cluster

[dokarex]

Any idea if a gauge cluster from a 87-92 Jetta diesel or golf diesel be close to "plug and play" in my 87 Diesel Doka. Here's the hard part the Doka is an import from Germany and came stock with the 1.6NA diesel, I'm guessing this shouldn't change the wiring too much from what was imported here in 87 for Jettas or Vans. Let me know if I'm way off or if this should be and easy install (I know I'll have to run a wire from the w terminal on the alt) what would be the pin for the tach on the wiring harness?
thanks D

[Otis2]

Have a look at this FAQ, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about retro-fitting a tachometer into a gasser vanagon:

http://www.oldvolkshome.com/late_van_cluster_install.pdf

My '85 Westy gasser, converted to diesel, had a tach already from the factory.  So the tach wiring from the cluster to the engine room was already there, and the blue foil on the cluster would accept a diesel tach signal just as easy as a gas tach.  It was easy to find the green wire at the engine bay and plug the W terminal feed into that (used to be a coil feed).

Then I took a tach from a turbodiesel Jetta, I think 1986, and swapped that into the gasser Vanagon cluster.  Painless.  Tach says "2,22" on the face.

The blue foil sheet on the back of the gasser Vanagon cluster already had a segment with 3 pins (for the gas tach).  Those 3 pins are the same feed on both the diesel and gas tachs.  So as long as the W signal feeds the green wire going to the 14-pin connector (instead of the coil feeding it as in a gasser), then you'd be golden.  Look at the PDF file, it identifies which pin in the 14-pin connector does what, depending on model year.

If your beast was not already wired for tach of any kind to begin with, then it's going to be a hassle.  You'll have to buy an '86+ gasser vanagon cluster with tach (to get the correct blue foil), in addition to the diesel Jetta/Golf cluster (to pillage the diesel tach from it), and even then you'll pretty much have to wire it from scratch, because you won't have the green wire running the length of the van and into your 14-pin cluster connector.  In that case an aftermarket tach may be the better option.

I'd start by pulling out your existing Vanagon cluster and checking which wires now run to your 14-pin connector.  If you have a blank where there should be a tach feed, then you're starting from scratch (plus I expect you won't have the blue foil on your cluster that supports any tach at all).

Be REALLY careful with disconnecting the 14-pin connector.  They and the blue foil are really fragile.  It's hard to buy this stuff for a Vanagon second-hand in good condition.  The foil gets mangled, burnt traces, blown diodes, brake fluid leaked all over it, etc.