How hard is it to find a diesel tach? - page 1 - IDI Engine - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• How hard is it to find a diesel tach? by 914turboford on 11 Jan, 2008 11:41
• I searched on ebay and didn't see any. Also, it seems that in the GTD classifieds there are always people looking but none for sale. I'm picking up a 1985 TD Jetta today with a tach. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet but wondering if I should hold onto the tach. Also, which alternators have the W terminal? Motorola, Bosch? Was it found only on turbo cars?
  Brian
• #1 by burn_your_money on 11 Jan, 2008 12:33
• NA and TD, Motorola and Bosch all had W terminals and all didn't have W terminals. It's hit and miss but the majority of them do have it.
  
  CE1 clusters are very hard for me to find, CE2 is pretty easy. I hear it's the opposite in the states though
• #2 by shegel on 11 Jan, 2008 13:57
• the autozone next to my house can get the w terminal alts for 140 reman with a lifetime warranty.
• #3 by RabbitJockey on 11 Jan, 2008 15:20
• they're pretty hard to find imo.  but u can make one pretty easy
• #4 by 914turboford on 11 Jan, 2008 19:03
• Quote from: "Trev0rbr"

  they're pretty hard to find imo.  but u can make one pretty easy

  
  A tach or an alternator?
• #5 by RabbitJockey on 11 Jan, 2008 19:31
• a tach
• #6 by 914turboford on 11 Jan, 2008 19:44
• I read through part of a thread about how to convert one. Another question, will a MK1 clock fit in a Mk2 clock hole? I have an 85 Jetta TD that I'm planning on selling as a project. I was thinking I might rob the tach and replace it with a MK1 clock I have.
• #7 by RabbitJockey on 12 Jan, 2008 10:52
• no it won't fit.
• #8 by Op-Ivy on 12 Jan, 2008 22:36
• Quote from: "burn_your_money"

  NA and TD, Motorola and Bosch all had W terminals and all didn't have W terminals. It's hit and miss but the majority of them do have it.
  
  CE1 clusters are very hard for me to find, CE2 is pretty easy. I hear it's the opposite in the states though

  
  
  It was the opposite for me. I had a hold of 3 ce1's before I finally got a ce2... After 2 years of searching (locally)
• #9 by westcoaster on 13 Jan, 2008 21:06
• http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=129/category_id=287/home_id=59/mode=prod/prd129.htm
  
  no experiance with it thouugh....
• #10 by Vincent Waldon on 24 Jan, 2008 18:30
• Some options....
  
  Signal converter for $65:
  
  http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=128/category_id=105/home_id=59/mode=prod/prd128.htm
  
  
  Or modify the cluster itself:
  
  http://www.vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3741
  
  
  Or Roger's photocell interface:
  
  http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/CheapTricks/Tachometer/index.shtml
• #11 by bigJ on 27 Jan, 2008 13:36
• I've taken an A1 GTI tach and fitted it into my A1. The Dakota Digital  Universal Diesel Alternator Tachometer Interface works flawlessly once set.
• #12 by RabbitJockey on 27 Jan, 2008 13:56
• unless ur handy with electronics i would just go the dakota digital route... it is really only 60 dollars and when u think about it, thats not that much money
• #13 by LWB Samurai Joe on 27 Jan, 2008 14:03
• Here is an Autometer tach that I installed in my Toyota Land Cruiser.
  
  
• #14 by biojetta on 28 Jan, 2008 06:38
• try tiny tach.