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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Tacho removal help.

Hi all,
Happily aglow from yesterdays MOT pass ( !!) , I would like to remove the tacho so I can replace the entire cable from there back to the coil, as I suspect there is a poor contact / poor earth / poor cable at some point.
How do I get the tacho out??
Cheers all
Colin
colin frowen

Just remove the two knurled nuts and clamps under the dash and then pull it out.

Trev
T Mason

Its a fiddle mess of rats nesting wires ...you have to bend and contort your body into the footwell then reach up under the dash and do as trev pointed out
1 Paper

On a UK model, it's a fairly easy job, as Trev says.
Dave O'Neill 2

Hi all,
Thanks - doesn't seem too bad a job to do (yes , I know ....9 hours later.......)
Cheers
Colin
colin frowen

Be sure to disconnect the battery first. Fiddling blind with electrified circuits in the vicinity rarely ends well!
s1

I have found that taking a Valium about half an hour prior to reinstalling either the tachometer or speedometer helps a lot. It saves an hour or so of work and spares the neighbors the foul language that would otherwise stream our of the garage.
Glenn Mallory

When reaching up behind the dash to undo the knurled nuts for the instruments, shut your eyes. You cannot see what you are doing anyway and shutting your eyes improves how you deal with things by touch only. It's to do with cutting out irrelevant inputs to your brain. I guess we all do it occasionally, but do it consciously and it really helps.
GuyW

That's an interesting point Guy which makes sense.
W Bretherton

I poke the phone camera up behind the dash for that sort of job. The picture can be a useful reference.

Graeme Williams

Colin,
after you've finished reinstalling check all connections and fitting in that area because it's easy to loosen something else whilst tightening the thing you're installing as it's a pretty congested tight area.

I'd second disconnecting the battery - "you know it makes sense" (I forget what that's from).
Nigel Atkins

"You know it makes sense". Quite right Nigel, it does. BTW the first use of that catchphrase I can remember was Harold Wilson explaining why devaluing the pound was such a good idea.

Also the phone camera idea is very helpful.I use that a lot. Last time was to find out what tool I needed to take out the caliper pins in the POS Ford Focus. (7mm Allen key,if it helps).

Cheers.
Greybeard

This thread was discussed between 04/04/2017 and 05/04/2017

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