Tach problem

PostPost by: poiuyt » Thu May 05, 2005 12:14 am

Finished installing my Prestige Autowood dash in the 1969 Elan and
almost everything works (that's a surprise!).

Problem:

The tach does not register anything and the panel light for the tach
is not working as well. All other instruments and lights work. The
connections on the back, which I think are connected, are as follows:

1. White wire looped twice around a plastic fitting, which is then
screwed to the back of the tach.

2. Green wire connects to a male fitting

3. Lamp plugs into the socket

4. Green wire that can only be a ground connects to one of the pieces
that hold the tach to the back of the dash.

5. Several other wires connected to the other piece that connects the
tach to the dash

Before I start pulling the tach out, does this sound as if the ground
wire may not be connected? Everything worked before the dash was
removed, except that sometimes the tach did not work until the car
ran for a while. Other times the tach needle would bounce all over
the place.

Can this be two separate problems? Maybe a bad bulb plus another
problem? I don't think this can be the problem, as it's not likely
that two problems occur at the same time to the same piece of
equopment.

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance,

Steve B.
Steve B.<br>1969 Elan S4
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PostPost by: type36lotus » Thu May 05, 2005 2:00 am

It has been a long time and the schematic I am looking at does not
show it, but I believe there is a black ground wire with a ring
connector which attaches to the case via one of the thumb screws.

Mike G
66 S3 Coupe'

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PostPost by: tvacc » Thu May 05, 2005 2:02 am

Yes.you do have to ground the tach



Tony V



_____

From: ***@***.***lto:***@***.*** Behalf
Of Michael Geiger
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 10:01 PM
To: ***@***.***
Subject: [LotusElan.net] Re: Tach problem



It has been a long time and the schematic I am looking at does not
show it, but I believe there is a black ground wire with a ring
connector which attaches to the case via one of the thumb screws.

Mike G
66 S3 Coupe'

--- In ***@***.***, "Steve B" <mygti@o...> wrote:


















CopyrightC LotusElan.net and the author:





_____
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LOONY (Lotus Owners of New York)
http://www.lotusowners.com
Drive Fast Take Chances
ElanGTS, 93 Caterham, 05 Elise,
99 Elise190, 05 Elise, 2005 MiataSpeed Turbo
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PostPost by: poiuyt » Thu May 05, 2005 2:57 am

Can't vouch for the colors because the PO cut and shortened every
wire behind the dash. I'll have to take the trim panel off and see
if there are any spare wire hanging out back there.

There are several wires connected to where the thumb screws are -
maybe I'll find a stray.

Thanks for the help.

Steve B.

--- In ***@***.***, "Michael Geiger" <type36lotus@v...>
wrote:



Steve B.<br>1969 Elan S4
poiuyt
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Posts: 342
Joined: 23 Feb 2004

PostPost by: poiuyt » Thu May 05, 2005 2:57 am

Thanks.

--- In ***@***.***, "Tony Vaccaro" <tvacc@l...> wrote:




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PostPost by: Guest » Thu May 05, 2005 3:13 am

Steve

The white wire around the plastic would normaly come from the ignition via the tach to the coil on a pulse driven tach.

There should be a ground to the case usually black.

The male fitting is power to the tach.

Has your car been change to negative earth. Have you got an electronic ignition. These could effect how it is wired.

Rod

Rodney Stevens
CSIRO Minerals
http://www.minerals.csiro.au

Ph. 61 2 97106701
Fax 61 2 97106789

Personal Home Page
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/rodjohnst ... mepage.htm

-----Original Message-----
From: ***@***.***lto:***@***.***
Behalf Of Steve B
Sent: Thursday, 5 May 2005 10:14 AM
To: ***@***.***
Subject: [LotusElan.net] Tach problem


Finished installing my Prestige Autowood dash in the 1969 Elan and
almost everything works (that's a surprise!).

