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I put a Honda Civic tach in my 240

daijoubanai

waste of skin and blood
Joined
Nov 12, 2002
Location
Mesa, Arizona
So my 240 tach stopped working, and instead of spending the money on another one, I'm cheap and spent even less on one from a honda civic since its about the same size.

I figured with some minor trimming it should fit, and hooking it up should be easy. I used the power and ground from the cluster, and the tach signal I'm getting from MS.

Was it worth it? Probably not. It took my a couple hours, and I could have just paid a bit more for an actual 240 tach. But this was cheap, and a learning experience.

Comparison.
UdIm6oC.jpg


after some dremel work
kEtVcU6.jpg


had to modify the cluster a bit for the tach circuit board.
61V5HCu.jpg


All wired up
ferLDc9.jpg


back plate on
WNwtD9i.jpg


installed and working
hk34Jhg.jpg


checking it with tuner studio at different rpm, to make sure its accurate. And it is.
1RSxMdU.jpg

jZypjqx.jpg
 
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Nice job, I like little things like this. Notice any difference between the two, maybe the honda tack keeps up with the revs quicker than the 240 one.
 
That's pretty awesome. Was this out of an EK civic?

It was. It was one of the cheapest on ebay, so its what I went with. I think the EG tachs are pretty much the same size, and would have also worked.

Nice job, I like little things like this. Notice any difference between the two, maybe the honda tack keeps up with the revs quicker than the 240 one.

Don't know to be honest. My 240 tach hasn't worked in so long I don't even remember.
 
Does it exhibit the better damped needle of a more contemporary tachometer, or simply a functioning replacement?
I disliked the Volvo tach so much I put the darned clock back in and used a 2 1/16" Spek in the 3-hole spot.
 
Does it exhibit the better damped needle of a more contemporary tachometer, or simply a functioning replacement?
I disliked the Volvo tach so much I put the darned clock back in and used a 2 1/16" Spek in the 3-hole spot.

honestly I don't remember the original tach really having a problem. I haven't really driven around yet with this in so I'll update how it is.


Pic of installed and operating shows 900 rpm, tuner studio shows 1773, so are the pics lying? Or were the two pics at different times?

I was wondering if someone was going to mention that. But yes it was different times, I just didn't bother uploading the other image. It was more to say that I checked it at a range of different rpm to check for accuracy. Just to make sure I didn't have to mess with the tach calibration or anything.

Here it is though.
jZypjqx.jpg
 
That's a pretty cool look. Looks like the finish on the gauge face is a good match too. A little orange paint on the needle, and it would almost be unnoticeable!
 
Very neat. What did you use to hold the tach to the cluster?

Well, when I trimmed it, it just so happened to stay mostly in place by itself. Though I realized with vibration it could pop out. Between the back of the gauge circuit board and the black back cover, I just put a small piece of foam which adds just enough pressure for it to not move.

Looks good, now swap engine

too much work/money. Though I'd be totally down with it.
 
So what type of rpm signal does this tach use? Would it use the same signal as the VDO original tach?

It uses a square wave, 5 or 12v. The original tach used a flyback voltage spike from the coil. At least I think that's what it's called. Most modern cars have been using a square wave for decades, so their tachs integrate nicely with aftermarket engine management.
 
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