# Sticky  Tach install write-up



## cowsnuker (Mar 16, 2004)

This write-up is for the Nissan Sentra XE. 2door or 4door.

I did quite a bit of searching, only write-up I could fine consisted of the cluster swap, not really an individual aftermarket tach install. There were some "help me!" posts, but here's the answer. 

Suggested tools:
Electrical Tape
Phillips Screw Driver
Drill (Sorry, don't know what size bits you need off hand)
Wire splicer (I used a pocket knife)

Before you get started with mounting the tach onto the car, you need you remove the passenger side's kick panel. This is located on the floor board, by your feet, on the side of the center console. It's held in by a metal screw, and a plastic screw. Once removed, you have some working room to access the ECU.

Ensure you have your car turned off, and the negative battery wire removed. Safety first, just in case. 

The ECU, has quite a bit of wires coming out of the front with a plastic shield protecting the plug-in. It's a silver box, hard to miss. 

Remove the plastic shield. You'll notice a bundle of wires wrapped by a protective sheath, made of cheap plastic. Simply expose the wires a little, and dig around looking for a Blue/White stripe wire. Once located, strip the wire. I didn't bother cutting the wire at the ecu, I just "hijacked" it. This wire is the tach signal (you didn't even have to go for the ignition coil!), that was intended for the SE-R, but was left in by Nissan for the XE.

Next, we'll get the power source, dim, and ground.

Remove the center console's cover, the same one that surrounds the cd player, up front center. I believe there's 6 screws to this, doesn't take long. Once unscrewed, you have to remove the shifter boot on the bottom, and pop it out. Careful, the Defroster, and Hazard lights are plugged into this! Just located the plug in the back, and remove, easy to do.

Now, for the power/ground/dimmer, we need to use the rear defroster. Don't worry! The rear defroster will still work after this!

The plug that went into the rear defroster button, consists of 3 wires we'll be "hijacking", the yellow wire (power), black wire (ground), and the red/blue stripe wire (dimmer). Strip each wire for the install.

Now, mount the tach where you'd like, and run the wires (I put the tach's wires behing the center console to hide, and it looked nice. ), to the sources. The green wire (common, tach signal wire), goes to the ecu blue/white stripe wire. Wrap the wire into the one you striped, and wrap in electrical tape. The red wire (common, power wire), goes to the yellow wire from the defroster. Wrap the wire to the yellow wire, and cover. Black of course, goes to the grounding wire, which is thankfully... black! The White (dimmer wire), goes to the red/blue stripe wire. After everything is covered in electrical tape... reconnect negative battery wire, and turn the key!

I think I have everything included!


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## oneSIX (Mar 19, 2004)

wow that is easy!!! thanks for the write up


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## cowsnuker (Mar 16, 2004)

I spent about 2-3 hours figuring out where to wire all of this, so figured I'd share the knowledge.


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## BikerFry (Jul 31, 2003)

Excellent. I ran my tach signal wire to the coil, but kinda wish I had done it your way. I wouldn't have had to drill through my firewall that way or have the extra wires in the engine bay. 

Just in case somebody reads this and wants to go to the coil for some reason, there's a green wire with a yellow stripe coming off of the coil that you would splice into for the tach signal wire. You can use any ground, and I powered my tach off of the accessory wire on my ignition switch. Either way works.

I would suggest picking up a package of "quick-splice connectors" from radio shack or any automotive store and using them instead of having to splice in by hand. All you have to do is insert the two wires and use a pair of pliers to clamp down this little piece of metal that jumpers the wries together. Easier than splicing by hand, leaves less room for error, and insulates them while you're at it.


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## toby (May 26, 2004)

*87 sentra tach install*

I'm in need of help with my 87 sentra, last night I bought an aftermarket tach and its all hooked up except for the signal wire, can anybody help with where this attaches.
Toby


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## cowsnuker (Mar 16, 2004)

toby said:


> I'm in need of help with my 87 sentra, last night I bought an aftermarket tach and its all hooked up except for the signal wire, can anybody help with where this attaches.
> Toby


I've never played with that year's chassis, so I can't even begin to help you. However, I searched a little, and looks like it has to wire to the ignition, no tricks like I wrote about.

Check your other post: http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=58721

Looks like those guys might be able to help you.  Good luck.


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## Mack (Mar 18, 2003)

What tach do you guys recommend? There are plenty of cheesy looking ones out there - and just as many that cost far too much. I still find it rather strange that the only B13 Sentra to be equipped with a tachometer was the GXE automatic trim level. Not that it is entirely necessary in a manual, it's just nice to have one. With instructions as simple as this, I think I have a new project this weekend...thanks.


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## Sanyo (Dec 19, 2003)

SE and SE-R came with tachs also.


