how to install a tach??

does anyone know how to install a tachometer (auto meter, a'pexi, apc..) in a 2001 cavalier CNG 2.2???
I dont know and nobody seems to know where to connect to find the wires for the stock tachometer...
any ideas will be appreciated..!!!!!!

some people have told me that we can't install a tachometer because cavaliers don't have diagnostic tachometer connection under the hood, which in a honda would be on the driver's side fender...
but i've seen cavaliers with aftermarket tachometers.... do you guys know anything???
thanks for any ideas.....!

Can your tach work with "DIS", or distributorless ignition systems ?

Also if your tach has a cylinder selection setting, set it to 2 cylinders and connect the tach lead wire to either of the driver wires from the vehicle computer to the ignition module.

the tach only has selection for 4, 6, and 8 cylinders. I think this auto meter tach has to be connected to the tach terminal (electronic ignition) since my car is automatic trans.... is that correct???

There is no tach terminal.

I dont know about your tach, but I have a a sunpro and it has to be set to 2 cylinders to work with my car (2000 cavi). Yours may not have to. But this is what I did and it works great:

Ran the ignition wire to an ignition activated fuse as well as the light wire, ran the ground to the screw under the plate in in the fusebox, and ran the wire that gets the signal through the firewall. Now, under the intake, on the right hand side of the engine, is your inline. The cavi does not have a distributor. Going to the inline should be a connector with a black, orange, white, ect. wires, theres two connectors but the one you want has more wires. You want to connect your rpm wire to the purple wire with the white stripe. Dont completely cut the wire in half, just shave enough off so you get a strong signal.

This works on auto transmissions as well.
Hope this helps.

hmmmm no :eek7:

thanks!! I did some research on sunpro tachs and they do have an adapter for cars that have no tachometer output available (cavis). This adapter allows the tach to be connected to vehicles equipped with Distributorless Ignition System (DIS). So, I'll get a sunpro tach instead of an auto-meter and install it... I'll let u know how it goes....

Do you know of any other brand that works with cavis (DIS vehicles) other than sunpro??
Is sunpro working good for you???
Thanks!

you can install the tach but you have to get a autometer tach adaptor and install that along with the tach, it will take the signal and adjust it so it will basically multiply it by two so the tach reads the right rpm's

oooohh ok, so basically any brand makes the tach adaptor??
which tach do you think is the best??? or which one is better from sunpro and auto-meter??

Sunpro is a very good quality tach, it works great for me. You dont need the adapter for it to work right, but if you think its not reading correctly you can go ahead and get one.

alrite!!! which one do you own, the sunpro drag'n tach (5") or the sunpro performance (5")???

Listen the Tach lead is Normally the Purple with white stripe wire. Leading off of your Ign Module, tap into that wire and that is your signal for the tach, then run your power and grounds as normal.

ok. do you have any pics showing your tach????

No, but I can take some for you. I'll go out and take some in a few mins

oohh thanks! that will be great, so I can have an idea of the tach installed. thanks!

the 98 cavalier has ignition coil packs therefore you cant hook up a tach to both of them or it will confuse the fuck out of the computer. the tach adaptor helps it read the full rpm's. when it is installed with out the taach adaptor it will only read half of the rpm's

Did no one see my post. The Purple/white Comming off of the Ign Module is the RPM indicator (not the one for the guage in the car (if there was one)) if you splice into this wire and run your power and grounds as normal it will work just fine.

Thats what I said.

hey ringsincorona, were you able to get the pics for me????

Yeah but Ive seemed to have lost the usb adapter to my pc, buying one today. Ill get them to you tonight.

so, do I need the adapter for the tach or without it works just fine???

If u have a autometer tach u don't need any adapter. I have a phantom 5" tach in my 02 and taped into the ignition wire by the coil packs and it works fine. On ur 01 there is a 3 wire plug going to the module, should be a red/black, a white, and a orange. u want to tap into the white wire. It should work fine on this wire. I checked this out at work on gm's service program

y would u want a tach on a auto trans anyway?

I have a auto meter 5" monster tach and I ran my wires to two wires off the coil pack works great eats civics amd intergas for breakfast

does anyone have pics of the tach installed in a cavi???

Ya you can see mine at http://www.twistedperfektionz.com/members/eric/
It doesn't get in the way of driving either if u mount it right and doesn't bounce

I tryed everything you guys told me to try and my tach still doesn't work. What should I do?

rksports and many other places have a tach adapter you get for 30 dollars .and this will solve your problem . i heard that some tach may give off a bad reading and this will fix that problem too

I tryed everything you guys told me to try and my tach still doesn't work. What should I do?

Have a professional do it.

I got a Sunpro tach (This one-->CLICK (http://www.sunpro.com/product_detail.php?pid=16329)) for my birthday this year, and it needed an adapter for two wires in the engine. Not only were the signal wires really tough to get to, I didnt want to have to do that by myself. Plus, the tach I got only had about 8 inches of wires, so they all needed to be extended.

what kind of adapter do you need to install an aftermarket tach in a 98 cav n wer do u get 1 of dem from.

what kind of adapter do you need to install an aftermarket tach in a 98 cav n wer do u get 1 of dem from.

a tach adaptor, and this is where i got mine
http://www.sunpro.com/product_detail.php?pid=16356
heres another good one
http://rksport.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=424
i like your name

The way I did it in my '94 was quite simple, and I assume the 3rd-gen Cavvies will work the same. Even if the car does not have a tach in the gauge cluster, those wacky GM engineers wired the car for it! You have to pull the stock gauge cluster out and find the one lead in the harness that goes to the stock tach. (If you have a factory service manual, and I highly recommend having one, the pinouts will be printed in the back under Chassis Electrical.) Then simply run the positive lead to a SWITCHED circuit (i.e. wipers or radio), run the ground wire, and illumination wire to the dash lights. It's a little time-consuming, but not a hard job.

Good luck!

no, bad assumption, you're wrong, that wont work on a 3rd gen

if you would have even read this thread though, you'd see that the question has already been answered, years ago in fact

something to remember for next time :)

welcome to AF!

hey guys i bought a sunpro tach and the adaptor and it still didnot work right, it was a waste of money and time, the adaptor was $50 at autozone. more than the tach !! I am gonna try the tack lead to the purple wire, i have nothing to lose