Auto Meter makes a variety of aftermarket performance gauges for virtually every make and model vehicle. Hooking up one of Auto Meter's performance tachometers in your vehicle will give the interior a customized look when compared to the stock gauge cluster tachometer. Since the Auto Meter tachometers connect to the stock vehicle wiring harness with just a few simple wiring connections, troubleshooting any problems with the Auto Meter tachometer can be completed by a quick check of the gauge wires.
Check the integrity of all wire connections to the tachometer gauge terminals, located on the rear of the gauge. Since the rear of the gauge is easily accessible by hand, troubleshooting the wires on the gauge itself is the best place to start. Ensure that all wires are securely connected to their proper terminals. Wires may vary depending on the model of your tachometer, but these generally include a red power wire, a white illumination wire, a black grounding wire, and a violet RPM signal wire.
Check the shift light power plug connection into the rear of the gauge if your tachometer is equipped with a shift light. These are ran off the tachometer's main power supply via the shift light power plug into the gauge rear. The shift lights are often shipped from Auto Meter unplugged, making it a common mistake to forget to plug them in when wiring the rest of the gauge connections.
Access the tachometer's power wire connection. Depending on installation, the exact location of the wire splices may vary. Generally, the tachometer power wire is spliced into a 12-volt power wire in the stock ignition harness. Remove any Phillips-head screws securing the plastic steering column cover located just behind your vehicle's steering wheel, and lift the cover off. Check that the tachometer power wire is securely spliced into a 12-volt power source. An insufficient power source would cause sporadic failure and/or misread RPM values by the tachometer.
Check that the tachometer RPM signal wire is securely spliced into the stock RPM signal wire. Generally, this is the violet wire on the Auto Meter tachometer. Refer to a shop maintenance manual for your vehicle's stock wiring diagram if you are unsure of the stock RPM signal wire location. An improperly connected RPM signal wire can cause your gauge to not register any RPM value at all, or to misread the RPM signal and give you faulty readouts.
Replace any malfunctioning parts of the tachometer. If you are sure that all wiring connections are securely spliced and insulated, the likely problem is with the tachometer components. If your tachometer fails to light, replace the illumination bulb inside the gauge assembly. These can be found directly from Auto Meter's website at autometer.com, and at many auto parts retailers. More complicated electronic malfunctions may necessitate replacing the entire tachometer unit. Note that such malfunctions should be extremely rare if the tachometer is wired properly.
