Tachometer Reads High

Tachometer Reads High Posts

Top Questions and Answers

Car's Tachometer Reads Higher Than The Actual Engine Speed? 1990 Honda Civic. Pretty random, I know last week, the car and I went on a few hour drive and the tach was fine then. At idle, it is supposed to be around 700 or so (not sure exact but in that general area) and it was reading that. However, yesterday, I noticed that it is higher. Once engine warms up and I am at idle, it says it is at 1,500 but it clearly isn't that high. As clarification, I let the clutch out slowly while holding the brake so it wouldn't move if it stalled and did this test. Got to the point to where the car was just about to stall (car was shaking badly, had a huge RPM loss and it should have read about 100 or so. However, even when this test was in progress, it would read about 800 but it clearly isn't that high. Almost stalled. So it's off about 700 RPMs... I don't really care, still performs fine but curious on what happened. Worked fine one day and for 5 years since my family had this car and this is the first time. Disconnected the battery and didn't solve it. Thanks for the help

Ivan Herndon replied: "Well, it depends on what kind of ignition system you have. 1990 was during a transitional period. On older cars with a distributor, the tachometer came off the coil And the tachometer would count every time the coil fired, and depending on how many cylinders you set it for, would divide it and give you the revolutions. In this case, the coil may not be sending the correct pulses and the coil may need to be replaced. On newer cars with a DIS (Distributor-less Ignition System), the signal can come from several different places depending on how the system works. It can come off the actual DIS control module, it can come off the ECM and, although I haven't seen this, I suppose it's possible for one to have a speed sensor on the transmission input. You would need to figure out exactly where this signal comes from on your car to figure out what could be wrong. Of course, ultimately it could be the tachometer itself. They can go bad as well. And typically longevity of the vehicle is usually a reason form parts to fail, not an assurance they won't. As a car gets older, things wear out."

why does setting my car to park use higher rpm? when my car is in park, the tachometer reads higher rpm than when the car is in drive. when it's in drive, the engine sounds a little louder though... so if i was waiting in a drive through for a while, other than turning off my engine, is it better for the car if i left it in drive? or set it to park?

Robot replied: "Because there is resistance on the motor when it is in drive."

wolffromthenothing replied: "i believe its because its spinning freely, obviously not driving the wheels. If you mean when youre not even using the engine, then you have a serious problem..."

Abraham replied: "When it is in park, revving the engine requires a lot of rotations per minute. It's like having it in the lowest gear, and trying to move forward, but it can't shift so all it does is spin faster. When the car is in drive, it has a given rotation per minute in order to save on gas and make it easier on the car. Try driving at 120 mph, the RPM should go up pretty high then."

Richard L replied: "When the car is stopped but in Drive the engine is pulling against the brakes even at idle. That is why if you released the brakes the car would start moving forward even without you touching the accelerator pedal. When you shift into Park or Neutral the engine is no longer trying to move the car forward and so it will idle at a higher RPM until you shift it into gear again. Even at the slightly higher RPM when in Park or Neutral since there is no load it probably uses less fuel that is you leave it in Drive. From a safety aspect it is probably best to leave the car in park if you are going to be waiting for a while. When moving in a drive through line it is easy to get distracted and rear end the car in front of you. If you have the car in Drive and your foot slipped off the brake the car could move while if it were in Park you would be OK."

What is that engine ticking? I have a 2003 acura RSX. and the engine makes this horrible loud ticking sound, and when i start the car and turn off the car the engine sounds like its winding up and down. the tachometer reads high also.. what could this be? and how much am i looking at to fix this problem? The mileage is approx 63k i just did get an oil change. i am thinking its the valves? does anyone know how much this costs to adjust?

m k replied: "Engine "ticking" could be any number of things. How many miles are on the car?"

Michelle G replied: "Hello. It could be a number of things. It could be low on Oil. Or it could be your rockers."

sterling m replied: "switch to synthetic oil and it should get quieter"

me! replied: "well acura and honda use a system called VTEC variable timing sunthing sumthing, get your valve timing system checked. try changing your oil to syenthic to prevent this from happening and gives you an extra 2HP"

VR4Jen replied: "does it do it most when its cold? and does the ticking speed/slow with your RPMs? If so, then it's lifter tick, and it wont affect your performance, a lot of cars have it."

Is the RPM too high on my 2005 Tiburon? This question is about my 2005 Tiburon SE. Its a six speed V6. While moving at a steady 70 MPH, in sixth gear, the tachometer reads just above 3000 RPM. An increase in speed is followed by a similar increase in RPM. I've owned several cars, with automatic transmissions, from different makers and the RPM for this speed has always been between 2500 and 3000. This is my first manual transmission so I was wondering, is this normal for a manual transmission? Does any other Tiburon owner experience this high RPM?

locksmith replied: "yes its fine."

