Tach making noise ?

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ICON 1956
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Tach making noise ?

Post by ICON 1956 »

Has any one heard of a tack making noise? It sounded like a grinding sound when I punch on the pedal then it sound would be strong then less not accelerating It comes and goes.... When I heard the sound I placed my hand on the face of the tach and felt it vibrating Any thought's.. ::?
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by ICON 1956 »

After today's run I heard the noise again. Seeing the needle jumping higher hearing the grinding noise. this confirms that the gears inside the housing are getting worn down. I will look into the manual to see how to replace or fix the issue. If anyone had this done please chime in..... Thanks.
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by Joe Johnston »

The first thing I would do is to replace the cable assembly. Should be $40 or so and probably will not help. but that is the cheapest and easiest thing to fix that you can do yourself. If that doesn't cure the problem its time to send the tach to a professional re-builder.
PLEASE invest a few bucks and buy all the shop manuals for your car. Definitely will save you much time and be an education.

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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by ICON 1956 »

ICON 1961 wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 12:47 pm Has any one heard of a tack making noise? It sounded like a grinding sound when I punch on the pedal then it sound would be strong then less not accelerating It comes and goes.... When I heard the sound I placed my hand on the face of the tach and felt it vibrating Any thought's.. ::?
Thanks for the info


To remove, disconnect the battery, look up under the dash and unscrew the cable, then remove the light socket by pulling and twisting a little then it should pop out of the hole. Remove the 2 nuts that hold the U-shaped retainer and the tach can be pulled out from the front of the dash while the retainer falls on your face so be ready. After removing from the dash you can lube the brass portion of the tach. I usually put some drops of oil in the hole and around the brass portion then use some compressed air to distribute the oil and blow out the crud. Don't use full air pressure just enough to help spread the lube.
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
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apines
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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by apines »

I'd think disconnecting the tach cable from the back of the tach would be enough to tell if the problem is with the cable (easy) or the tach itself (not as easy). Mine was disconnected when I got it and is pretty loud when connected which is likely why it was disconnected. Since all is quiet when disconnected I'm assuming the cable's okay. Removing the tach and resolving the problem is on the list....
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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by paul2748 »

I had the same problem and putting a few drops of oil in the head (after removal) solved the problem.
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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by ICON 1956 »

Today I worked on the Tach issue, Thanks for the input on using a milk crate to help support my back while I was working under the dash. I disconnected the cable in the distributor and lubed the cable and inspected the drive gear all looked well. I took a drive but the noise was still there. Then I went under the dash disconnected the cable behind the Tach pulled the inner cable cleaned and inspected it then sprayed WD 40 on the cable line and used marine grease around the Tach opening and a little around the front cable hooked everything back up took a test drive that was the ticket soooo quiet no noise what so ever. Thank you all for your input. The milk crate was really the trick it kept my back horizontal with the scuff plate on the car which I could reach and work under the dash with no problem. To note that when I removed the cable behind the Tach the inner cable was bone dry...Just doing this simple task saved me a lot of money not having a Mechanic or buy a new cable by doing these simple things myself, It also bonds me closer to my car to know more about how she works. the inner cable is in great shape the drive gear too. Thanks again everyone for your response to this issue.
Last edited by ICON 1956 on Mon Oct 29, 2018 8:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
Joe Johnston
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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by Joe Johnston »

Glad to hear it worked! A simple fix that you could do yourself which saved money too!
PLEASE invest a few bucks and buy all the shop manuals for your car. Definitely will save you much time and be an education.

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Re: Tach making noise ?

Post by ICON 1956 »

Re: New t'Bird owner + noisy tach
Post by paul2748 » Sat Oct 27, 2018 10:23 pm

There is no easy way - you have to get on your back and reach up there, being careful with all the stuff that 's in your way. I have found that if you put something like a milk crate next to the door sill it's a lot more comfortable to lay down. Using a socket with a long extension may make it easier to remove the nuts holding the bracket

As far as the distributor end, the gear usually comes out with the cable. If the gear stays in the distributor, then you should be remove it by hand or a pair of pliers
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
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