| Author |
Message |
Ben Millermon (Brainsboy)
New member
Username: Brainsboy
Post Number: 41
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 7:06 am: | |
Terry, I dont think you will need to remove your tach. I will send you an MSD unit that will cure your problem. Anyhow looks like I will have to include this product in my future sales of distributors.
Ben |
Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Member
Username: Tspringer
Post Number: 251
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 5:20 pm: | |
So far the only solution I have found is to send the tach to Palo Alto Speedometer and have the circuit board replaced with one for a single distributor setup. This probably means I wont need the tach adaptor that cost $45.00....
Palo Alto charges $198 to do this. Unless someone has a better plan I will be sending it off to them on Friday at the latest.
I guess the next question is what is the best way to remove the tachometer? |
Jerry W. (Tork1966)
Junior Member
Username: Tork1966
Post Number: 245
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 6:54 am: | |
Terry, let me know what you figure out because my tach is reading double also. Thanks, Jerry. |
Bill Sebestyen (Bill308)
Member
Username: Bill308
Post Number: 331
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 27, 2002 - 6:20 pm: | |
Terry,
As I wrote in another post, I don't know if your tach can be calibrated to handle 2x the number of pulses received. You might want to talk to Palo Alto Speedometers about this. Other possibilities are:
1. get a tach off a euro version or one that is disigned to work with one distributor
2. Fit a 2:1 frequency divider. This could be fitted either before or after the MSD box. Maybe Palo Alto knows how to do this internal to the tach?
3. Maybe MSD has a frequency divider solution?
|
Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member
Username: Tspringer
Post Number: 246
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 27, 2002 - 5:47 pm: | |
Ben, I tried to get the tach to run off of one of the old distributors but could not get it to work. Both old distributors are still on the car and all of the original points have not been touched. The tach wire however originally connected to the coil at the ballast resistor. I dont know how to connect it so that it would run off of the points in the old distributor.
I did try connecting the tach wire to the pickup on the side of hte old distributor that is where the condensor wire attaches. Nada.
Any ideas on getting it to work off of the original points throw them my way. I want to try to get it going without modifying the tach itself.
Also, I want everyone to be clear that I am not unhappy with the distributor or Ben. I knew this was a new development and could possibly have some teething troubles. The unit looks really good and the car does run fantastic. It starts easier, idles much smoother and the throttle response at all revs is amazing. No more stuttering before taking off, the car simply flies now. For about the same cost as a dealer supplied full ignition system tuneup this conversion really makes great sense. It was not rocket science to install. It may not make 30 more HP at the peak, but the low down torque difference and the increased midrange is awesome. All of the popping and backfiring I had on deceleration is greatly reduced. It still does it a bit, but now its in the background behind the smooth roar, not the dominant sound.
I am sure that once we have the tach problem figured out for me, the solution will be much easier for anyone else who does this. |
Ben Millermon (Brainsboy)
New member
Username: Brainsboy
Post Number: 40
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 27, 2002 - 4:51 pm: | |
Im suprised myself about your tach problem also. If you are reading double. Two things u can do. First again MSD makes anouther adapter for this situation. But since my system bolts onto your old distributor, just put one set of points back in it, and run the tach just off the points. or run the tach off the other distributor if you still have it in the car. Also send me your bills for your unexpected problem, I want to keep everyone happy with my conversion.
Ben |
Hans E. Hansen (4re_gt4)
Junior Member
Username: 4re_gt4
Post Number: 98
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 26, 2002 - 8:10 pm: | |
I'm not sure if pulse shape is critical, but digital frequency dividers are simple to make. At least the frequency divider part is simple. Interfacing to the car's voltage/current levels may take a bit of fiddling. |
David Jones (Dave)
Junior Member
Username: Dave
Post Number: 244
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 26, 2002 - 8:05 pm: | |
When I converted my 308 from dual to single dizzy I sent my tach to Palo Alto Speedo for the conversion, and all is fine with the world...
An added 30HP? Nowhere near, but a good investment for a daily driver....
Rule of thumb... Dyno your car as it is so you have a baseline number.
Then do a Dyno run after each mod, that way you really know what is adding power, and what is taking it away....
|
Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member
Username: Tspringer
Post Number: 245
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 26, 2002 - 5:57 pm: | |
The guys at MSD had no other suggestion except to send the tach to get recalibrated. I hate to do this. Not only does it seem a real pain to get out of the car, but I dont want the car down for that long.
Anyone got a used tach? I may see about getting another to have modified and keeping one stock.
Any other way to cut the # of pulses in the signal in half so the stock tach will read correctly? Im amazed nobody else who has done Bens conversion has had this issue.
|
Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member
Username: Tspringer
Post Number: 244
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 26, 2002 - 2:07 pm: | |
When I hooked it up originally as per the MSD instructions and Bens instructions, I got nothing. The tach did nothing at all. I was able to get an accurate tach reading on my multimeter via the tach hookup on the MSD box. Ben and others apparently have hooked their tach's to this and it works great. Mine did nothing.
I was hoping to avoid having to have the tach recalibrated as that would make converting back to stock not so simple. However, with how much better this car runs on this system I cannot imagine anyone want to convert it back. |
'75 308 GT4 (Peter)
Intermediate Member
Username: Peter
Post Number: 1973
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Monday, August 26, 2002 - 1:46 am: | |
The tach's in 308's are configured for 4 cylinder firings (hence only the one, brown wire going to one of the coils).
Have you tried it without the tach adapter? When I re-read your post, it sounds like you have, so what did it read then?
The tach can be re-configured at a reputable gauge shop (I'm sure the others here will praise Palo Alto Speedo).
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Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member
Username: Tspringer
Post Number: 243
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 4:29 pm: | |
Well, I drove the my car for the first time in 7 weeks today. I dont have the A/C working, but the Sanden compressor is installed. Just waiting on the dryer and expansion valve, should be done tuesday.
The tach adaptor I got from MSD did get the tach working. Sorta... The tach now works, but it reads way too high. At idle its about 2800 rpm, at what should be about 4500 to 5000 rpm its pegged at 10K. It appears to be reading about double what it should. Hmmmmmmmm it was a dual distributor setup, now its a single distributor... my guess is the tach is getting double the pulses it used to and thus reads double. Dang. Anyone else have ideas?
Any way to cut the signal in half? Will I need to send my tach out to be recalibrated? Any way to be sure this is the problem and not something else. None of the other guys installing Bens distributor have had this problem to my knowledge. Very frustrating.
The car does run great. The sound is deeper and it pulls better from low revs. Throttle response is much improved and it revs more freely. If someone told me the Millermon distributor with MSD was adding 30hp I would not doubt it. I am happy with the running results... but not with the tach hassles. Its find if I can get it all worked out.
Any ideas on a tach fix anyone? |