Another Gauge Cluster Question

[Floktndr]

I have a 1993 XLT Ranger, 2.3L motor, no tach in the cluster. Recently picked up a gauge cluster with tach from a 1994 Explorer, and installed it. The tach doesn't seem to show the correct RPM. Do I need to find a tach from a 1993/1994 Ranger with the four cylinder, in order to have it read correctly on the RPM's? I did do a search but did not see anything definitive.

 

[SenorNoob]

See this video.

It shows how to adjust tach for cylinder number.

 

[RonD]

It should just work

But +1 in the video above, had not seen that before

The difference between 4cyl and V6 Tachometer display was in the wiring in the Vehicle not the cluster

If you changed a V6 engine to 4cyl then you would need to change the wiring, lol

From another site

On the back of your cluster, there are two harness plugs.

Look at pin position 9.

4-cylinder should have no wire to ground
6-cylinder should have a black/yellow wire to ground

If neither of the above is true, you're looking at the wrong connector, so try the other.

 

[Floktndr]

SenorNoob: This tach is different than the one in the video. This one has just one adjuster, and moving it from stop to stop made no appreciable difference.

RonD: Could you post a link to a schematic that shows the pin positions? This is an original four cylinder vehicle, the gauge cluster came from a V-6 Explorer, reportedly a 4.0L motor.
I am guessing from the post that you copied, that I could run a ground from pin 9 to ground and this tach should get a new life, would that be correct? Or is it safer and cleaner to source a four cylinder tach and install that?

 

[rubydist]

My understanding is that the Explorer cluster will work with a 6 or 8 cylinder engine, but I am not aware that it will work with a 4.

 

[RonD]

1993 and 1994 clusters are the same in Rangers and I assume explorers

Just the 2 connectors, both 14 pin

Conn A pin 9 shows "3.0l and 4.0l Only", so I would assume that Black/Yellow Ground wire would not be there on a 2.3l Ranger wiring harness
You should not have to do anything
Its not a difference in the cluster its a difference in the dash wiring, so should be plug and play
But an explorer is not something I have the wiring for


The ground wires for Tach was a common practice with Ford Clusters to set cylinder numbers for 4cyl, V6 and V8 engines
1996-2003 Clusters use this ground pattern
Only Pin 16 of the 16-pin connector grounded ==> V8
Only Pin 8 of the 10-pin connector grounded ==> V6
Neither grounded ==> 4cyl

 

[jusluv21]

Can I also get in on this one? For an 04 tach, how can I go from v6 to 4cyl? I cannot track that down... TDI swap but haven't seen this anywhere else. I can only find answers for 03 and older.

 

[RonD]

In 2004 the cluster changed to Digital(HEC)
But there was still the tan/yellow wire from Computer pin 48 to the cluster for the Tach signal
CONN A pin 6

Not sure what signal you will have from a TDI computer

In 2007 no separate wire for tach or most other analog data, it was all changed to digital form, 1's and 0's, via 2 wire CAN Bus from computer

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

My understanding is that the Explorer cluster will work with a 6 or 8 cylinder engine, but I am not aware that it will work with a 4.

I'm pretty sure one of my clusters is from an Explorer (got it on ebay, has an anti-theft light) and it worked fine.

Assuming this is correct, the tach is wired the same as what Ron posted.

 

[jusluv21]

I have an analog pin, I believe, from the TDI. I'm gonna find out soon enough I hope! RonD, I have that schematic and ID'd the right pin, but doni need to do anything on the actual tach or will it just sense it? I opened the cluster but couldn't find anything definitive. I have a ton of questions but don't want to completely hijack this thread so I'll keep it to tach.

 

[RonD]

Not sure what the Tach output signal would be on a TDI computer
Diesels used alternator RPMs for years and years for tachometer hook ups, but different signal than gas engine tachs
VW's had an extra output on their alternators, labelled "W" for an RPM signal

Gas engines use the Crank Sensor for RPMs, a VR sensor, so AC volts, but the voltage isn't used, the + half of Sine Wave is the pulse that's used

 

[Floktndr]

That black/yellow wire on pin 9 is the same on this 93 Ranger w/four cylinder motor as the schematic you posted. It is also the same as the 94 Explorer wiring at that point. I don't know if Ford handled the grounding paths thru the tach differently, but the wires in the harness are the same. I ordered another gauge cluster that was supposed to be Ranger in particular, but turned out to be another 94 Explorer cluster. The vendor cut off the wiring harness with the cluster, rather than unplug it. And wiring wise it was identical to my Ranger harness. So I am going to try to find a Ranger cluster in particular (again).

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

Does the second Explorer cluster tach read wrong in the same way? Or did you not try it?