90 Tach instrument cluster problem

[EzRush]

SO I buy this instrument cluster from a fellow FF.com member and well the packaging was just awful. Anyway the two white tabs for each electrical connection was broken off. So I tried to connect it and well everything went retarded and I presume I blew a fuse because my signal lights no longer work.

Now I plugged the speedo cable in and the speedoment works but the tach dosen't (this is without the electrical cables plugged in)

Could somebody give me some insight as to what the heck went wrong here?

[Kindred]

The tach runs off the wiring harness. If you can get the electrical connectors plugged in, it will work.

[jeffdjeffd]

what year is your festiva? There are subtle differences. If you have an early, you have to run the tach wire.
jeff

[EzRush]

The year is a 93 festiva L.

I got the speedometer working and I connected the two electrical plugs and well that made thing worse, it apparently blew a fuse for my signal lights and the dash light is off and the only functioning light on the dash is the seat belt light all other don't function.

And when I plug the old dash in the same thing basically happened. So does this mean that the dash killed something pretty bad

[EzRush]

Well it tuns out I just blew a couple fuses however for some reason my Gas Gauge is no longer working!!...

Any thoughts on why this might be?

[danohall]

Re: Tach

jeffdjeffd, you say an earlier model festy needs a wire ran for the tach to work?

Is that really so? I thought is was a straight instrument cluster R&R?

Dan

[jeffdjeffd]

not necessarily. There are a few oddball Festiva's that are not entirely plug and play. My April 1987 built 88 Festiva did not have the tach wire included in the harness. It was early enough to have some other oddities, including a completely different steering wheel, an oddball climate control panel that was unlike any other I've ever seen on a Festiva, and some other things. I know for a fact it was all original, because I bought it from a friend who was original owner.
jeff

[qaking]

My 88 L did not have the tach wire in the cluster connector.
I had to run my own wire to the coil.

[Tim]

It was early enough to have some other oddities, including a completely different steering wheel, an oddball climate control panel that was unlike any other I've ever seen on a Festiva, and some other things.

You got any pictures of this? I'm really curious to see what the oddball stuff looked like.


Regards,

Tim