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## Mack (Mar 18, 2003)

Well, I knew about the SE-R, but I consider it on a different level than the other 1.6L Sentras. But I completely forgot about the SE - I think I've only seen one ever...was it a 1.6L? Just wondering.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Very nice, It's nice to see other people take the time to do this stuff and do it right. I shake my head when I hear people are hacking into the coil wiring to get a signal and drilling holes in their firewalls. When I put a tach in my '93 XE I used the blue/white wire also, which worked fine, but the actual tach wire used for the OEM tach is the blue/black wire at ECU terminal #2. It's also found in a harness behind the HVAC controls. I also tapped into the dimmer wires at the dimmer switch, it's closer to the gauge cluster and easier to remove and fish wires to than the hazard switch. It seems as though most tachs don't have a seperate power feed or ground for the backlight though, so using the dimmer probably won't work on a lot of aftermarket tachs. In the XE I used a cheap Equus (sp?) 2" tach I bought from JC Whitney for about $20, because to me, nothing would have been cheasier than to have a noticeable tach in an XE. And I used double sided tape to hold it onto the steering column on the topside. That didn't hold up too well in the summer heat but I wasn't going to drill holes or do anything permanent to mount the thing.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

Blue/orange on B14's: http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/may03/tach/


I installed it for easy removal.. didn't want it there all the time ...cheesy

and don't hack it.. or whatever the comment was...use a slice connector, they are cheap.. http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/may03/tach/images/dscf2341.jpg


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

I don't like those type splice connectors myself, I prefer this style:


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

looks like a toy whistle...haha..


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## cowsnuker (Mar 16, 2004)

myoung said:


> Blue/orange on B14's: http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/may03/tach/
> 
> 
> I installed it for easy removal.. didn't want it there all the time ...cheesy
> ...


Exactly, I was on low-budget plan doing this. 

I also mounted the tach to the steering collumn, but I used drills, because the owner said it'd be permanent.  It looks nice where it is, considering the size of it: 2" and something.


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## the_new_kid (Nov 12, 2004)

*I know another way*

you can simply slice into the green wire with yellow stipe and that is your tach wire. it is located right by the distributor.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

the_new_kid said:


> you can simply slice into the green wire with yellow stipe and that is your tach wire. it is located right by the distributor.



:thumbdwn: Or you could do it the correct way. Please see my post above, #10.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

toolapcfan said:


> :thumbdwn: Or you could do it the correct way. Please see my post above, #10.


I agree why go to all the trouble of going through the firewall and having extra wires in the engine bay? Just tie into the wire in the ecu cluster... no mess, no fuss.. can be done in a few minutes.


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## blade (Dec 1, 2004)

*2000 Sentra XE Tach*

I have a 2000 Sentra XE 4-door and i need help on how to install a Tach on my car. 

*My Tach:* http://www.itsrealstuff.com/13-720.jpg
*4” TACHOMETER CARBON FIBER ADJUSTABLE SHIFT LIGHT AT 10,000 rpm*
Someone please help. Thanks


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

blade said:


> I have a 2000 Sentra XE 4-door and i need help on how to install a Tach on my car.
> 
> *My Tach:* http://www.itsrealstuff.com/13-720.jpg
> *4” TACHOMETER CARBON FIBER ADJUSTABLE SHIFT LIGHT AT 10,000 rpm*
> Someone please help. Thanks


Your tach wire is the Blue/Orange wire the ECU pin #32.

Go to www.phatg20.com and register a username, then verify it. Then go to the FSM's and download the FSM for your car. Then go to the EL section, page 94. You'll see the diagram for the cluster that has a tach and it shows you that terminal 32 at the ECU is blue/orange, and below that it shows the ECU pin out so you can find the wire. The rest should be easy.


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## blade (Dec 1, 2004)

*thanks*

Thank You a Lot! Your real good with cars. :thumbup:
I'll see if it works good, when i have time ill try to install it.
The site was http://www.phatg20.net/
Thanks for the site and help.


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## godlucian (Apr 24, 2004)

does it work on a 94 E ?


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## Caj Darkmoon (Jun 4, 2004)

First of all, why use a splice connector? Sodder it, that's your best bet.

Second, if your going to do this, there's an easy way to beat the cheesy look. Mount it in the dash. Go a little further then bolt on and mount the darn thing. I'm going to take a glance at my XE tomorrow to see if there would be a decent place to mount one of these in dash... not that it's too awfully necessary on an automatic.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Yeah, Godlucian, this info will work for your car.

Most of the ECU wires are like 18 gauge, so soldering is not a good idea, and you're not powering anything, you're just getting a signal, so using a wire tap is quick, easy and clean.


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## godlucian (Apr 24, 2004)

can i take the 12v from my cd player ?


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## BikerFry (Jul 31, 2003)

For power? Yup, any 12V line that is on when the car's on is fine.


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## blade (Dec 1, 2004)

*SAME??*



toolapcfan said:


> Your tach wire is the Blue/Orange wire the ECU pin #32.
> 
> Go to www.phatg20.com and register a username, then verify it. Then go to the FSM's and download the FSM for your car. Then go to the EL section, page 94. You'll see the diagram for the cluster that has a tach and it shows you that terminal 32 at the ECU is blue/orange, and below that it shows the ECU pin out so you can find the wire. The rest should be easy.


*What colors are the wires at the dimmer and defroster for my car that i connect with the tach wires??*
Thats all i need and im set. :thumbup:
Thanks for your help.


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## blade (Dec 1, 2004)

*Doesn't work!!*

I tried the blue/orange wire, and it doesn't work. I am real freaking confused on what wire it is...you mind putting up a pic of where exactly to connect it at? I got it to light up and everything, but all i need is the tach signal wire.


