Does anyone know if a tach can be added to a dash that does not have one? I want to add a factory tach, which would mean getting a new instrument cluster. I recieved an email saying that it is just a direct plug-in, no mods required. I was wondering if this was true. Does anyone know? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

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1997 F-150 Blue 2wd flareside hard tonneau speed grille and bumper insert blue headlights 4wd bumper w/ fog lights

 

I think it is a direct swap. Just make sure you find a cluster for a 97-98 w/ close to the exact milage as your truck.

 

Thanks Pastmaster, the mileage would not be a problem, I know how to change that. I think that I'm going to go to a junkyard and try to find one, then maybe look into ordering one. Thanks again.

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1997 F-150 Blue 2wd flareside hard tonneau speed grille and bumper insert blue headlights 4wd bumper w/ fog lights

 

Puddin:

I want to do the same thing. Let me know if it works.

danielhv@home.com

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Daniel

97 F-150XL 4.2L V6
*K&N Filter
*Flowmaster 40 Series

 

Puddin,
I hope that works without to much expense. That is the one mistake I made when purchasing my F150 XL - I neglected to be sure that it had a tach. I want one bad since I am thinking of getting chipped. Let us know if you have any luck and where you find the cluster if not at a junk yard. How can you adjust the odometer without opening it up? Connect a drill and spin for hours?

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1997 F150 black Flareside, 4.6L, 5 speed

 

Earnhardt,
See adding a tach under the aftermarket section. I added mine to my XL but Autometer will tell you that you can't add to an XL since there is no wire connected to pin 48 on your computer wiring connector. If you are daring enough you can add a wire and socket to the connector to make the tach work. The dealer may do this for you but I did my own mod.

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LTDC
99 F-150, ext cab, 4.6L, 3.55 gears, limited slip, manual trans. catbac exhaust

 

LTDC:

Can you send me exact steps on how you installed your tach? I am interested in it. How much was the cluster? I called the dealership and that shot me with a $459.00 figure. I was like... pth... no. So any info would be appreciated. Thanx.

Daniel

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Daniel

97 F-150XL 5spd 4.2L V6
*K&N Filter
*Flowmaster 40 Series
2 Coats - Limo tint
Valentine 1 Radar Locator
Alpine Alarm (SEC-8028)

 

LTDC,

I've ordered the same truck you have in your sig. line in the XL trim '00 model. I'm with danielhv, and would be interested in the details of your tach installation. Thank you. -BAZ

 

The first thing that I did was determine where I wanted the pod to be located. I located it low at about an inch above the dash. Then I drilled a hole through the A-Pillar plastic to run the wires through. I was able to take a small rather stiff wire and run it through the hole and down under the dash. Taped the wires for the gauge to this one and pulled them through the hole to under the dash. Connected the light wire to the light fuse in the fuse box. Connected the power wire for the gauge to the radio circuit so that it would be powered when the switch is on. Connected the ground wire to a bolt near the fuse box. Ran the tach pickup wire through the firewall. I went out through the hood latch cable boot. Now the tricky part is connecting to the computer. I had to remove the battery to get to it. It should be located on the passenger side firewall(it will be a big plug with 104 wires coming out of it, or so). If you don't have an XL model
you look for pin number 48, which should have a white wire with a pink or red stripe. (If you need to unplug it from the computer there is a bolt in the middle of the connector.)Just splice the tach wire into this wire at pin 48. For those of us that have the XL model there will not be a wire at the 48 location on the connector so what I did was disconnect from the computer. Removed the cover on the side of the connector that plugs into the computer and using a stiff wire punched through the rubber at the pin 48 location and installed a socket on the wire and then pushed the socket back up into the connector and reinstalled the cover. Plug back up to the computer(be very sure that you undertsand the numbering on the connector and that you are really on the pin 48 location). Then to install the pod , I first painted it with vinyl spray paint that matched my interior, I just marked where I wanted it and used 100% clear silicone rubber to glue the pod in place. I did not drill holes to use the push pins, just the silicone. Let it dry for a day with something holding pressure agaist it. Wired in the tach and just pushed it into the pod. You do not need to use the gauge mounting bracket. There is a little more info under the Aftermarket topics(Installing a Tach) Good Luck.

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LTDC
99 F-150, ext cab, 4.6L, 3.55 gears, limited slip, manual trans. catbac exhaust

 

I have a 1999 F150 Sport, and I have no tach, and I've read you posts about the tachs. But I didn't understand, is it a direct swap if I change out my cluster with one that has a tach? And if so where can I get one besides the dealer because they are outrageous?

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1999 Ford F150 XL Sport
4.2L Flarside

 

I too have a '99 4.2L w/o the tach. I have been told several times that the clustaer swap is all you need to do in the fact that the tach signal and odometer is all stored in the computer, I beleive it was Neal that found the hidden tach in the digital odometer. Doc

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1999 F-150
4.2L, 5-speed
reg. cab, short bed, Sport Grill,
Pioneer DEH-P4000 CD,
Tinted windows, "blacked-out" factory rims, 255's in place of 235's (tiny tires!)
more to come....

 

Actually I think fast46 found it and the original thread was in the computer chips section?

 

I was also told by someone at Autozone that it should be an even swap for the clusters since I don't have the tach, but that it looked like I have the wires for it. I mean why would ford spend the money to make different wiring harnesses??
Would anyone happen to know where I can get cluster with a tach, besides getting it from the dealer?

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1999 Ford F150 XL Sport
4.2L Flarside

 

OK this one baffles me! My 99 F150 has he digital odo. The ford dealer where I bought it always sends me letters telling me to bring the truck in for service and has the exact milage on it. I've never taken it to them, so how on earth do they knwo the exact milage? Is it the computer with the digital odo???? Does anyone else have this problem?

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1999 Ford F150 XL Sport
4.2L Flarside

 

Road Runner-
Did you add a seperate tach or did you swap the whole cluster with a new cluster with a tach? And if you got a new cluster, where did you get it and how much??

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1999 Ford F150 XL Sport
4.2L Flarside