Stuck Tach - LotusTalk

Irishfan04 · 10-11-2005, 07:54 AM

My tachometer is stuck about 1.1K too high on the gauge...Tried the fix in the manual, no luck. I've done a search, it seems like only one other person had this problem, and it required a new gauge cluster....does anyone else have any experience with this?

The car still idles/revs just fine, the rev limiter still does its job, and the cams still kick in at the correct time....maybe I should just leave it the way it is for the enjoyment of seeing the engine rev to 10?

ct_mazi · 10-11-2005, 09:35 AM

The dealer (criswell) was able to fix my speedometer meter problem, which is stuck at 5mph when the engine is off. They told me that they were able to remove the cluster and "move" the needle back to zero. It did not take them long either.

Paul MD · 10-11-2005, 09:39 AM

RTFM - I believe that you'll find (the correct electronic) recalibration/zeroing instrictions dans la manuelle.

It has certainly been discussed here before.

ekological · 10-11-2005, 10:07 AM

The procedure involves leaving the driver door open, pressing and holding the tripometer/dash dim button, and inserting the key into the ignition and turning the key. Or something like that...

Miguel · 10-11-2005, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ekological

The procedure involves leaving the driver door open, pressing and holding the tripometer/dash dim button, and inserting the key into the ignition and turning the key. Or something like that...

Actually exactly like that:

Quote:

Recalibration of the tachometer needle position will occur during a three second period following ignition switch on, but if a needle becomes 'stranded' outside of the re-calibration range, the following procedure should be followed:
- Open driver's door;
- Press and hold trip reset button on column shroud;
- Turn on ignition.

But he mentioned that he tried the fix in the manual to no avail.

ekological · 10-11-2005, 10:17 AM

The first time I tried it, it didn't work. You will physically see the needles try to go below zero and then return to zero. If you don't see the needles move, then it didn't work...

Paul MD · 10-11-2005, 10:24 AM

The fact that Criswell 'fixed' one by taking the stack apart and pushing the needle round scares the crap out of me.... haven't the read the F'in manual????

Maybe I'll cancel my service there on Friday!!!

Miguel · 10-11-2005, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul MD

The fact that Criswell 'fixed' one by taking the stack apart and pushing the needle round scares the crap out of me.... haven't the read the F'in manual????

Maybe I'll cancel my service there on Friday!!!

It was the speedo needle. No reset procedure as far a I know.

Zoomie · 10-11-2005, 10:43 AM

Will this also reset the speedo? Mine, when stationary reads aprox. 5 mph.

ct_mazi · 10-11-2005, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul MD

The fact that Criswell 'fixed' one by taking the stack apart and pushing the needle round scares the crap out of me.... haven't the read the F'in manual????

Maybe I'll cancel my service there on Friday!!!

I tried the manual method and it did not work at all.

Paul MD · 10-11-2005, 02:41 PM

Hmmmm, I suggest taking it apart and moving it by hand!

ekological · 10-11-2005, 07:34 PM

Just FYI, both needles (tach and speedo) do the reset procedure. Have you guys made sure that the immobilizer was off? I think that's why my first attempt didn't work...

ct_mazi · 10-11-2005, 07:47 PM

I followed the exact procedure in the manual. I did it two times, in both cases, i could see the needle moved but in the wrong direction, not toward zero but to 6mph instead. In my case, the speedometer needle was always off since the day i got the car. At least now it's fixed, i hope.

spectre · 11-22-2005, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ct_mazi

I followed the exact procedure in the manual. I did it two times, in both cases, i could see the needle moved but in the wrong direction, not toward zero but to 6mph instead. In my case, the speedometer needle was always off since the day i got the car. At least now it's fixed, i hope.

I know that a lot of time has passed since this post but I just recently ran into an issue of the tach being up around 2. I read the manual and did exactly what the manual said and it did not work. So through out the day I went out and tried again thinking I did something wrong. Still did not work. Read this thread and realized that I was doing it correctly. So after 4 or 5 trys I gave up. Next morning (8-10hrs later) I gave it another shot and sure enough it worked. So I'm not sure if it has an internal clock but be patient the manual fix does work.

Irishfan04 · 12-09-2005, 11:59 AM

Well, so it turns out that the entire gauge cluster needs to be replaced, rather than repaired...so that's kind of weird. Anyway, looks like I'll have to take the Lotus out of hibernation and get it to FVMC sometime soon, before the snow hits....

Kago · 02-08-2006, 07:52 PM

On my way home from work today, I noticed my tach sitting at 4 when idle..

During the drive it kept creeping up and holding.. from 4 to 6 then to 7 by the time I got home.

I turned the car off, and the tach just sat there at 7.

I tried the above mentioned reset after reading about it here, and it worked great. Took the car out and ran it at various revs, and it is still reading true.

Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the Elise? If it is, then shouldn't the dealer maybe mention that to a buyer? I mean damn! It scared the crap out of me. My 3 day old car was "broken" there for a bit.

Chris

NtflBlueLiz · 02-09-2006, 02:55 AM

I had the same problem as well. Tach was indicating about 3000 RPM too high ( idling at 4000 RPM ) and the speedometer was showing 20 MPH at standstill. It fixed itself when I switched my battery.

turbo2nr · 02-09-2006, 03:37 AM

Don't tell Tim Mullin about this. Our cars are perfect and balanced and you should never modify or question the quality of your car.

Same chitty electronics that have always come out of England. Wiring harness problems, gauge problems. Don't go too far from your home.

Just had my first bogus CEL yesterday. Two months old!! My needles also get stuck, they do not move linear. I'm just going to make lemonaid out of my lemon.