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## RotaryRyan (Oct 20, 2004)

blade said:


> I tried the blue/orange wire, and it doesn't work. I am real freaking confused on what wire it is...you mind putting up a pic of where exactly to connect it at? I got it to light up and everything, but all i need is the tach signal wire.


hey, in my b14, i hooked it to a green wire coming out of the distributer. I have no idea if the color on the b13 is the same though.... The blue/orange wire didnt work for me either. I think its because it sends ac power and most aftermarket tachs need dc. I think.lol


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## RotaryRyan (Oct 20, 2004)

myoung said:


> I agree why go to all the trouble of going through the firewall and having extra wires in the engine bay? Just tie into the wire in the ecu cluster... no mess, no fuss.. can be done in a few minutes.


Because some of us cannot get that wire to work.


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## blade (Dec 1, 2004)

*my car sux*

My car doesnt have a distributor... =(
its a 2000 Sentra Xe


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## RotaryRyan (Oct 20, 2004)

blade said:


> My car doesnt have a distributor... =(
> its a 2000 Sentra Xe


I see....hmmmmmmm


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## blonde_sk8erboi (Nov 16, 2004)

i have a question i have a 1991 sentra GXE and i was woundering wat wire is the tach for it the tach that came with that car is messed up an di want to add the aftermarket one and the write up when i looked for hte blue with white strip i relized that there is no blue iwth white strip unless i overlooked it many times (which i could have done) but i really want to conect it so plz help thx


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> :thumbdwn: Or you could do it the correct way. Please see my post above, #10.


what makes u think your way is the right way like if you work for faze like u invented the aftermarket tach if your so smart tell me how to put one in my 04 spec v


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> what makes u think your way is the right way like if you work for faze like u invented the aftermarket tach if your so smart tell me how to put one in my 04 spec v


Think about it for a second. If there is an existing tach wire inside all cars, then why would a person drill a hole in the firewall and hack into the coil wiring to get the exact same signal, not to mention, from the exact same wire? Will both work? Sure, but if there's an easier and better way to do it Why wouldn't you. My way is better because I do wiring for a living. You can do the same thing to put a tach in your spec v. Find out what wire from the ECU is used for the tach, and where this wire is. It's that simple. There's nothing "smart" about it, it's common sense. This isn't rocket science, and I could tell you the info you need to put a tach in your car, but your shithead attitude leaves me thinking that you're used to always having shit handed to you. So you figure it out on your own. You come in here mouthing off to me, questioning my knowledge and skill, when you're the dumbass who can't figure out something as simple as how to wire a tach up in your car. :thumbup:


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## nvd sentra se (Sep 25, 2005)

my friend as a 91 e and doesnt bring a tach... he wants 2 know if he can do the same installing but get a cluster with a tach and install it to work on the cluster? is this possible?


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

nvd sentra se said:


> my friend as a 91 e and doesnt bring a tach... he wants 2 know if he can do the same installing but get a cluster with a tach and install it to work on the cluster? is this possible?


Yes he can but it'd be a lot easier and less work to just install an aftermarket tach. Here's a couple things I wrote up on swapping clusters and all the wiring info. 

http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/february03/b13cluster/
http://www.sr20forum.com/showthread.php?t=121146

But hey, what do I know? Right? Like Wonderfuck mentioned, if I'm so smart, I could figure out the magical secret behind wiring a tach to a spec v right? I mean, it's gotta take a genious to figure out how to connect three wires right? Nevermind these articles were instrumental in getting me a well paying job, installing several hundred thousand dollar audio/video distribution and automation systems in multi million dollar homes.


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## pimpride (Mar 28, 2005)

So what wire is it? On the first post it says Blue/w White strip and you are saying it is Blue/w Orange stripe. Wtfzorz?


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Go back a read what year car it's for. That was for a B15, not a B13.


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> Think about it for a second. If there is an existing tach wire inside all cars, then why would a person drill a hole in the firewall and hack into the coil wiring to get the exact same signal, not to mention, from the exact same wire? Will both work? Sure, but if there's an easier and better way to do it Why wouldn't you. My way is better because I do wiring for a living. You can do the same thing to put a tach in your spec v. Find out what wire from the ECU is used for the tach, and where this wire is. It's that simple. There's nothing "smart" about it, it's common sense. This isn't rocket science, and I could tell you the info you need to put a tach in your car, but your shithead attitude leaves me thinking that you're used to always having shit handed to you. So you figure it out on your own. You come in here mouthing off to me, questioning my knowledge and skill, when you're the dumbass who can't figure out something as simple as how to wire a tach up in your car. :thumbup:


hey shit brick nice to meet u my name is steve well anyways if you were as smart as u say u are u would know that theres 2 kinds of signal AC and DC(what kind of wiring....cableguy??? :loser: or something)aftermarket tachs only use one signal some car tachometers dont use the same signal as the aftermarket tach therefore u would have to purchase an autometer tach adapter...so before u call someone a dumbass you should make sense...also like other ppl said some cars dont have tachs built in so there for they wouldnt have a tach wire and would need to drill a hole and play with an ecu...and by the way dont forget some cars do come with different ecus just incase u didnt kno that but im sure u knew that after all u do wiring for a living


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> hey shit brick nice to meet u my name is steve well anyways if you were as smart as u say u are u would know that theres 2 kinds of signal AC and DC(what kind of wiring....cableguy??? :loser: or something)aftermarket tachs only use one signal some car tachometers dont use the same signal as the aftermarket tach therefore u would have to purchase an autometer tach adapter...so before u call someone a dumbass you should make sense...also like other ppl said some cars dont have tachs built in so there for they wouldnt have a tach wire and would need to drill a hole and play with an ecu...and by the way dont forget some cars do come with different ecus just incase u didnt kno that but im sure u knew that after all u do wiring for a living


I've yet to encounter a computer controlled car that doesn't have a wire from the coil to the ECU for a tach signal. All B13's B14's and B15's have a wire from the coil to the ECU. They also all have a wire out of the ECU that is intended for connecting to the optional OEM tach. If you know more than I about this, why are you asking me how to hook a tach up to your car? I've helped other people wire a tach in their B13, B14 and B15, you obviously have not, hence why you're spouting off like a retard again. I've forgotten more than you'll ever know smart guy.


