hi all...

long time member/lurker and have a question... i sold a tach from a 1970 series one 240z to someone overseas in Brunei, which i believe is in the philipines... it came from a non-runner so am not sure of the condition of the tach prior to sale.

he installed it in his 1977 260z (remember, he's overseas) and when the car is started, the needle went up to 1k rpms and stopped. turned key off and it stayed there. the previous tach did not work at all. both tachs are 4wire tachs. he says the distributor is not points and is upgraded to electronic distributor.

i've searched all threads just searching "tachometer" here and at zcar.com and haven't found anything exactly like what he describes. seems like when most tachs die they rise up to 8k rpm and stay there. a few topics on the needle sticking at various places, am thinking this is closest to his problem.

his "mechanic" says the magnets inside are frozen and keeping the needle from moving. do you think it is just a matter of opening it up and lubricating? or is there some incompatability w/the two tachs?

i'm tryin to help him out as best i can several thousand miles away. any help will be greatly appreciated.

I have had success getting a couple of stuck tachs to work again by opening them up and lubricating the movement. There is a tension adjustment on one end of the pivot points as well. I am not sure what kind of tach a non North-American 1977 260z would use, but if they are both 4 wire it should work.

If the needle stay up when the car is off there is a mechanical problem with the tach. Probably a dry bearing or perhaps old lubricant that has become sticky over time. To fix it the tach needs to be disassembled, cleaned, and then lubricated with a light oil that won't get sticky as it ages. Clock oil might work well.

ok thanks guys. was kinda what i was thinking as well. i will let him know and hopefully it will work out for him. thanks!