TimMullen · 02-09-2006, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbo2nr

Don't tell Tim Mullin about this.

It's Tim Mullen.

Roger · 02-09-2006, 12:16 PM

When it happened to me, the "official" reset in the manual had no effect, but disconnecting the battery and waiting a couple of minutes before reconnecting fixed it beautifully.

10-11-2005, 07:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
Irishfan04 Bunny Carpooler Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chicago and/or surrounding suburbs Posts: 1,420 Images: 1	Stuck Tach My tachometer is stuck about 1.1K too high on the gauge...Tried the fix in the manual, no luck. I've done a search, it seems like only one other person had this problem, and it required a new gauge cluster....does anyone else have any experience with this? The car still idles/revs just fine, the rev limiter still does its job, and the cams still kick in at the correct time....maybe I should just leave it the way it is for the enjoyment of seeing the engine rev to 10?

02-08-2006, 07:52 PM	#16 (permalink)
Kago Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 4	tach stuck On my way home from work today, I noticed my tach sitting at 4 when idle.. During the drive it kept creeping up and holding.. from 4 to 6 then to 7 by the time I got home. I turned the car off, and the tach just sat there at 7. I tried the above mentioned reset after reading about it here, and it worked great. Took the car out and ran it at various revs, and it is still reading true. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the Elise? If it is, then shouldn't the dealer maybe mention that to a buyer? I mean damn! It scared the crap out of me. My 3 day old car was "broken" there for a bit. Chris __________________ 05 Elise Laser Blue, Hard Top, Touring, Star shield 88 Greenwood Corvette Convertible, Dark red, 50K Miles - 4sale 04 Mini Cooper S, Chili Red.

02-09-2006, 02:55 AM	#17 (permalink)
NtflBlueLiz Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,198	I had the same problem as well. Tach was indicating about 3000 RPM too high ( idling at 4000 RPM ) and the speedometer was showing 20 MPH at standstill. It fixed itself when I switched my battery. __________________ 2005 Nightfall Blue

02-09-2006, 03:37 AM	#18 (permalink)
turbo2nr loading... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: mecca lecca chony hoe Posts: 943	Don't tell Tim Mullin about this. Our cars are perfect and balanced and you should never modify or question the quality of your car. Same chitty electronics that have always come out of England. Wiring harness problems, gauge problems. Don't go too far from your home. Just had my first bogus CEL yesterday. Two months old!! My needles also get stuck, they do not move linear. I'm just going to make lemonaid out of my lemon. __________________ Boom Boom, shakka-lakka BOOM Last edited by turbo2nr : 02-09-2006 at 03:43 AM.

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10-11-2005, 09:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
ct_mazi Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: washington dc Posts: 381	The dealer (criswell) was able to fix my speedometer meter problem, which is stuck at 5mph when the engine is off. They told me that they were able to remove the cluster and "move" the needle back to zero. It did not take them long either.

10-11-2005, 09:39 AM	#3 (permalink)
Paul MD 2nd Timer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Back in Sunny Maryland Posts: 732	RTFM - I believe that you'll find (the correct electronic) recalibration/zeroing instrictions dans la manuelle. It has certainly been discussed here before.

10-11-2005, 10:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
ekological Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 1,548 Images: 13	The procedure involves leaving the driver door open, pressing and holding the tripometer/dash dim button, and inserting the key into the ignition and turning the key. Or something like that...

10-11-2005, 10:17 AM	#6 (permalink)
ekological Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 1,548 Images: 13	The first time I tried it, it didn't work. You will physically see the needles try to go below zero and then return to zero. If you don't see the needles move, then it didn't work...

10-11-2005, 10:24 AM	#7 (permalink)
Paul MD 2nd Timer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Back in Sunny Maryland Posts: 732	The fact that Criswell 'fixed' one by taking the stack apart and pushing the needle round scares the crap out of me.... haven't the read the F'in manual???? Maybe I'll cancel my service there on Friday!!!

10-11-2005, 10:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
Zoomie Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 281	Will this also reset the speedo? Mine, when stationary reads aprox. 5 mph.

10-11-2005, 02:41 PM	#11 (permalink)
Paul MD 2nd Timer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Back in Sunny Maryland Posts: 732	Hmmmm, I suggest taking it apart and moving it by hand!

10-11-2005, 07:34 PM	#12 (permalink)
ekological Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 1,548 Images: 13	Just FYI, both needles (tach and speedo) do the reset procedure. Have you guys made sure that the immobilizer was off? I think that's why my first attempt didn't work...

10-11-2005, 07:47 PM	#13 (permalink)
ct_mazi Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: washington dc Posts: 381	I followed the exact procedure in the manual. I did it two times, in both cases, i could see the needle moved but in the wrong direction, not toward zero but to 6mph instead. In my case, the speedometer needle was always off since the day i got the car. At least now it's fixed, i hope.

12-09-2005, 11:59 AM	#15 (permalink)
Irishfan04 Bunny Carpooler Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chicago and/or surrounding suburbs Posts: 1,420 Images: 1	Well, so it turns out that the entire gauge cluster needs to be replaced, rather than repaired...so that's kind of weird. Anyway, looks like I'll have to take the Lotus out of hibernation and get it to FVMC sometime soon, before the snow hits....

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02-09-2006, 12:16 PM	#20 (permalink)
Roger Ancient Briton Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Richmond, TX Posts: 487	When it happened to me, the "official" reset in the manual had no effect, but disconnecting the battery and waiting a couple of minutes before reconnecting fixed it beautifully.