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> I've yet to encounter a computer controlled car that doesn't have a wire from the coil to the ECU for a tach signal. All B13's B14's and B15's have a wire from the coil to the ECU. They also all have a wire out of the ECU that is intended for connecting to the optional OEM tach. If you know more than I about this, why are you asking me how to hook a tach up to your car? I've helped other people wire a tach in their B13, B14 and B15, you obviously have not, hence why you're spouting off like a retard again. I've forgotten more than you'll ever know smart guy.


ok there you go actin smart about something noones asking about its like talking about how u process cheese,(noone cares) and secondly i never asked u for help i was being sarcastic bc u were actin like an ass to someone else who needed help... and a spec v engine is none of the above listed so b4 u start spouting off like a retard encounter a QR25DE then spit out all that yac yac knowledge u think u have...and im done having this lil internet beef with you bc its pathetic and pointless bc if i were to see you in real life you wouldn't dare try me... :fluffy: so do like fluffy and turn around.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> and a spec v engine is none of the above listed


Man you're sharp! Spec V's are B15's ya stupid shit.


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> Man you're sharp! Spec V's are B15's ya stupid shit.


ok so then whats a QR25???your such a dumb fuck you dont kno what your talkin about b15 are 1.8liter cheaper sentras,whereas a spec v has a 2.5 liter so yea y dont u edit what you wrote b4 u embarrass yourself too late quoted already...maybe next time...maybe if you upgrade your vehicle ud kno this...


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> ok so then whats a QR25???


That'd be the engine found in a spec V ya dumbass. B15 is the chassis code for all Sentras made after 2000. God, I can't believe how retarded you are. Let me take a shot in the dark here. You think the "V" is a roman numeral "5"? You pimpin' your "Spec Five"? :loser: Each time you post, you continue to prove how ignorant you are. You really should just quit because you keep digging your hole deeper.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> ok so then whats a QR25???your such a dumb fuck you dont kno what your talkin about b15 are 1.8liter cheaper sentras,whereas a spec v has a 2.5 liter so yea y dont u edit what you wrote b4 u embarrass yourself too late quoted already...maybe next time...maybe if you upgrade your vehicle ud kno this...


Actually, I haven't edited most of my posts. Funny you should say that, because you edited yours. And before your stupid as goes talking about "upgrades" I did inital design work on the lower control arm brace for the B13 that Progress makes, as well as provided some of the specs for the coilover suspension they make for the B13. Both are products that didn't exist before I talked with Progress about manufacturing them. Hmmm, let's see, what have you done that could compare to that? Oh yeah, that's right, you aren't even aware that B15 is the chassis code for all 2000+ Sentras.


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> Actually, I haven't edited most of my posts. Funny you should say that, because you edited yours. And before your stupid as goes talking about "upgrades" I did inital design work on the lower control arm brace for the B13 that Progress makes, as well as provided some of the specs for the coilover suspension they make for the B13. Both are products that didn't exist before I talked with Progress about manufacturing them. Hmmm, let's see, what have you done that could compare to that? Oh yeah, that's right, you aren't even aware that B15 is the chassis code for all 2000+ Sentras.


there you go talkin bout that cheese that noone gives a fuck about."oh i did this i did that," when plain and simple your tryin to cover the fact that you dont kno where the fuckin wire plugs into for the spec v or "spec 5" thanx for the idea just might make a decal... still twistin up the lil things and ignorin the plain and simple fact that you cant just say that a b 15 is a spec v when in essensce its not...you said it yourself its the body so stop contradicting yourself and tryin to make me look like i dont know what im talkin about when we are both right bc the chasis yes is the same but it holds the 1.8 and the 2.5 (lil different there)yea where all humans theoretically speaking but there are different races... just like with the car


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

wonder1872001 said:


> ok so then whats a QR25???


 thats called sarcasm damn ill feel bad for your family u ever heard of the sayin the apple doesnt fall far from the tree...u must've hit a couple branches on the way down


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## Harris (Nov 11, 2002)

Thread stickied.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> there you go talkin bout that cheese that noone gives a fuck about."oh i did this i did that," when plain and simple your tryin to cover the fact that you dont kno where the fuckin wire plugs into for the spec v


No, it shows that I've got cheese and you don't have shit. It really doesn't matter what I know though does it? The fact still remains that _you_ don't know, and you're the one trying to make out like you know better than I do. 