Razi replied: "Hehe it's all normal, maybe you should Google on how to use manual transmission."

XenonAudio replied: "The final drive ratio is 4.43:1 which is quite high, so it's going to rev higher than your average (top gear) six speed transmission. Yes, it's geared for performance (it's maximum torque is at 3,800 rpm) rather than economy. If you want a low revving manual transmission, look to a V-8 muscle car like the Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Corvette."

machoman replied: "i have drove many six speeds and it is fine."

ore2nc replied: "i have a manual 2005 tibby too. love, love, love it! yes, it's o.k. for the rpm's to go that high. i would definately suggest that you read every page of your owners manual and if you have more questions then go to the service department at the dealership."

Thomas replied: "The tibs do tend to rev pretty high, particularly for a six speed."

Tachometer issues? (read for details)? I own a 92 Honda Civic, and sometimes when I drive the tachometer gage seems to bounce around, it will read higher then normal and bounce for a few seconds before going back down to the normal reading. I really don't know what is causing this issue, and if it's something that is in need of repairs and looked at. Thus, that is why I am asking you guys for some help. Much thanks.

eecco28613 replied: "non thing to worie with it is trying to fail"

outg426 replied: "could be caused by a loose connection in the wiring harness or chafing against another wire. i would probably take it on in and get it taken care of. if it is caused by chafing then it could short out and do more damage to other electrical components in the car"

My 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 makes a constant high pitched squeal while driving. Any ideas? This is a loud sound that can be heard inside and outside the car. It only makes the sound when the tachometer reads between 1800 and 2200 RPM. It does not make the sound at all when the car is not moving, ie 2k RPM in park or neutral. The car has about 79k miles and the serpentine belt was changed at 50k. Ok, it's not the radiator fans. I completely removed them from the car and it still made the noise. Any other suggestions?

NJ-Cooliest replied: "It's probobly the fan, have it checked out buy your local ford dealer."

Clinton S replied: "I had a 2001 Focus SE, had the same problem. Here is what they are going to tell you when you go to a Ford Dealership. "We're going to have to replace the intake clamp, rotate your tires and rotors, change your brakes, and realign your wheels. We also may have to replace some 'durtee durtee durr' sensors and 'durtee durtee durr' your cars computer.." The 2001's all sucked, I got rid of mine, and got an Escape. When they resold my Focus, guess what, the same thing to that guy."

ramon c replied: "sometimes that noise it's making can be caused by the tensioners or the water pump itself what i reccomend is to take the belt off and inspect for wear if the tensioner is the one making the noise it will be worn possibly will also have rust looking material around bearing."

james a replied: "belt must be centered on pulleys,wrong belt,bad tensioner"

asccaracer replied: "I have seen a miss placed plastic splash shield cause it. Rubs against the crank pully. As well as the tensioner pully. I have also seen backing plate on the front brakes rubbing the rotor cause it."

Ralph S replied: "In addition to checking the pulleys, the PVC elbow (the 90 degree piece of rubber on top of the PVC valve) had a tendency to deteriorate due to age and heat. When they develop a small hole, it acts like a reed valve, emitting a high pitched squeal at certain vacuum levels. It kind of sounds like a balloon that a young boy is letting the air out of at parties to annoy the adults."

AJC S replied: "if you have had recent alternator, or anything attached to the belts replaced recently take it back, they incorrectly tightened the belt."

Unreliable panel gauges on 2004 Sunfire? I have a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire that is giving me erratic readings for the tachometer and speedometer. First the tachometer started reading really high, and then the speedometer starting reading higher speeds than I was actually driving. The tachometer needle has been buried and not working, but sometimes the speedometer will come back to normal after driving slower speeds around town, only to show high readings again after driving highway speeds. I thought maybe this was transmission or speed sensor-related, but lately the temperature and gas gauge have started reading a little weird as well, so I'm not sure what could be causing the problems. Any suggestions?

bobweb replied: ""dash gauges gone bezerk!" "My first post so help me out here. 2003 Sunfire..25X miles...tach started giving inaccurate readings....then came fuel gauge (3 days later)...then temp and speedo....Complete mayhem behind the dash!! 100 mph/1000rpm/fuel gauge needle against speedo/0 temp!!!!!..Going to dealer Mon (11-28-05)...What can I expect from them?....Thanx for any experienced mechanic responses....Will report back If you drive around without a drive belt long enough, that will happen. I did not know my tensioner had gone bad and threw my drive belt so I drove around. A couple days later (I guess) my meters started acting screwy, then one by one lights started coming on. Also, a loss of your power train control board can cause this as well. Just a couple real life experiences I had.... If your check engine light is on, have the codes read. Finally got the Sunfire back. Pontiac had it for 2 days, but solved the problem with a new dash cluster. Situation normal. Hopefully this might help someone later.....Terry Did they happen to mention what exactly went wrong? Im curious to know what is in common with all those meters that would cause all of them to go haywire (besides a common ground) So the dash cluster was the problem, took 1 day to get a replacement. I was told by the tech manager if one guage is unstable, check sensor, sure! If 2 or more are unstable....replace cluster...not worth the expense to debug. I have no idea what the real problem might have been. Pontiac warranties that item 12/12000!""

