volvo penta tachometer wiring

katt68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
39
hey folks,
got a volvo penta tachometer........
has 4 connections on it..
w
g
+
_


what are these?
most gauges i see are
G=ground
I=ignition
S= signal or sender

what wires go on the volvo version?
 

mybadford

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 3, 2010
Messages
82
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

I'm sure somebody will chime in but from my experience in tachs W=white and it goes to lights, g=green and goes to the negative side of the coil, += switched positive, and -= ground.
 

katt68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
39
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

possibly,but theree is a seperate blue wire for lights already......
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

What's the model number of the engine? The wiring diagrams are usually in the manuals.
 

katt68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
39
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

i have a omc boat and cobra sterndrive,
merely hooking up a volvo penta tachometer and wondering what their connections are.
they are not typical as i stated in the top.
hoping someone can clarify.
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

I found out what it was, it's an old diesel tach that ran off the altenator. Not going to work on your gas engine, no way to adjust the rpm. On the diesel, the alternator was designed with a properly sized pulley.
You need a tach that works off the coil.
 

katt68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
39
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

it is a tach off a gas engine, just has a plug in connector, with W,G,+ and -, wondering what connects to them. the coil signal goes ?
the ground goes?, what are the + and - for?
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: volvo penta tachometer wiring

Nothing hooks to the G terminal, the W terminal is hooked to the W connection on the alternator. + would be ignition, - would be ground.
 
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