Which brings me to my point. I do know which wire it is, because as I've already mentioned, I've helped someone install a tach in a QR25DE powered B15. I did it personally. I even used the same FSM from phatG20 that you did. It's just too bad that in this thread, you started off being an asshole, while in your other thread you're minding your P's and Q's, hoping for some help. Maybe next time you won't be so mouthy and you'll get the info you need right away. All your bullshit mouthing off certainly isn't going to convince me to tell you which wire it is. But don't you sweat it man, because you know better than I do, you don't need me to tell you which wire it is, which is exactly why I won't tell you.


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> No, it shows that I've got cheese and you don't have shit. It really doesn't matter what I know though does it? The fact still remains that _you_ don't know, and you're the one trying to make out like you know better than I do.
> 
> Which brings me to my point. I do know which wire it is, because as I've already mentioned, I've helped someone install a tach in a QR25DE powered B15. I did it personally. I even used the same FSM from phatG20 that you did. It's just too bad that in this thread, you started off being an asshole, while in your other thread you're minding your P's and Q's, hoping for some help. Maybe next time you won't be so mouthy and you'll get the info you need right away. All your bullshit mouthing off certainly isn't going to convince me to tell you which wire it is. But don't you sweat it man, because you know better than I do, you don't need me to tell you which wire it is, which is exactly why I won't tell you.


ok stalker researching my name now...point is maybe u do kno more and maybe u do have more cheese who knows who cares but the way i see it is...im 19 and im a medical student and i think i have a pretty bad ass whip and i dont go around stuntin everythin i kno and got like i said i felt u came at someone wrong bc they had a different approach at the situation...but in the long run i think mine is commin nice so you can hold out all you want its fine...not stressin it but ima be the bigger man and walk away from this and eventually figure it out myself...and eventually when i graduate tell u the truth won't even matter bc ill have a different whip


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

wonder1872001 said:


> ok stalker researching my name now...point is maybe u do kno more and maybe u do have more cheese who knows who cares but the way i see it is...im 19 and im a medical student and i think i have a pretty bad ass whip and i dont go around stuntin everythin i kno and got like i said i felt u came at someone wrong bc they had a different approach at the situation...but in the long run i think mine is commin nice so you can hold out all you want its fine...not stressin it but ima be the bigger man and walk away from this and eventually figure it out myself...and eventually when i graduate tell u the truth won't even matter bc ill have a different whip


Actually I happened to be browsing the B15 section of the forum. Interesting that you'd post your thread in the B15 section when you originally claimed your car wasn't a B15. I've got 10 years on you, and I remember that I thought my shit didn't stink when I was your age as well. When you graduate are you still gonna talk like a punk thug? Stuntin your mad tyte medical skillz that pay the billz?  Regardless what you do, you're not the "bigger" man. Trust me on that one.


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## HATEnFATE (Dec 24, 2002)

for some reason I don't think this thead is quite finished........................................................


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> Actually I happened to be browsing the B15 section of the forum. Interesting that you'd post your thread in the B15 section when you originally claimed your car wasn't a B15. I've got 10 years on you, and I remember that I thought my shit didn't stink when I was your age as well. When you graduate are you still gonna talk like a punk thug? Stuntin your mad tyte medical skillz that pay the billz?  Regardless what you do, you're not the "bigger" man. Trust me on that one.


Well like I have explained im b4 im new at this forum thing i would've posted my thread under a datsun or a pick up if i had too... And I know my shit stink everybodies does (some more than others) I just can't stand ppl that put down ppl in the forums for askin a simple innocent question, i mean after all thats what the forum is for help isn't it...If your just here to talk about cars then really you should find something else to do like find a friend... and yea your prolly true when i graduate i still am gonna talk like thug but only too lil punks... that dont talk respectful...like my mom always taught me you can't get respect unless you give respect...and dont tell me im gonna stunt when in all these past threads you've been the one stuntin on everything you know and have, like if you have to prove something...me stunt...thats not me...so while you sit here and think of your reply im going to go outside and try to figure out which wire leads to what.... see ya :hal:


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## 79kz400 (Aug 19, 2004)

*Back to topic...*

The install went like a charm and i get better at wiring every time i do it. My dimmer didn't work but it may be the old ass tack i used. A neighbor gave it to me and its late 80's early 90's aftermarket. Come to think of it my r/defroster light dosn't dim either. 

Is it normal for my '92 1.6 sentra to idle at 450 RPM's? Whatever it works great and i love it.


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## LanFX (Oct 19, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> Very nice, It's nice to see other people take the time to do this stuff and do it right. I shake my head when I hear people are hacking into the coil wiring to get a signal and drilling holes in their firewalls. When I put a tach in my '93 XE I used the blue/white wire also, which worked fine, but the actual tach wire used for the OEM tach is the blue/black wire at ECU terminal #2. It's also found in a harness behind the HVAC controls. I also tapped into the dimmer wires at the dimmer switch, it's closer to the gauge cluster and easier to remove and fish wires to than the hazard switch. It seems as though most tachs don't have a seperate power feed or ground for the backlight though, so using the dimmer probably won't work on a lot of aftermarket tachs. In the XE I used a cheap Equus (sp?) 2" tach I bought from JC Whitney for about $20, because to me, nothing would have been cheasier than to have a noticeable tach in an XE. And I used double sided tape to hold it onto the steering column on the topside. That didn't hold up too well in the summer heat but I wasn't going to drill holes or do anything permanent to mount the thing.


