I am having some real eye gauging issues with trying to find a Tachometer that will just work. and in the 2 1/6 -/+ in. solution.

1994 Econoline E 250 / 6 Cylinder 4.9L Engine

Last time I installed a Tach was back in Highschool and it was as simple as running an inductor to pick up on line 1 spark plug wire.
This apparently may not be the best option (???)

The OBD solutions are not available on this model.
I will also be adding a Vacuum Gauge and Transmission Temperature Gauge to and A-Pillar solution.

I would very much like to also install a Tachometer as well.

Here is where I am stuck:

How RPM's are measure (1000 or 10,000) on this engine?
What solutions are available/recommended?
If inductance is even recommended or available (Older Inductance solutions used to make a lot of engine noise that was picked up by Radios (electronics). May not be the case now), if not what is?
Installation of Non-Inductance solutions on my van

Any help, recommendations, and/or instruction would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance

 

Why don't you just change the gauge cluster to one with a factory tach? It's plug and play as long as you get another cluster from the correct rear range.

 

Did not consider this as a solution.
DO not know if this is a solution (???)
I know that an in-dash Tach was an available option for passenger car and Truck in 94, but have never seen a solution of for Econoline.

This does not seem to be readily available upon initial searches.
This may not be an option for this year's make and model of Econoline

Will keep looking

Thanks for suggestion

 

Can you post a picture of the dash in your truck? Swapping dash clusters was/is a very common thing to do with the '87-96 F series trucks and I wouldn't be surprised if your van has the same gauge cluster.

 

I can get images with dash cover on and off, but as the weather just went south on me it may take a couple of days.

This image will most likely not help, but it is a general image of the year and model I found online.
It does not give a good image of the light clusters under the gauges and above the steering column.

Will get appropriate images as soon as I can

 

I did this exact swap but on a 2003 E250 using a '99 F-Series cluster w/tach. There are significant wiring differences that need to be addressed so all the transplanted gauges and functions work as they should. IOW its NOT a plug n' play swap by any means.

 

Not plug and play on the E-series vans. You can use any of the 92 to 96 F-series clusters but you must repin the van's wire harness to the correct year of the F-series cluster. Its about 6 wires that need switching and adding a Tach wire to the coil.

I have done this with my 95 E350 bus and my Dad's old 92 E350 motorhome.;
l
Here's a link but the photos are lost when FTE upgraded the forum and I cound not save them to the new forum database..... I'll see if I still have the photos on my HDD and will resend if needed.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ry-tach-2.html


Ah, found the write up Fox Fader did, He has good directions of wire swap and photos!
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ap-w-tach.html

 

ALL engines are measured the same - RPMs. Revolutions Per Minute.

How that is displayed on the tachometer is another question. You want to choose a tach that shows a range that makes sense for your engine. If you are running a diesel, for example, you don't want a tach that goes to 18,000 RPM. You'll only be using the very bottom of its range. By the same token, if you are running a small motorcycle engine, you don't want a tach that goes to 4,500 RPM. It doesn't go high enough.

But BOTH tachs are measuring the same thing.

Just choose a tach that goes a bit above the highest reading you'll need for your engine. For this vehicle, it's probably fine to get a tach that goes to 6 thousand RPM. If the closest you can find is 8,000, fine. You are not likely to get that high. But don't sweat it. It's not like you won't have an accurate measurement. It's ONLY about displaying the reading in a way that is useful for your engine.

If you use a digital tach, it doesn't really matter how high it goes. It will just read what you have, accurately.



There are tachs available that optically read a marking, or on your harmonic balancer. No electrical noise. The optical kind require you to put a piece of reflective tape on the harmonic balancer. The Hall Effect type require gluing a small magnet onto it. Both require mounting a sensor close to the balancer to read the RPMs.


Then there's the TinyTach. This company has a very solid reputation.

Or you could go with one of the usual suspects; Bosch, Auto Meter, Sun. They all make gauges that will work.

 

So you're saying none of these 92-96 vans came with a tach cluster? Using an F series cluster would have been my second thought as it's going to be the closest match.

 

That is correct. The E-series never had that option for those years. At least the F-series cluster is a direct physical fit for those years. Just change a few wires and add the tach signal line and your done.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the great information and suggestions so far

I will be looking onto the cluster replacement and the Mini-tac as well (will be doing some traveling and the recording features could be of great help).

I am highly intrigued by a dash Cluster replacement. But after having read both posts I would have one question:
Quigonline Notes: ( https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...6&postcount=15 )
I am concerned about the , So I presume that I will need to find a cluster from a 6 Cyl F model or Bronco of a similar/close year (???)

Also, I guess I should have reworded the statement of the Electrical Noise from Inductive Tachs.
30 to 40 years ago I found that Inductive Tachs were electronically noisy, My Grandfathers 68 Chevy (with Points) made a ton of Electronic noise when an inductive tach was added...I am sure (hope) that the Tech has moved forward.
So are Inductive Tachs still electronically Noisy?

 

Yes. I seem to remember there being difference between the 6cyl and V8 tachs but maybe it was the diesel tack that only went to 4000rpm.

 

On the 6/8 cylinder gas cluster, there is a pin in the connector that either grounds or is open to select 6 or 8 cylinders. It would be in the F-series harness, but the E-series you will have to add that wire to ground or leave it not grounded. I forgot which way to which cylinder count.

I would say away from a diesel cluster as the tachometer requires a different input that the gas engines do not have.

 

I don't know from first hand experience, but I suspect the noise is because a wire is being added to the spark plug wire for one cylinder, to sense when the engine fires. This wire would act as an antenna, spewing radio noise every time that spark plug fires.

If that's the reason for the noise, it can probably be mostly eliminated by using coaxial cable instead of a wire for your sense lead. Ground the shield at one end (only one end!), and you should eliminate most of the noise. If I were going to try this, I'd probably experiment with RG6, because it's easy to find and not expensive. This is commonly used for video applications. I'd prefer a stranded center conductor for a permanent installation, though, due to vibration. Solid conductors are used in automotive applications, but generally a stranded conductor is more resistant to cracking from vibration.

If you decide to try it, don't trim the outer shield back any farther than you absolutely have to for making connections. You want that shield around that center conductor as much as possible.

 

Now that the weather has cleared up for a day or so, I have been able to get the requested Pictures.