'90 Ford Ranger factory tachometer wiring? Does anyone know what circuit the factory tach on my 90 Ford Ranger with 2.9l v-6 is wired in to? I've heard both "alternator" and "coil", but none of the electrical schematics I have detail the tach installation. Mine will intermittantly start reading higher rpm's than normal, then drop down to normal readings for awhile. I just recently had to replace a failed alternator, and am wondering if the tach issue is related. Thanks in advance for any help.

quickmirada replied: "I had a problem with my tach reading incorrectly due to a charging issue, but the tach itself should receive its "reading" from the coil or ignition system/engine control unit. When my alternator was going bad, and i wasnt getting a good charge, under hard acceleration the tach would jump around. Perhaps the voltage regulator is allowing an overcharge or undercharge situation, and causing similar issues. However, I have a friend with a 90 Mustang, and he had gauge issues constantly, including the speedo and tach bouncing around."

how do i fix semi-operative guages? 88 Camaro again. The speedometer doesn't register correctly under full throttle. when it hits 25 mph, it jumps back to 20 then starts climbing again. it jumps back from 65 to 60 also, and won't go over 100 often. i know for a fact i had been going over 100, but it won't read until i take my foot off the gas and steady the throttle out. and the tachometer also doesn't read correctly. the old one i had wouldn't register until i went over 2000 rpms then it would start moving (readly incorrectly), so i got another one from my friends 89. this one reads about 1500 rpms higher than what the engine is actually turning. how do i fix these gauges? is it in the gauge itself? should i just buy new ones?

alaisjones replied: "I think the sending unit is shot. Or it could be in the distributor."

barry r replied: "buy new ones"

dodge man replied: "i own a repair shop and i believe you have a wiring problem in the dash area ,maybe a loose ground wire for the instrument panel or something,i had a s-10 that did this and i found a bad ground wire under the steering wheel area and when i repaired it everything started working correctly,even my gas gage wasn't right,but once i fixed the ground wire it all came back and worked real good and then again like you said it might be the gages,but look for a loose wire,all its going to cost you right now is time,no money involved in trying to find it,good luck with it i hope this helps."

chica_b replied: "its the turbo excellerator."

just me replied: "Its not the gages its the lower flank Fulani - check it for rust and if that's clean I would assume it would have to be your dial dissimulator which is probably corroded - how could you let this happen? OK first pop the hood and look for a blue wire and remove it, then you will be able to access your carbon combustion accelerator (any idiot could find it) so then what you want to do is hit your water tank with a hammer until you see some sort of liquid dripping from it collect that liquid in a pan and put it in to your gas tank - start the car and see if it is fixed - if not then I would recommend jacking the car up and remove any nuts or bolts or screws you find and disconnect any cables or wires present... start the car again and if it doesn't start you are on the right track... next flush out your engine with free range penguin urine and the sweat from a albino buffalo - this should fix the problem - if not I would take it to the shop, explain what all you already did and have them give you some advice on what to do."

dusty k replied: "do you have a digital dash?????"

1983 Honda Motorcycle cruising speed.? I recently sold a really great old motorcycle. It was a 1983 VT750C Honda Shadow. The cruising speed was very high , which is very important to me because I like cruising desert highways. I replaced it with a 2006 kawasaki 900 Vulcan. The engine seems to rev much higher at highway speed on the Vulcan. I have used mathematical calculations to determine the engine rpm at 60 miles per hour, (no tachometer). Anybody have a Honda like the one described above who can tell me what the tachometer reads at 60 Miles per hour so I can make a comparison? Thanks

Scott R replied: "I think your old Honda had offset crankpins for each piston, it probaby ran smoother, had lots of power, and turned less rpm than the Kaw. But you can get a smaller rear pulley and belt for the KAW and it will run less rpm on the highway. Those 900s are nice bikes, you just need to adjust it a bit to exactly what you need."

bikinkawboy replied: "Keep in mind there's a big difference between how fast the engine is actually turning and how fast it sounds like it is turning. Engine configuration, crankshaft throw position, exhaust system configuration and valve train noise makes a lot of difference in how an engine sounds. I have a 6 cylinder Kawasaki and it sounds like it's reving much, much faster than it really is."

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