Tacho fitment to Defender

[disconut]

Tired of knowing the time and not what the engine is doing? :idea:
I was and fitted the tacho specifically for efficient towing.
I bought the tacho through my dealer, it has a TD5 logo on it and goes straight in. See the attached link for full details. The tacho pulse wire on ours is different.
:!: The Aus Defender is fitted with ABS, as the ABS circuit uses a yellow/pink wire from the ECU for its RPM feed. You splice into this cable to get your tacho feed.
Non-ABS cars have a white/slate wire.
Link:
http://www.web-rover.co.uk/nav.php?p=articles/vdotacho

The Tacho in Aus cost around $280.00. I fitted the thing myself. Being a fussy nut it took about 3 hours. The clock is still in the workshop. I have a large LCD battery powered job fitted below the ashtray and above the radio fascia.
If you need anymore help just yell.
Trev.

[Lionel]

As a matter of interest, did you have to trace the ABS wire back to the ECU under the drivers seat, or does the wire appear in the loom behind the instrument panel?

Also, who did you buy the tacho from?

Cheers,

Lionel

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Great post!!

I have a question though... does it look like the one graham cooper sells ?

http://www.lrexpert.com.au/parts_gif/large/392.jpg

The page with the description and price is here.

http://www.lrexpert.com.au/custom.php?page=defender

I'm really keen to fit one of these but I don't think I'm going to have time before my trip after my pole encounter :cry: :cry:

[septimus]

The link given shows the price as GBP50 which translates to about AUD125 so maybe it is worth buying direct and saving over AUD100?

[sclarke]

Or go to VDO and buy one direct.

[septimus]

Not sure about getting it from VDO - the web site says that the one they sell for GBP50 has modifications to compensate for the low voltage from the ECU - maybe the VDO one won't work in the Defender...

[disconut]

Hi all,
Answers to questions:

Yes its like the Graeme Cooper unit.

The ECU wire does not pop out in the loom unfortunately. I found the easiest way to get there was to exit the seat box grommet towards the gear box and run it forward and up the firewall. There is a grommet that gives you direct entry to the instrument pod. Going under the floor mats was a bit of a hassle to hide the wiring. I also used a black "split loom" over the wire to give it some protection. The power supply can be picked up from the back of the ign switch. The lighting supply is picked up off the other gauges.
The gauge came from Land Rover Australia via my dealer.
Cheers,
Trev.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

i just fitted mine tonight......and it works.....

you need to use the pink and grey wire on pin 19 of the ecu black plug.
there are two wires this colour....pin 19 is the one in the centre of the plug.

[disconut]

Great to hear.
Do you have any idea's for the clock? I have thought about the wide pillar section on the passenger side of the dash area. Dont know whats behind it though. I may replace the standard radio anyway and get a whizz bang timepiece that way. I only need it for the school zones.
Cheers,
Trev.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Originally posted by disconut
Great to hear.
Do you have any idea's for the clock? I have thought about the wide pillar section on the passenger side of the dash area. Dont know whats behind it though. I may replace the standard radio anyway and get a whizz bang timepiece that way. I only need it for the school zones.
Cheers,
Trev.
Could you use the power and light from the clock for the tacho? I noticed above you used other sources?

[disconut]

Lighting is fine, but you need a switched supply for the tacho or it will have power applied all the time. Thats why I use the ignition supply.
cheers.

[CraigE]

I spoke to one of the guys from the VDO wholesaler in Perth and it is VDO that supply these units to Rover worldwide anyway. Just look at the backs of the rest of your gauges in a Defender they are all VDO. They will supply these Tachos for $150AUD which is a damn sight cheaper than through Rover. Their agent is Aisat ph 08 93505545.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

just make sure they are the same ones though....these require a small input signal as given by the ecu....

a normal vdo tacho requires a higher input signal and will not read correctly if installed...

[one_iota]

If a Td5 Disco has a Tacho why doesn't a Defender Td5?style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

Call me an idiot but surely the connection of an after market tacho for a Td5 Defender should be the same as that of a Td5 Disco.
8)

[DEFENDERZOOK]

we all agree....its just that no one has looked to see where they are connected to on a disco.

to simply get a wire from under the drivers seat to the dash on a TD5 defender is a drama......

[disconut]

Apparently some models do have the wire in the loom at the dash. For some reason the Aus models don't. Mine is a Sth African build so perhaps a clock is more important in a timeless land. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif
trev.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Originally posted by disconut
Apparently some models do have the wire in the loom at the dash. For some reason the Aus models don't. Mine is a Sth African build so perhaps a clock is more important in a timeless land. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif
trev.
That's interesting... I wonder what the go is with the English ones?

