Gasser tach in a diesel = Good

["Mad Max"]

I don't know if this is old news or not, but I figured I'd post it up.

I finally found a simple plug-and-play way to enable a gasser tach work accurately on my truck. It sure does work... and it's reeeeal simple.

I really liked the Autometer 2697 mini tach (2-1/16") and the little column mount pod, and I finally found a company that makes a stand-alone magic box that generates a tach signal to feed all the standard V8 tachs - monsters to mini's.



This is the tach and pod:



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It's a normal, standard tach that needs a typical ignition-based signal, and I came across a company called Dakota Digital that makes a simple little box that tells the tach what to do with itself

Universal Flywheel Tachometer Interface



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It operates via two ways, and the one I opted for was by the simple method of counting flywheel teeth. Tell it how many teeth are on your flywheel, set the module accordingly, supply power and ground etc etc, and the nice little mini tach reads just like its plugged into a coil.



The DSL-2 kit comes with the DSL-1D module and a simple magnetic pulse sensor, and all you have to do is mount the sensor somewhere where it can 'read' the flywheel teeth accurately - I chose the transmission inspection cover.



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In order for the sensor to be 'square' with the flywheel I needed to modify the cover - I cut out a square 1. 5" section and replaced it with a flat version of itself relative to the flywheel, but also up on the side a bit to avoid excess oil and water drainoff. First I needed to know exactly where the flywheel was and how close to the cover it was -



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Cut the cover, install the 'shelf', and it looks like this -



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Drill a hole just shy of 3/4" and install the sensor. I used clay to measure the distance between the sensor face ad the flywheel - I opted for 1/16" - not sure what it's supposed to be but it works great.



As best I can tell it's dead accurate. You can adjust it based on how many flywheel teeth there are... and that's it. The kit cost ~ $110, and it was a simple install. And with it you can use any tachometer on the market you can find.



- M2

 

[dpuckett]

Cool. It really opens up my options for a tach, but then again, by the time I buy a tach, and spend $110 on the Dakota signal doomahickie, I'm not gaining anything in the long run.



Daniel

 

["Mad Max"]

yeah, well, it isn't a free bolt-on ... but neither are injectors, turbo's, manifolds, BHAFs blah blah... and you're gaining the option to choose any tach you want.

I can say this tho, it is a lot more accurate than the strap-on alternator gizmo and it doesn't need to warm up before it works.

 

[SAndreasen]

ehump has the dakota signal thing for 59 t 10 shipping

 

[MMiller]

Would this black box work on a late first gen that has the sensor on the dampner? Could this black box be hooked to the tach port under the dash and work correctly?



Thanks for going the extra mile for us Sam.



Michael

 

["Mad Max"]

... well, I don't think this particular gizmo will work with any 'feed' other than a flywheel tooth sensor. Wait - I take that back - there is another provision for it to work with something called a "W" port on an alternator - some kind of terminal that will also feed the module - I don't know what the 'W' thing is but I couldn't find one on my '93. I wondered about the balancer too because I think it also works off of magnetic pickup to the factory doogleflaghy - hell I dunno - but the flywheel sensor works 100% perfectly.

 

[PToombs]

If you would like to learn about the "W" wire, read this;

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...1993/132600-wiring-alternator-tach-drive.html

 

["Mad Max"]

that's very cool, thanks Pete. Didn't know about the 'W' thing until I got the kit from DD, but if I read right the W wire does the same 'function' as the flywheel teeth probe, ja?

- Sam

 

[PToombs]

Yeah Sam, pretty much. The alternator pulses, like the Hall Effect sensor on the flywheel. I thought about trying a sensor on the flywheel, but the bottom of the Getrag bell housing doesn't have a flat spot. I'd hate to drill a hole and thread it just to find it's a little bent.



I picked that trick up at work. Alot of the older equipment has a tach that runs off the W wire. I pulled a core alternator apart to see where the terminal went. It showed on the wiring schematic, but it wasn't the same as seeing, know what I mean? Piece of cake after that.