'87 Pathfinder Tach Swap problem

[wd21san]

So i have a '87 pathfinder and decided to swap in a new gauge cluster because the z24i pathy does not have a tach stock. This was a fun project that lead to me swaping the entire dash out of the doner rig because mine was so hashed out. The doner pathfinder was an 87 that had the v6 and the a gauge cluster with a tach. The only problem that i have had with this project is now the tach works but is only reading like half my real rpms... Acording to the tac i idle at around 400 rpm and redline around 3000... I would guess its because the tach is for a vg30i but just wanted some input or advise from anyone that has done this project before. Thanks

[Chuck Tribolet]

It's a real good bet that the tach is running 2/3 low. That is, 400 on the tach is 600 at the engine. The tach basically counts spark
pulses, and assumes that there are six pulses for ever two revs. You are only giving it four. There may be a switch setting on the
back of the tach, usually turned with a small screwdriver.

You have one of the very few four-banger PFs! That E model was only around for a few weeks at the beginning of the '87 model year.
Then the PF got popular, went on back order (I had to wait a month for mine in late '86) and Nissan just built the high-end models for
a while, and never brought E model back.

No back seat, right? But 4x4, right? Rubber floor mats, right? Spare tire strapped down on the back deck, right?

Is this a US truck?


Chuck

[wd21san]

Thanks for the advise with the tach, im going to take my new cluster out this weekend and see if there is some kind of adjustment. Ill make sure to post pics because I have not really found much in my research.

As far as my nissan being a E type alot of things seem to make sense. The floor is all rubber, 4x4, spare tire is mounted inside the back cargo area, and was produced january of 87. The one thing that doesnt line up is mine does have a folding back seat. I have noticed with all my trips to the junkyards that the pathys have carpet flooring and fabric seats (my seats are kind of like the stuff the dash is made out of). Ill post pics of my WD this weekend. Also it is a U.S. rig

[Chuck Tribolet]

IIRC, the basic $9999 MSRP E model didn't have a back seat. I could be wrong about that. Maybe the folding seat was an option, or
a dealer-install.

The E model was a SERIOUS job of cost reduction to get the MSRP under $10K. The only other car I've ever seen get that serious a
cost reduce was the '72ish Pinto at an MSRP of about $1800. I had a GF in the '70s that had one of those.

[wd21san]

My dad got it in 86 so ill see if i can find all the info. It was the last vehical he bought before he died in 1990 so my mom and i have kept it. Funny part is i called my mom and she told me that whenever she took it to a shop they always had a hell of a time getting parts that would work with it. She didn't remeber exactly what the parts were but they were always a little differnt. During my various repairs I havn't had trouble finding parts but im a junkyard guy

[Chuck Tribolet]

When chasing parts, remember that the Gen 1 PF was a pickup (Frontier?) at heart. They dropped an SUV body on, and changed the rear suspension from Hotchkiss
(leaf springs) to coils and five-link. That's about it. IIRC, the FSM was for both PF and PU.

I might well have ended up with an E model, but my future wife was insistent that it have a sunroof. That meant an SE. The E and XE didn't have sunroofs. And I
wanted an outside spare tire, so that meant the power/sport package (it was "optional", but it was on every SE (and a fair number of XEs) that I saw back then.
Mine was so new that the local cop pulled me over the first time I drove it through town (small down, friendly cops) to check it out.


Chuck

[wd21san]

Well here she is, I painted it in highschool my senior year. I swapped in the front end off of a '90 2wd i found at the junkyard. My friend gave me the 90's wheels for free couple years ago. I still have all the stock equipment i have swapped out just incase i ever want to change it up again. I would love to see a pic of anyone with a similar year of pathy, we may want to start a new thread tho

[Chuck Tribolet]

Front end meaning suspension and steering? Or the tube front bumper?

Chuck

[wd21san]

Just the grill and headlights. The bumper is a smitty built bumper, normally found on Jeeps this one was made for a Toyota but worked nicely with my rig.

[wd21san]

To get back on topic and help anyone trying to do this also, These are the two tach wires that were taped to the bulk of the harness way back behind the dash with blue tape.





These next pictures are compairing my old cluster to the new one.






After looking at the new cluster again I wasnt able to find anything for adjusting so now my plan is to take another cluster out of a 2wd d-21 at the junkyard and robbing the electronics out of that one for its tach which is for a ka. I'm not just using that cluster for the swap because it's a white face instead of the orange that the pathys have. While I have the new cluster open I am also going to swich out the speedo unit because this one jumps around like crazy while starting off on cold mornings. I think this is caused by the cracks in the base of the unit which was cover in grease that had seeped out.



I'll make sure to post more pics soon when i get time to jump in.

[Chuck Tribolet]

A jumping speedo is usually the cable.

The difference may be the tach meter itself, not the electronics. And I'd hookup that second junkyard cluster before I opened it.


Chuck

[wd21san]

I put my old cluster back in to make sure the speedo would work without jumping around on cold mornings and it has been great the last few days, Im going to open up the new clusters tomorrow and figure out what needs to be changed or switched to make it all work so Ill be happy. Takes me about 2 mins to swap clusters now