09chaplak

Any ideas on how this could happen? When I turn the key to ON, it turns toward the needle stop. Had it running and the engine just surges but the rpms stay put at that needle

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

And this started when?

09chaplak

When I changed the timing belt. Also during that time I had to replace the alternator, cleaned the intake manifold inside and out. Turned the key to on and it started creeping up. Turned it off and it went back to normal. Did it again and it just kept going, now it sits where it is in the picture

09chaplak

So no CEL, it starts up and I cracked into the dash and carefully lifted the needle over the stop. No surges but the gauge wasn't reading at all, not even when I gave it some gas so I double checked the CKF sensor and it looks like the alternator belt chewed right through the wiring harness for it. Could that cause this? Seems weird I'm not getting a check engine light and the gauge is just completely unresponsive. Gonna order a new one and see if that works.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Why did you screw up the gauge when there was nothing wrong with it?

09chaplak

Ha I tried to get a video of what it was doing. Basically it went all the way around past 8500 as if it were registering 11000 or so, like the picture. Now when I start it, it flys towards the stop needle continuing to spin clockwise. After I lifted it back over, it did the same thing even when the car was idling. It would just creep higher and higher even though the car was idling just fine. When I shut it off, it went back to the position in the picture. It's like if the stop wasn't there, it would just go around like a clock. So it was normal, then it went to the picture. Then I put it back to normal, then it went back to the picture.

Former User

You obviously need to fix the CKF wires first as the tach malfunction may be related.

After the CKF wires are repaired, if the tech problem continues, then unplug the blue wire from the ICM inside the distributor to see whether the odd tach behavior ceases.

09chaplak

Thanks for the help Ron, I ordered a new CKF and I'll check to see if it fixes the problem. If not I'll try unplugging the wire like you said and check it out.

09chaplak

New CKF didn't fix it and unplugging the blue wire in the dizzy only made it act differently. Once the car turned over, the tach rose slowly to about 3k and when I revved the engine what would have been past 3k, it acted like it wanted to register the change in rpm by moving a little bit but nothing close to what would've been a normal read. I suppose next would be to check the wires coming into the cluster for a bad connection. Also, one quick question because my minds just racing about what this could be. Could the crankshaft drive pulley be to blame and if so what sort of situations could cause it to be at fault? I've been searching threads for similar scenarios and am coming up with nothing.

Former User

Is the CKF CEL code now gone? Any other CEL codes?

The tach should not move at all with the blue wire disconnected. Use a multimeter to check for a short or voltage in the unplugged blue wire.

What's wrong with the crank pulley?

09chaplak

No CEL. I'll be able to check the voltage or lack thereof later tonight. Nothing's wrong with it as far as I'm concerned, I'm just wondering since the sensors work off of magnets, whether or not something could have been switched. Just the way the tach is acting, it seems as though something is backwards. When the engine shuts off, the tach needle flys clockwise instead of just dropping to the stop needle.

Former User

Does the CEL work? Have you checked with a code reader? Was the CEL on when the CKF wires were severed?

The tach doesn't work, but nothing is wrong?

Then get the service manual and verify the wires are pinned properly.

09chaplak

Yikes, how far I've come haha just want to close this and give details as to how the problem was solved just in case someone else searches for the same problem and come up empty handed. So, CEL was working (on for 3 seconds with key at ON(II) then turned off). Verified. The CEL was not on with the old chewed up CKF nor with the new one installed. Weird. Blue ICM wasn't tested but from I'm about to tell you, it probably would've read fine because even with it unplugged the tach was still moving and jumping around. This leaves just about one thing left, the cluster. Swapped out the cluster and it's working like a dream. My thoughts are that when the CFK sensor was chewed up by the alternator belt, it sent some wrong signals up the wrong wires shorting something in the cluster causing it to act like that. Something you might not think about when you're doing work around things you think are unrelated. I was changing my timing belt and my tachometer no longer worked da hell?! So if this happens to you, just think about all possibilities when doing work and an "unrelated" problem to what you did surfaces.