Problem:

The tach does not register anything and the panel light for the tach
is not working as well. All other instruments and lights work. The
connections on the back, which I think are connected, are as follows:

1. White wire looped twice around a plastic fitting, which is then
screwed to the back of the tach.

2. Green wire connects to a male fitting

3. Lamp plugs into the socket

4. Green wire that can only be a ground connects to one of the pieces
that hold the tach to the back of the dash.

5. Several other wires connected to the other piece that connects the
tach to the dash
Guest
 

PostPost by: poiuyt » Thu May 05, 2005 4:06 am

Thanks for all of the help - I found the problem!!

As noted before, the PO shortened all of the wires and, in the
process of chasing down a signal problem, after the dash was re-
installed, I must have moved the wires behind the tach enough to pop
the bulb out of it's hole in the back of the tach. It's almost
midnight here, but I was determined to find the problem, and I did.
I had to back the socket and it's wire through the harness until I
got enough slack to fit it back in the hole. Now light works. If it
had two wires I could have seen the light shining behind the dash,
but with no ground wire it did not light while it was hanging there.

I will assume the tach not registering is a quirk caused by the
electronic ignition. Once the car warms up and I drive it a while it
will probably start working again. I'm used to the tach doing
strange things - it has since I got the car a couple of years ago.
I'd rather live with this than go back to points, and the fixes I've
seen on this list seem too extreme.

We've been trying to get the car ready in case our application for
the Greenwich Concours is accepted. Otherwise, we'd have taken the
time to add back the 12" or so he removed from many of the wires. If
the dash ever has to come out again we'll take the time to do this.

Thanks again to all.

Steve B.



--- In ***@***.***, <Rod.Stevens@c...> wrote:







Steve B.<br>1969 Elan S4
poiuyt
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Joined: 23 Feb 2004

PostPost by: Elan45 » Thu May 05, 2005 12:05 pm

Steve,

You didn't mention the metal piece that goes around the plastic loop thing that sort of plugs into the two female electrical connectors either side ofthe mounting for the plastic loop thing. Is it on the plastic thing or lying on the floor of the car. It looks like a large wide staple.

Roger


almost everything works (that's a surprise!).

Problem:

The tach does not register anything and the panel light for the tach
is not working as well. All other instruments and lights work. The
connections on the back, which I think are connected, are as follows:

1. White wire looped twice around a plastic fitting, which is then
screwed to the back of the tach.

2. Green wire connects to a male fitting

3. Lamp plugs into the socket

4. Green wire that can only be a ground connects to one of the pieces
that hold the tach to the back of the dash.

5. Several other wires connected to the other piece that connects the
tach to the dash

Before I start pulling the tach out, does this sound as if the ground
wire may not be connected? Everything worked before the dash was
removed, except that sometimes the tach did not work until the car
ran for a while. Other times the tach needle would bounce all over
the place.

Can this be two separate problems? Maybe a bad bulb plus another
problem? I don't think this can be the problem, as it's not likely
that two problems occur at the same time to the same piece of
equopment.

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance,

Steve B.























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PostPost by: Elan45 » Thu May 05, 2005 12:12 pm

Steve,
Those are ground wires! You are probably already grounded. Get an electrical tester and see if your tach isn't already connected to the same potentialas the gearbox or frame.

Roger


wire behind the dash. I'll have to take the trim panel off and see
if there are any spare wire hanging out back there.

There are several wires connected to where the thumb screws are -
maybe I'll find a stray.

Thanks for the help.

Steve B.

--- In ***@***.***, "Michael Geiger" <type36lotus@v...>
wrote:


























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intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.
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MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.

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PostPost by: poiuyt » Thu May 05, 2005 2:27 pm

It's there - but thanks for asking.

--- In ***@***.***, "Roger Sieling" <rogsie@t...>
wrote:

connectors either side of the mounting for the plastic loop thing.
Is it on the plastic thing or lying on the floor of the car. It
looks like a large wide staple.










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