Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Found a solution to my tach woes....

Well, Just got done fixing my Mystique cluster w/tach. Earlier today, I posted that my '99 has no tach wire. So I inserted a wire into the drivers side plug on the cluster so that it would contact pin 8 (the tach signal input). I spliced a length of wire to that and ran it through the firewall and spliced that into the brown/blue wire going into the coil pack...worked, but only hat 1/2 what it should (redline was reading 3250rpm's). Apparently this would only work with an aftermarket tach that's adjustable. So, I looked in my Haynes' manual, and found a tach signal wire exiting the PCM.

So... I ran a new wire behind the firewall insulation to the passenger side of the car. Slide out the power steering reservoir. Unscrew the 10mm bolt holding the PCM connector in. Unsnap the dust cover on the connector (a bit tricky, plus be careful not to damage any wires). Look for pin 56 (white/black stripe). There's pin numbers on the end of the connector, starting with 52 on this row. Take one of those quick-snap splicing things (I have no idea what they're really called) and place it around the white/black stripe wire, then insert your tach wire. Crimp closed, snap on the dust cover, and return the PCM plug to it's original position, bolting it down. Replace the PS reservoir. Start the car and you now have a properly functioning stock tach!

Awesome....You are A God !!!!!!!!
Now to find me a cluster,

I found several on http://www.car-part.com . Got mine from a yard in Texas for $35 plus $7 shipping. BTW - Search for a Speedometer, not Instrument Cluster. For some reason Instrument Cluster doesn't return any results.

Who needs a tach? I have my ear.

An A below middle C is 6600 rpm. Progressing down the scale:
G# is 6230
G is 5880
F# is 5550
F is 5240
E is 4945
D# is 4670
D is 4400
C# is 4160
C is 3925
B is 3705
A# is 3500
A is 3300

AND this would never change??? I know mine has changed with every performance mod I have done like the intake and the exaust it changed alot...

Glad you got it working, Andrew. I actually took off the computer in hopes of finding the wire back there when I was doing my tach. Don't know why it didn't dawn on me to do what you did.

Thanks for the info. I will have to try it with the SVT cluster.

I did a search for headlight assemblies, and a few places want $777 APIECE!!! Thats gotta be a typo.....
Everything else I looked at was priced right though.

Huh? I don't care what kind of intake or exhaust you have, if the engine goes 4500 RPM, you're going to hear a note of 150 Hz, which is just above a D. Move your piano out into the driveway if you don't believe me.

Well tried it and th tach works. Thanks a lot for the find.