What's In The Box?
Here is the tachometer I got from equus. It cost just under 100 bucks and has got to be the lightest gauge I have ever felt. The multiple hookup options were the biggest selling point for me because at the time of purchase I didn't know the S-10's wiring too well, but I knew it had plug wires. The ability to change the color of illumination from white to red, blue, or green was an added bonus.
1.First thing to do was decide...
1.First thing to do was decide where to put this thing, and this is the best way I know how: sitting in the truck and holding it up. I decided to hang it from the right side of the dash because I could easily see it and it only covered up one of my air vents. All the other locations I could think of were either too far away from view or just blocked too much stuff.
3.I ran the provided self-tapping...
3.I ran the provided self-tapping screws right in the side of the dash for the base of the mount. Because the unit is so light, I'm not worried about it breaking the dash.
4.The instructions say you...
4.The instructions say you can install the inductive pickup on any of the plug wires or the coil wire-it's up to you. I decided to install it on the number 1 wire because it's on the driver side of the truck and there was room on the firewall to drill the hole needed for the wire to pass through.
5.I used a step drill to drill...
5.I used a step drill to drill a 1/2-inch hole in the firewall right above the steering column after I made sure there was nothing on the other side that would pose a problem.
6.I put one cut in a round...
6.I put one cut in a round grommet and installed it in the hole to protect the wire. After the install was finished and everything checked out, I came back and sealed the hole with silicone.
7a.To get the wires to the...
7a.To get the wires to the tach, I drilled another 1/2-inch hole right behind the tach mount
7b.Because there are two sets...
7b.Because there are two sets of wires that need to pass though this hole, I used a file to enlarge it a bit and square it off
7c.The inductive pickup wire...
7c.The inductive pickup wire harness was run from the hole in the firewall up to this point, and the power/ground/light harness went from here to the fuse block
8.The harnesses have a plug...
8.The harnesses have a plug on them that snaps into the back of the gauge.
9a.After a little probing...
9a.After a little probing with a test light, I found out there are readyto-use ports on the fuse block for what I need. The red wire is tapped into a port that is only hot when the key is on, and the white wire is plugged into a port that is hot when the lights are on. On this first-generation S-10, the ports are marked "IGN" for ignition and "LPS" for the lights
9b.I decided to install the...
9b.I decided to install the ground below the fuse panel on the kick panel side of the sheetmetal. This wire will get covered by the plastic kick panel when I reassemble the interior. When installing a ground, make sure to clean off any paint so you know you'll get a good connection
10a.Now to set the tach. Following...
10a.Now to set the tach. Following the instructions, I held down the red button on the back of the gauge and turned the ignition on, putting the tach in calibration mode
10b.Now, depending on where...
10b.Now, depending on where the needle points (500 rpm for my installed option) and how many times I push the button, the tach calibrates for my six-cylinder application
11.I decided to retain the...
11.I decided to retain the white lights, but if you want to change the color of the illumination equus provides these bulb covers.
The Final Word
The install was made very easy thanks to the inductive pickup, and because the tach is so light I have no problem with it being mounted to the plastic cluster. even though this truck is no racer, knowing the rpm lets me downshift a gear without blowing the motor. Plus, if I pay attention to my gas consumption at certain rpm I can figure out the most efficient cruising speed.