Tachometer not working now what?

[Chaparral220]

I have a 2001 5.7 Mercruiser. I was running along nicely and noticed the Tach had quit working. The hour meter still is running so I would guess there is power. I made sure the connections to the back of the Tach were snug. The Tach appears to draw down to zero when I stopped then restarted later. I am not certain if this one is fed from the coil or from the ECM.

Any ideas are appreciated.

 

[wire2]

Re: Tachometer not working now what?

Give us a bit more info, you stand a better chance of a reply.
What kind of boat? What name is on the gauges?
The needle just sits at zero, engine on or off?

 

[Chaparral220]

Re: Tachometer not working now what?

It is a Chaparral 220. The gauges say Chaparral. I can't find any other name such as Feria, etc on it. It stays at about 500 RPM when the engine and ignition are off. Then when I go to start the engine the Tach goes to zero. It then stays there as I run regardless of speed or rpms.

It is fuel injected. I had read on another posting that some Tachs get their pulse from the distributor and others from the ECM. I would assume that with fuel injection and an ECM that my model would get its signal from the ECM and that I had a bad Tach. I was really just hoping to confirm or find a way to test before I spring for a new Tach.

Thanks for the reply.