Were is the ECU terminal #2 and what is the HVAC i am trying to find the blue/black wire.

thanks
LanFX


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## wonder1872001 (Oct 4, 2005)

toolapcfan said:


> Very nice, It's nice to see other people take the time to do this stuff and do it right. I shake my head when I hear people are hacking into the coil wiring to get a signal and drilling holes in their firewalls. When I put a tach in my '93 XE I used the blue/white wire also, which worked fine, but the actual tach wire used for the OEM tach is the blue/black wire at ECU terminal #2. It's also found in a harness behind the HVAC controls. I also tapped into the dimmer wires at the dimmer switch, it's closer to the gauge cluster and easier to remove and fish wires to than the hazard switch. It seems as though most tachs don't have a seperate power feed or ground for the backlight though, so using the dimmer probably won't work on a lot of aftermarket tachs. In the XE I used a cheap Equus (sp?) 2" tach I bought from JC Whitney for about $20, because to me, nothing would have been cheasier than to have a noticeable tach in an XE. And I used double sided tape to hold it onto the steering column on the topside. That didn't hold up too well in the summer heat but I wasn't going to drill holes or do anything permanent to mount the thing.


damn for someone that talks about ppl not doing things right double side tape wtf talk about ghetto... shit might as well have used elmer's school glue...


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## dStruct (Nov 16, 2005)

I put a 8K RPM tach in my 94 XE I had a few years ago, I ran the signal wire directly to the coil. the B13's have a rubber insulated boot around the wire loom going from the driver-side door for the electrics in the door itself, what I found is you can run most wires through that, and run them down the inside of that front quarter panel, and you can get them to come out just by the fuse block/battery, I did that for both my amp power (4ga. thick) and tach. It is slightly ghetto but it's worked fine for me so far and saved me the trouble of drilling a hole.

No the door doesn't pinch them..

Oh btw, I mounted it to the A-Piller with 2 screws and the bracket that was included, if you ever want to hide the screw holes you can just pick up another A-Piller from a junkyard for probably $10-20.


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## 5aprilc (Oct 15, 2005)

*Tachometer Problems*



cowsnuker said:


> This write-up is for the Nissan Sentra XE. 2door or 4door.
> 
> I did quite a bit of searching, only write-up I could fine consisted of the cluster swap, not really an individual aftermarket tach install. There were some "help me!" posts, but here's the answer.
> 
> ...


Hi, I have a 96 Sentra and just bought a Sunpro II Tachometer, hooked up all the wires, but when I got to the green wire I ran into some problems, I hooked it up to the blue wire on the negative side of the coil but when I turn the car over the neddle goes to 1000 RPM's at idle, but when I give it gas the neddle goes down, do you think it is a defective tachometer? Thanks.


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

5aprilc said:


> Hi, I have a 96 Sentra and just bought a Sunpro II Tachometer, hooked up all the wires, but when I got to the green wire I ran into some problems, I hooked it up to the blue wire on the negative side of the coil but when I turn the car over the neddle goes to 1000 RPM's at idle, but when I give it gas the neddle goes down, do you think it is a defective tachometer? Thanks.


Your car has a B14 chassis. B13 GA16DE has a GREEN/YELLOW wire coming from the ignition coil which you can tap into for your tach. I believe your ignition coil is built into the distributor.


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## JRinke (Jan 10, 2006)

I used the instructions to install a small 3 5/8 Sunpro tach just above my steering column to the right (it covers up the ebrake light and check engine light) and had a real easy time installing everything with these instructions after trying to use 3 other sets of instructions. I recomend these instructions to everyone else who tries to install their own tach. Im might try to include some pictures because I know that would help a lot of people who may not be too familar with cars. It would have helped me alot when I tried to use the first 3 sets.


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## GA16DET_93 (Jan 26, 2006)

*will this work on my sentra "E"*

i have a 93 sentra E its an SE-R clone but with a GA16DE with a turbo. will this work on my car and on the coil deal too??


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## GA16DET_93 (Jan 26, 2006)

*worked*



GA16DET_93 said:


> i have a 93 sentra E its an SE-R clone but with a GA16DE with a turbo. will this work on my car and on the coil deal too??


i go it set up i installed a sunpro super tach II its 2" 5/8. i plugged it from the coil and works and looks nice.


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## fofgrel (Feb 12, 2006)

cowsnuker said:


> Exactly, I was on low-budget plan doing this.


If you ask the install bay at your local car audio shop for some, they'll probably give them to you for free. They cost them less than a penny each.


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## lmoorefx (Jul 15, 2005)

Thanks for the writeup it worked great. However I did locate the blue/white stripe but didnt get any voltage from it and I found another blue/black stripe coming out of the ECU also with no voltage before I found teh other blue/black stripe that worked. But it works now and no drillin or clunky wires in my sweet engine bay.


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## lmoorefx (Jul 15, 2005)

Im having an issue with the tach droping to 0 when I let off the gas quickly, anyone got an idea what it could be?


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## methpc (Mar 19, 2007)

nobody talk about b11?
b11 no ecu.


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## djs87 (Jun 17, 2007)

*i think i missed it*

sorry for the redundnt post 'cause i know its in here but which wire on a 92 e? bl/w?
ps that was an interesting "battle" you dont get that in sevice manuals:crazy: 
thanks


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## Dan9 (Sep 18, 2004)

Bump for a dead thread... I have 2 issues here. I am swapping a 91-92 NX2000 gauge cluster into my auto-manual swapped 94.5 XE. I have pinned out all the wires needed, put a speedo pinion into the tranny, cut a hole and ran a speedo cable to the cluster.

