17 replies to this topic

[Roo]

i don't have a rev counter on my mini and wanted to get one. any recommendations on where to get one and for the best quality and price. Also how do i fit it?

Roo
xXx

[TimS]

What size do you want, you can get them in 52mm the same size as the small dials or you can get much bigger, depending on your dash. As for makes, Smiths is always going to be the most origional but there are toher companies out there such as Tim, REVOTEC, Mocal, VDO and stack to name a few

Have a look here at
Demon Tweaks
and
Minispares

[TimS]

As for fitting you get instructions with it, they are very simple to wire up with only 3 wires

[mini_miniman]

sorry to but in but the 3 wires you are talking about are they loose or do you have to splice on to them? the wiring on my mini seems to be every where.also what colours are they? cheers miniman :grin:


hope this helps roo too!

[Papa Lazaroo]

The wires usually go to the coil. I had to buy some extra wire as the ones supplied were not long enough. They need to be threaded through the bulkhead and I just stripped the ends and attached them to the pos and neg terminals of the coil using the existing little bolts.

[Roo]

thanks guys. that really helped. now i have to decide which one. lol

Roo
xXx

[dklawson]

Typical modern tachs are voltage pulse sensing. They connect to the (-) terminal of the ignition coil (frequently with a green wire). Tachs have internal circuitry that requires power. Therefore you have two power wires to connect (red = +12V, black = ground). The red wire should be connected to a switched power source, one that is "off" when your ignition is off. Most tachs are also illuminated (typically using a white wire) so you need to make a wiring connection to your dash lamps.

As mentioned, the wires supplied with the units are usually short and you should plan on having to extend them. If you must pass any wires through the firewall, be sure to use a rubber grommet. Don't pass the wires through a bare hole in sheet metal.

Early Minis never had tachs. I'm not sure when they started showing up as factory items. Sticking with Smiths is fine, but in the case of an older car... you can't say because it's because of "originality". I like VDO gauges. They are high quality and highly reliable. I've seen very old VDO instruments which work like new (including being in calibration) after decades of service. Modern Smiths units (from Caerbont) will probably be better than older Smiths units. If you opt for Smiths (used from a scrap yard), don't pick up any gauge labeled "RVI" on the front, they are current sensing which makes them incompatible with electronic ignitions and they are harder to connect. Gauges marked RVC on their faces will generally last longer and are easier to connect to your car.

by the way (and this is important), the color codes I mentioned above are for "modern" gauges. I don't believe that Smiths (even today) uses those colors. Always install as your gauge maker says paying attention to the color codes in their instructions.

[Sprocket]

sorry to but in but the 3 wires you are talking about are they loose or do you have to splice on to them? the wiring on my mini seems to be every where.also what colours are they? cheers miniman :grin:


hope this helps roo too!

:erm: Thought I explained that to you the other night

I'll check the wiring on my mini on sunday and give you the correct colour wires and which ones need splicing if at all

Roo

Is your car a carb or injection? I forgot :nugget:

[ashmeadant]

I'm also getting a rev counter. 80mm i think. I only got a 2 dial dash so can i just buy a new dashboard or do i have to buy the new unit that they are in (if u know what i mean) buying a dashboard is basicalyy a bit of wood isnt it, so i guess i need to buy a 3 dial box thnigy (repeatin myself ).

Also i thought that the hand on the dial as turned by a cable? Or am i too old fasioned???

[Bungle]

you can convert a 2 dial dask to the 3 dial dash with just a small bit of wiring :smartass:

[ashmeadant]

so it would just screw into back of my new dashboard then? coolios, i cnt find any 3-pod dashboard box thingys.

I found this

Clicky

Can it just bolt into back of my bit of wood (dashboard) and i then connect wires behind to places? lol :S

Edited by ashmeadant, 04 January 2006 - 10:47 PM.

[dklawson]

Ashmeadant, there are cable driven tachs but these haven't been used on cars in quite a while. To use one on the Mini (and there were kits for this a long time ago) requires some adapters to allow you to mount a cable drive off the front of the camshaft through the timing chain cover. Very messy.

New quality tachs can cost serious money. VDO is quality and generally the components last longer the Smiths units. These regularly show up on eBay. I've got a couple of VDO units from the early 1970s that still are accurately calibrated after all these years.

The scrap yard may have some old Smiths units. If you look for one of those, make sure it says RVI on the face somewhere as these are much more compatible with later ignition systems.

[Kerrin]

The Three dial clocks from a 1275gt or any of the newer minis are a straight swap for the two dial clocks. just make sure you get the whole assembly including the mounts which are small (7/16" I think) nuts on the bulkhead behind the master cylinders.

Also make sure you get the black dashboard trim from either side, as they are a different length to the two clock.

There is one big multi plug, to swap over, and the speedo cable. Then once the new clocks are fitted, there is some simple wiring for the rev counter itself.

Try and get the clocks from a similar age car with the same size wheels 12" or 10"
so the speedo is the same.

otherwise some swapping and changing of the individual dials may be required

[Dan]

Before butchering your wiring loom or adding extra wires check that the tacho wires aren't already present. They are fitted to almost all looms made since 1976 as standard whether the car has a tacho or not.

[ashmeadant]

Thanks for the help people, would this wiring already be behind the dash? And what colour would it be? I expect it'll be in my bible anyway... hehe thanks great help!