i have a 97 ram with the 318 and a 5spd it came without a tach so i bought a factory set of gauges with a tach. i hooked them up and everything but the tach works. there is a wire for it on the plug it is gray with a light blue stripe. its in the right connector. i was wondering if anyone has done this before and how do i make the tach work.

Thanks Chris

 

ive got a 96 with no tach and am looking to do the same thing soon...

where did you pick up your new guages?

 

I picked one up from a local junkyard when i raped the one and only 2nd gen ram i've ever seen in there for every possable usable part....I went from a cluster with no tach to the new one which has one and all i did was unplug the old one and plug the new one in...i think yours is just a fluke and something is wrong somewhere else along the line. Make sure there are no wires on or near the ignition coil that are disconnected or messed up as that is where the tach gets its signal.

Best of luck...

 

i got my gauges off of Ebay. how do i test if my tach is bad or if it is somewhere in the line.

Thanks again, Chris

 

I have a 96 ram 1500 4X4 and I recently visited a local junkyard and fond the gauge set with the tach and bought it for $50 I had to roll the miles forward and plug in 2 sets of wires and BLAM! now I have a tach! If yours didnt go that way then you have to trace down the tach signal wire and complete the circuit. If you are not the first owner it is safe to assume that with a vehicle this old has been screwed with by everyone and their 'mechanic' friends. If you cant find the wire just add your own!

 

i just managed to find a 2nd gen ram at the wreckers today. 3 wreckers and found 3 ram's. stole a guge cluster for $75CDN and got a drivers side seat bracket for $50CDN. made out alright i think.

how long should it take to change the cluster?

 

It doesnt take long, I just removed the ash tray and cup holder and the 4 screws behind them, removed the kick panel below the steering column, remove the 2 nuts that secure the column(to gain clearance to get the gauges out) and them pull the trim from around the instuments. after that you just remove the screws and disconnect the 2 wiring harnesses. You have to remove the PRND indicator string and readjust it if needs.(just turn the plastic screw to adjust)

Dont forget to disconnect your battery first to let the air bag diode discharge![sm=nono.gif]

And if you dont want to do the job twice, like I did, remember to check that all the bulbs are good and All are where they should be for the options you have on your truck(ABS, 4X4, Etc.) [sm=bangbang.gif]