For the tach, I had an aftermarket one I was only able to get working by hacking the coil and running a wire to (the blue/black wire at ECU pin #2 didnt do anything). I tried running that same coil wire to the new cluster for the tach signal, but that shorted the ignition somehow and the car would only crank and not start. Disconnecting that wire, everything works fine.

EXCEPT no speed info. I somehow thought that with a cable-driven one I could ignore the cluster wires for the 'speed sensor' - the XE had 4 wires and the nx one has only 2.

Do I need to power the cable-driven speedo for it to work? If so, what wires could I choose (on the diagram it looks like the XE had 2 powered and 2 ground wires)?

For the tach, has anybody else been able to find an alternate ECU harness wire that carries a tach signal? I ran ECUtalk with a consult cable and got good RPM data, so I know the ECU is getting a signal from the engine.\

Thanks for any help/ideas.

Dan


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## Dan9 (Sep 18, 2004)

Bump c'mon I don't want to start trying RANDOM wires in the harness looking for a tach signal...anybody have a different signal wire??


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## Dan9 (Sep 18, 2004)

Ok So I put the ECU tach signal wire to the correct position. Speedo cable is installed right, and all should be well.

But, no tach and no speedo.

I am wondering if it is possible that I fried tach and/or speedo when I used my coil hacked wire for the tach signal, and the car only cranked with no start.???

Any way to test the tach and/or speedo? The cable is good. The pinion is good and all the way in. I have wired up tach and speedo as per toolapcfan's writeup.

Only other things I can think of are, I didnt wire up the water temp sensor, since mine doesnt give a good signal anyways (I have aftermarket so it didnt matter to me), I also skipped wiring up the buzzer, seatbelt light, washer indicator and similar useless crap.

No motion at all from speedo or tach at ACC or when car is running, and moving.

Weird. Looks like I downgraded since I already removed my mini-tach.


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## Brad (Jun 13, 2002)

I need help now my car won't start, Just keeps turning over and won't start did I hook a wire up wrong? Help please


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## joenathan89 (Mar 25, 2008)

hey i want to install a tach for my Sentra 98 GXE, can you guys tell me the color wire out of the ecu that i need to use?


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## Dan9 (Sep 18, 2004)

I want to connect an SE-R cluster up to my XE. In fact, last summer I tried to, but some speedo issues made it worthless(for teh time being) and I put back my XE cluster.

The problem I had was in getting a stock tach signal from teh ECu harness so I could get the stock SE-R tach to work...I tried using the coil wire that I (had to) hack for my sunpro tach, but that just caused a short and teh car wouldnt start.

I cant figure out why the stock wire wont give me tach signal.


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## joenathan89 (Mar 25, 2008)

you sure you used the right stock cable from your distributer? One is a positive cable and one negative. you want the negative. Try testing each one with a voltometer while you rev the engine. if the volts jump when you rev it, thats your tach signal


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## joenathan89 (Mar 25, 2008)

lmoorefx said:


> Im having an issue with the tach droping to 0 when I let off the gas quickly, anyone got an idea what it could be?


make sure you have a really tight connection between your tach wire and the signal wire. Use soder, or wrap it really tight.


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## Dan9 (Sep 18, 2004)

yes what I am saying is that the blue/white or blue/black wire at position 41(IIRC?) from ECU would not give a signal to an SE-R gauge cluster I tried to rig up.

I know that wire would not power teh Sunpro tach; for that one I am using the green/yellow(?) IIRC from the coil. But you can;t use that wire to power the gauge cluster tach; it shorts the car and it wont start.

Coo"?


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## NissanSentralol (Aug 4, 2008)

What exactly does a tach do for your car?


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## joenathan89 (Mar 25, 2008)

NissanSentralol said:


> What exactly does a tach do for your car?


It is an information gauge. It informs you on how many rpms your engine is going. And if you dont know a rpm is a revolution per minute. So when your engine makes a complete stroke that is a revolution. Knowing your rpms can help in shift times and just being able to know how fast your engine is going.


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## 94 Sentra-XE (Jun 23, 2008)

i have used this method both in my 91 sentra E (rip) and just did it about 10 minutes ago in my 94 sentra XE this is a spot on tutorial and i really appreciate this write up


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## codegamer (Oct 3, 2008)

i used the wires listed on this guide, and everything hooked up well to my $30 sunpro tach II gauge. only 1 problem, the light on the gauge does NOT dim, is on full brightness whenever i turn the lights on (not a real issue tho)

the instructions from the sunpro tach say to use the blue/black wire.. 2 did nothing and the 3rd (that i found) gives some reading, but no where near the correct reading.

the Light blue/white wire did the trick Thanks again.

BTW, its a 94 B13 XE 2 Door with only minor engine mods


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## GeneC (Mar 19, 2008)

I too installed a Sunpro II in my '94 XE, following the write up and it works perfectly.
Thanks.


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## kill_shot (Mar 10, 2009)

ok so i hooked it up to the blue black wire like the guide said, and i'm getting no reading...will it hurt if i try the blue/white wire like you?
this is coming from the ECu on the right side(passenger with that plastic shield gone(one metal screw and one plastic)

thanks


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## dezi (Aug 9, 2009)

where is the ignition coil located, and whats it look like, dont mind my dumb qeustions, thankx

________________________________________________--
94 sentra coupe


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## dezi (Aug 9, 2009)

when i get the tach up and running what sound i set the red line to??


