My base 1990 XJ is a manual tranny but w/out a tach. Since 1st and 2nd gears are about the shortest damn gears I've ever driven, and I'm prone to wind them up too high, I think I'd better install a tach to keep my bad habit in check.

Any advice how to install one? And any advice on where I can mount a tach IN the dash so it looks factory-correct? There appears to be no dummy slot in my dash for a tach.

Thanks in advance.

CJ

Go to the junk yard and pull gauge cluster with a tach and just install it that way. It should all be a plug and play. Just try to find one the same year or at least close to the same year.

Seems like I remember from way back when that the aftermarket tack green wire (I think) mounted to the negative side of the coil. Whatever color the signal wire, that's the one that mounts to the negative side of the coil. Monster tach with a adjustable shift light would be cool.

X2

It will also give you an oil pressure gauge and temp gauge instead of idiot lights.

You just need to swap the sensors.

I agree, get a cluster from the JY

Great advice. Thanks, all.

CJ

Adding the aftermarket tachometer to my 1988 Cherokee is not very straight forward, there are 6 wires coming out of the box (I assume the ECU) that the coil is mounted to. Anyone with a suggestion on which the green wire goes to?

I know this thread is a little old, did this work for you doing a swap from an auto into a manual and get the tach to work? I'm wanting to do the same thing to mine so I can have a tach in mine.

An auto-to-manual swap should be just fine for the gauges. I'm using a cluster from an automatic in my manual 95. Just make sure that you get the appropriate donor - I think it's something like 91-93 will work - basically if you have a mechanical speedo or electric.

Thank you, I'll keep my eye out for a cluster from a year around mine then.

What I'd do if I were you is to get the parts catalog for your year (xjjeeps.com may have it) find the part number for the upgrade cluster - then check the number against other years. 87-90 were Renix but the cluster may be the same. 91-93 were similar years, then 94-96 and for 97 they completely remodeled the interior, so the style is not compatible directly.