\'69 Fairlane Factory Tach Hookup?

Hey, I think this may be a repeat topic, but I can't remember what the answer was so here we go again - I've got a '69 Fairlane that was not originally equipped with a tach cluster, but I've since bought and installed a factory tach in it. Now, where do the leads from the tach hook up? I assume the positive and negative sides of the coil, but I'm not sure. Anyone? Thanks!

I put an aftermarket tach in my '66 fairlane. If it has 4 cords leading off of it, one to power, one to ground, one to the sylliniod (or fuse), and the last one to the batt. part on the distributer power thingy-it just needs to go on the part that the small wire goes into the distributer coil.. Hope that helps!

If it is a factory tach of that year the two leads must be wired in series on the 12V coil feed from the ignition switch. Before you install it go under the hood and disconnect the 12V (+) coil feed wire and connect it to the red wire on the tach, now attach the black wire from the tach to the 12V(+) coil terminal.
Start the car, your tach should be working . If you have a blue wire with a red stripe, that hooks to the dash lights. You can do this from under the dash by interrupting the wire from the ignition switch to the coil. I did mine by cutting the feed wire and installing bullet connectors on the wire ends so if the tach ever screws up and kills the ignition you can just pop out the wires and rehook them together without the tach. Earlier Fords had a factory break in this wire with bullet connectors but I believe 67 or 68 was the last year. All the 69s I've seen have a harness that runs out to the coil and back for the tach installation.
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You're telling me that if the tach craps out the ignition craps out? Whose bright idea was that??? You're absolutely sure it has to be wired in series? The harness that came with the tach had two end-cap connectors on the lead wires, so I figured one capped the positive terminal on the coil and the other capped the negative on the coil.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Tredawg99 on 8/2/06 12:12am ]</font>

UTRY is correct, early Ford tachs are wired in series. Do not wire one to + and one - of coil, or you will fry the tach. Tach must run in series with the ign wire. Not sure about 69, but for 68 Mustang (for cars not equipped from factory with tach), you need to find PINK resistor wire behind instrument cluster, in the main underdash harness, cut it, and wire the tach in series with this PINK wire. Should be the same for Fairlane



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: John64 on 8/2/06 2:43am ]</font>

Ok, so since you're talking under-dash, that would be prior to the ballast resistor, correct? The ballast resistor is mounted on the fire wall next to the wiper motor on my Fairlane. Thanks for the help guys.

The pink wire in fords is the ballast resistor. If you have a pink wire going to your aftermarket ballast resistor, then you are dropping the voltage too much, and probably hurting your performance. Take a voltage measurement tfrom the pink wire to ground with a meter and see what you've got. If it is less than 10v, then you do not need the additional resistor. If it is battery voltage, then your harness has been modified and you still need the resistor.
As far as the Tach goes, my foggy memory remembers that i hooked it up to the point side of the coil and the other to ground. I am probably wrong, I will see if i can research this a little..

HTH

I'm looking at a 66 fairlane wiring diagram. The wire color from the pink ballast wire is red-green stripe. it changes color at the firewall harness plug...

I don't have an aftermarket ballast resistor, the stock one is mounted on the fire wall. As I recall there's a pink wire from the firewall harness to the resistor, and a pink wire from the resistor to the coil. So do I need to wire the tach before or after the resistor?

Tredawg, you can hook up the tach anywhere in this feed wire, the tach is operated by current not voltage. The reason your harness has 2 push on terminal ends is the factory equipped cars had a half moon adaptor that slides on the top of the coil with 2 studs which are connected together. With this adaptor on the coil all you have to do is unhook the 12v coil feed and attach it to one of the studs on the adaptor and hook the red wire to the other, the black wire then goes to the 12v terminal on the coil.
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