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## dezi (Aug 9, 2009)

whats should i set my idle to???


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## SR-DUB (Aug 17, 2009)

thank you thank you thank you.....thank you


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## tmartin (May 19, 2010)

*Tach help*

I have a 91 sentra XE and a friend gave me a cluster out of a SE-R to install in my car, How do I go about this Electrically?


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## tmartin (May 19, 2010)

I forgot to mention I was talking about the wiring the tach and the connectors.


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## jbaguam (Jul 1, 2010)

*tach install b15*

Hi guys, 

has anyone ever installed a tachomoter to the 2001 b15 sentra xe ? I researched the b15 thread and I did not find any informationregarding the install. I happened to find the write up for the car mentioned (b13) in this forum and I hope anyone can shed some light on my install. 

I have the Sunpro Super tach 2 mini I have no problem with the red, black, and white wires but I cannot seem to find the rpm signal that connects from the car to the (green) wire. According to the instructions the signal wire is the blue wire with the orange stripe I tried connectin there but I got no signal. 

i then tried connecting to the engine control module where the blue wire with orange stripe originates but i had no luck there (something about pin#32). 

my last option is the coil but I dont know where or what the coil looks like. if any one can help me that would be great.

thanks in advance everyone.


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## SunnyB13NJ (Oct 16, 2010)

what if i wanna to put a monster tach on my SE-R how can i wire that up


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## chrismariscal (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks for this great write up. Did mine last night. Took about 3 hours, for me. 
I was a little lost as to which blue/white wire it was, but i found it. 
Check it out!


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## racerty1 (May 8, 2011)

Great write up! I plan on doing this this week when i make my auto parts store run for an exhaust gasket. I'm going to pick up a tach and pillar mount while i'm there, some plastic epoxy and paint, sandpaper, and also for the wiring i'm going to splice all the wires into a computer style 4-pin "molex" connector for easy removal if i ever want to.



chrismariscal said:


> Thanks for this great write up. Did mine last night. Took about 3 hours, for me.
> I was a little lost as to which blue/white wire it was, but i found it.
> Check it out!


Wish my gas gauge read the same thing right now. Tach doesn't look bad there either.


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## bobstik (Jul 20, 2011)

*Help*

ok so my friend and i were going to install a tach we spliced it into the ignition coil. seemed to work fine. i leave and less than a mile out my engine cuts off. i try to start and it cranks but wont start. so i do some troubleshooting and get frustrated so i cut all the wire and splice the green back together, still nothing. i check the fuse box under the hood and the "engine cont" fuse is blown. i go and buy another fuse and it starts up. about a month later it blows again, buy another and it starts up about 2 or 3 days after that it dies, i put another fuse in and now it wont start at all, still cranks tho. i tried re-splicing with no luck. am i missing something its becoming really frustrating!

Any help i can get will be great! thanks!


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## RJ64 (Jul 23, 2017)

I decided to get a small 'cheapo' tach off eBay to install. It's 2" face is perfect for what I wanted and looks good. The dash pad is already cracked in several places, so I didn't feel bad about putting a hole in it to run the wires down behind the center dash part, where the radio and all is located. Hooked the power wires to the cigar lighter, since it turns off with the key, and the back light wires to the cigar lighter light. No problems doing that. The fun was finding the correct wire for the tach signal. There are a few wires on the ECU that are identical but run to different places. After about 6 tries to find the right wire, I finally found the light blue with white stripe wire. It's like a Carolina Blue. Finally it worked. I even had the ECU out, and yeah that was fun to get out. Nissan made sure that wiring harness was never gonna vibrate out! Those wires are small like 18 or 20 ga, so be careful when pulling on them. Anyway....so on the way to work this morning I was going along at 4K rpm at 65 mph in 4th gear, because 5th doesn't work. That looked about normal so no worries there. By the time I had gone 20 miles the tach had slowly dropped down to 3K rpm at the same speed. Just great. Well....it was only $12 lol what do you expect? At least all the wires are already run and I can fish them out a bit through the hole on the dash pad for a different tach that will hopefully work better. Live and learn....again haha.


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## RJ64 (Jul 23, 2017)

Well....on a hunch I decided to try something. I disconnected the tach signal wire from the blue w/white stripe wire from the ecu, and connect it directly to the coil signal wire. Now the tach works fine! At least it's nice to know that the tach is ok, but why did the other wire not work out? Many other people didn't have, or didn't say, that they had any problems with it. It would be nice to have all the wiring inside the cabin, but it's the Hooptie so doesn't really matter.


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## Hiimowen (Sep 15, 2020)

toolapcfan said:


> :thumbdwn: Or you could do it the correct way. Please see my post above, #10.


How about those sentra that is a carb type they dont have ECU. Thats why we connect it on the distributor wire.


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## FootballGuy05 (12 mo ago)

cowsnuker said:


> This write-up is for the Nissan Sentra XE. 2door or 4door.
> 
> I did quite a bit of searching, only write-up I could fine consisted of the cluster swap, not really an individual aftermarket tach install. There were some "help me!" posts, but here's the answer.
> 
> ...


is this the same for a base model Sentra?


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