[CraigE]

[/quote]just make sure they are the same ones though....these require a small input signal as given by the ecu....

a normal vdo tacho requires a higher input signal and will not read correctly if installed...<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>
The ones I was shown by ASIAT VDO are the original ones supplied to Land Rover and even have TD5 on the dial. They will also tell you how to wire them up.[/b][/quote]

[solmanic]

Check out: http://www.croytec.co.uk/
Their price for the genuine TD5 tacho is 95GBP + 12GBP postage - a total of 107GBP or about $270. I guess it is still easier to buy locally.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">it costs the same locally....</span>



http://www.lrexpert.com.au/parts_gif/large/392.jpg





<span style="color:blue">and here is the link......</span>
http://www.lrexpert.com.au/custom.php?page=defender

[cameron]

Hi guys,
Now that you have got the tacho for the td5 sorted out can anyone help with info about a tacho for a 300 tdi defender?

Anyone got advice on that one as well? Thankfully no ecu to worry about ...

Thanks in advance,
Cameron

[tombraider]

The TD5 with ABS/ETC doesnt have the wire. A conventional TD5 has the wire behind the dash... Go figure!

I had to branch into the wire just behind the ECU plug for my tacho.

For a 300tdi I believe they take the pulse from the alternator.
Can't assist much more there sorry.

Cheers
Mike

[Grizzly_Adams]

For the tdi you gotta get the tacho from somewhere like croytec or VDO and do all the wiring yourself :cry:

As tombraider mentioned you gotta wire it to the alternator.

Don't know much more about it yet, still on my list of "things to do but haven't got around to yet because I couldn't be a*sed"

[Scouse]

Originally posted by solmanic
Check out: http://www.croytec.co.uk/
Their price for the genuine TD5 tacho is 95GBP + 12GBP postage - a total of 107GBP or about $270. I guess it is still easier to buy locally.

Originally posted by and Defenderzook
it costs the same locally.... and here is the link......
http://www.lrexpert.com.au/custom.php?page=defender
Defenderzook, do you know if Coopers price is supply only or supply & fit ?

They're $243.06 full retail direct from the LR dealer (supply only).

If anyone want's one, I'm sure I could better the dealer retail (or trade) price for AULRO members :wink: .

[tombraider]

The tacho is cheap enough from the Dealers in Oz.
As for wiring it up, its easy as can be.

I'll try to do a write up of my installation but seriously it was so simple.

I ran 1 wire down the dash, across the tunnel and into the box with the ECu via the same grommets that the OBD connector use.
Then its a matter of stripping back 1 wire an soldering the wire onto it and resealing it.

Then remove the clock, fit tacho in, attach positive wire from ECU and push back into position in dash.

Your done!

Cheers
Mike

[disconut]

Well, I moved the clock to fit the Tacho, then I moved the fuel gauge to fit the Turbo Boost Gauge.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2005/12/48.jpg


So what happened to the clock and fuel gauge?
Took a while to get brave enough, but, ..........fired up the hole saw, modified a twin gauge bracket to get a professional looking finish, and here they are.




https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2005/12/49.jpg

Trev.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

Originally posted by Scouse+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scouse)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-solmanic
Check out: http://www.croytec.co.uk/
Their price for the genuine TD5 tacho is 95GBP + 12GBP postage - a total of 107GBP or about $270. I guess it is still easier to buy locally.

Originally posted by and Defenderzook
it costs the same locally.... and here is the link......
http://www.lrexpert.com.au/custom.php?page=defender
Defenderzook, do you know if Coopers price is supply only or supply & fit ?

They're $243.06 full retail direct from the LR dealer (supply only).

If anyone want's one, I'm sure I could better the dealer retail (or trade) price for AULRO members :wink: .[/b][/quote]



[b]<span style="color:blue">sorry scouse...i only just saw this.....

the price is supply only.....
thats where i got mine from.....
its not hard to fit it yourself.....just a pain to get the wire from the ecu to the dash...</span>

[DEFENDERZOOK]

<span style="color:blue">disconut....i like your idea.....its giving me ideas...... https://www.aulro.com/afvb/



i miss my clock......i dont wear a watch....
i was gonna fit it to my top shelf.....above the windscreen....</span>

[Scouse]

Nice job Disconut https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ .

It just doesn't have enough exposed screws to make it look "factory fit" though :wink: .

[abaddonxi]

It's so clean.

Noooo, it burns, it burns.


Sweet looking job.


Cheers
Simon

[sclarke]

Where you Fuel & Clock is, what was there???
and the switch above the red one what is that????

As for the Tacho on mine....

Hearing..... if its hurting its reving too hard.....

[disconut]

Originally posted by sclarke
Where you Fuel & Clock is, what was there???
and the switch above the red one what is that????

1. Nothing, just plain dash. Tunza room behind there!
2. My Shu Roo Switch is the red one.
3. The black paddle switch is for my spotties. (was a black rubber bung).

Cheers

Trev.