eryou

Tach in my 996.1 has been dead since I picked it up. Dead as in it never moves, ever. I had my assumptions and bought it expecting the worst. I seem to have gotten the worst. This is referring to the dash gauge; OBDII live date does show RPM. I checked the plugs in the back of the dash pod, I put in a new top of the line Bosch alternator and checked the plug there, both connections were good. But when I checked the current across the wire, from alternator to dash pod, I couldn't get any continuity. It is possible (I did this wrong). Car previously had a an obscenely large stereo installed by what I assume was a 20 year old with late 2000's YouTube access. Best guess is he crushed it somewhere while running wires for subs and such ***** nilly? Anyway, I couldn't see a break, and Porsche doesn't sell the pig tail or wire alone, only the entire DME wiring harness for an absolute mint, and a headache. What are my options? My mechanic suggested an OBDII-based digital unit in the vent. I'm wondering if I can tap into pin #9 on the OBDII port for a real dash pod gauge.

Flyfishnick

I'm sure someone in here has the know-how coming to you ya. Beyond my skillset I'm afraid.

brontosaurus

I would buy the crappiest cluster I could just to plug it in and verify that it is indeed a wiring issue first.

Viper1000

So you have power to the back of the cluster itself? I've never heard of just the tach going bad. Usually when it goes bad the whole thing takes a dump which is rare. You can find used cluster on FB Market place or eBay from dismantlers for $200-$300....

e30rapidic

Had the gauges been replaced? Or attempted to be replaced? My tach gauge quit working but I had separated the stepper motor casing and dislodged the worm gear by accident. Had to take apart and fix, no problems now.

I have 2 parts clusters somewhere....If I recall correctly, tach assembly is separate from the main board.

Can't upload pics at the moment for some reason but can confirm the tach is separate from the main board. So tach can be swapped and not worry about mileage issues.