the problem... The blue/black tacho wire from port 2 was somehow broken under all the tape a little further up the loom. Have re-connected with a terminal block (not ideal I know but will do till I buy a soldering iron next payday) and have also connected the tacho signal wire into this... Still nothing... What could I be doing wrong?

I think I see the cable at the dizzy, will try get a pic up but I'm on the phone today, but don't really wanna be splicing into cables in the engine bay & routing them...

Is there anywhere else I can splice into the signal? Surely the dizzy wire comes through the bulk head somewhere?
 
Right... Found what I thought would be the problem... The blue/black tacho wire from port 2 was somehow broken under all the tape a little further up the loom. Have re-connected with a terminal block (not ideal I know but will do till I buy a soldering iron next payday) and have also connected the tacho signal wire into this... Still nothing... What could I be doing wrong?

I think I see the cable at the dizzy, will try get a pic up but I'm on the phone today, but don't really wanna be splicing into cables in the engine bay & routing them...

Is there anywhere else I can splice into the signal? Surely the dizzy wire comes through the bulk head somewhere?
 
not sure if it will work but its worth a try, when i was installing mine, I unplugged the cluster and started the car then put the signal wire into all of the holes in the cluster plug until it picked up the rev signal, its worth a try, worked for me, but mines a coil pack :) might as well try it :)
 
Is this what we're talking about? I don't understand all this stuff in porkpies guide about orange wire & black wire & bridging gaps etc?...
 
frank said:
just test it on that blue wire there oddball (with the other 2 wires on the battery)
Click to expand...

How do I do that without actually cutting into it? Presumably this is the exact same cable I've spliced into at the ecu so I can't figure out why it won't work?

I've given up for the day anyway, had hardly any sleep & its p*ssing down so I'm soaked from having me legs dangling out the var while I've been trying to sort this... Always rains when I'm tryna do this tacho...
 
i usually warm the plastic coating with a cig lighter, and bare about 10mm of wire with my nail oddball, and going by what ed said, the ecu signal is fairly weak (which is ok for some tacho,s), but the coil signal near the dizzy is amplified (via the transistor)
 
frank said:
i usually warm the plastic coating with a cig lighter, and bare about 10mm of wire with my nail oddball, and going by what ed said, the ecu signal is fairly weak (which is ok for some tacho,s), but the coil signal near the dizzy is amplified (via the transistor)
Click to expand...

Then I've got the ball ache of tracing a cable all the way back through the bulk head & regardless of whether it works or not how do I then heat shrink the exposed dizzy wire without breaking it?

Just wondering if it's worth just getting a different tacho... Maybe a Smith's or VDO as I'd prob end up upgrading for something more accurate eventually anyway? Or maybe buy a new cluster? If I do tgat though how exactly do I go about altering the mileage & where can I get it done & how much for? Bare in mind mine is the digital display, not the old rotating wheel type...
 
odd_ball said:
Then I've got the ball ache of tracing a cable all the way back through the bulk head & regardless of whether it works or not how do I then heat shrink the exposed dizzy wire without breaking it?

Just wondering if it's worth just getting a different tacho... Maybe a Smith's or VDO as I'd prob end up upgrading for something more accurate eventually anyway? Or maybe buy a new cluster? If I do tgat though how exactly do I go about altering the mileage & where can I get it done & how much for? Bare in mind mine is the digital display, not the old rotating wheel type...
Click to expand...
i meant just test to see if it works first (under the bonnet) then if it does work you just need to run a wire through the rubber grommet in the baulkhead eh :)
 
frank said:
i meant just test to see if it works first (under the bonnet) then if it does work you just need to run a wire through the rubber grommet in the baulkhead eh :)
Click to expand...

Understood... What I meant was if I test it & it does work, or if it doesn't, I will have to seal that bare wire... How to do that without cutting the cable I don't know?

And as I said, would it not be more viable to perhaps just get a better tacho?

Thanks Frank, & apologies, I know this must be tedious for you...
 
odd_ball said:
Understood... What I meant was if I test it & it does work, or if it doesn't, I will have to seal that bare wire... How to do that without cutting the cable I don't know?

And as I said, would it not be more viable to perhaps just get a better tacho?

Thanks Frank, & apologies, I know this must be tedious for you...
Click to expand...
np oddball :) you can stab a sewing pin into the wire just to test it eh, and then if it works bare about 10mm and lift the copper strands up and thread your wire through, i soldered mine and just left it bare :)
 
frank said:
np oddball :) you can stab a sewing pin into the wire just to test it eh, and then if it works bare about 10mm and lift the copper strands up and thread your wire through, i soldered mine and just left it bare :)
Click to expand...

Cheers Frank... Is there any particular type if cable I should use & will I need to shield it in anything for protection or can it just be cable tied to the loom back to the bulkhead?
 
frank said:
just use the same wire as they,ve used on the gauge eh
Click to expand...

Right, just tried it directly on the dizzy wire, with a pin prick as suggested & we have life! Reading about 700 - 800 RPM at idle, is this about right? Have 2 of the gauges as the first one sent was wrong colour & they're both reading the same so they are at least calibrated the same... I guess they wont be spot on but how accurate are they?

Now my only task is to find somewhere to connect the power supply so tgat it only comes on with full ignition...

Oh, and in conclusion to the thread title... It appears I'm an idiot...
 
So I'm guessing that the ground can go to ground anywhere, so that can stay at fag lighter, yes? What I am having trouble finding is somewhere to connect the positive feed that will only receive power when the ignition is fully on?...
 
nathan.warren69 said:
not sure if it will work but its worth a try, when i was installing mine, I unplugged the cluster and started the car then put the signal wire into all of the holes in the cluster plug until it picked up the rev signal, its worth a try, worked for me, but mines a coil pack :) might as well try it :)
Click to expand...

Is yours wired to come on & light up only on full ignition? Trying to figure out how to do mine like that... Any help/pics would be appreciated!
 
odd_ball said:
Is yours wired to come on & light up only on full ignition? Trying to figure out how to do mine like that... Any help/pics would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Use the head unit wire then. If you have aftermarket radio using standard ISO then the red wire comes on with ignition.
If you don't the you just need to find it with multimeter
 

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