The tach calibration is determined by the factory dash harness which is matched to the engine cylinder count. After an engine swap that changes the cylinder count, the tach can easily be recalibrated by using the correct configuration of ground wires connected to the cluster.


8-cylinder: "Selector" ground configuration:

• pin 8 of the 10-pin: (NOT connected to anything)
• pin 16 of the 16-pin: (wired to chassis ground)

6-cylinder: "Selector" ground configuration:

• pin 8 of the 10-pin: (wired to chassis ground)
• pin 16 of the 16-pin: (NOT connected to anything)

4-cylinder: There is no "Selector" ground

• pin 8 of the 10-pin: (NOT connected to anything)
• pin 16 of the 16-pin: (NOT connected to anything)

The above should work for any tach cluster from these groups into any vehicle in these groups:

• 1996~2003 Ranger
• 1996~2003 Explorer Sport
• 2001~2003 Sport Trac
• 1996~2001 4-door Explorer

 

I didn't say that correctly, I saw a write up online that showed how to adjust tach to v8, I followed it back in January and it got my tach inline with 5.0..i changed the dash cluster and the tach is off...the scanner tool shows correct rpm and the dash tach is off? kind of odd to me. Anyway I put fuel pressure gauge back on and she is at 35 psi...when I it pedal she stays at that psi, might go up 1 psi.

 

The cluster shouldn't matter as long as it is from the 96~03 applications listed above. 4, 6 and 8 cylinder clusters are the same for tachometer function - cylinder count selection depends on the wiring of the dash harness. If the tach is off, it may be defective or possibly someone, sometime had the needle off and replaced it incorrectly.


Roughly speaking, sea level fuel pressure in a return fuel system with a factory camshaft should show about a 10 PSI difference between neutral idle and WOT.

 

That's wat i figured. It's the same cluster I already had. Being upfront..I put it in because we hav emission laws and I can't drive truck more than 5000 miles a yr. Well wen u build a toy , u want to be able to drive it wen u feel like...right.

 

Ok, as far as fuel pressure, when I turn key to run, not start, I should hear pump hum to build initial pressure in system , correct? Well I don't hear anything and gauge showed nothing til I started engine and then it took almost 20 seconds for it to show 35 psi, I had gauge on 95 saturn and it went to 35 psi instantly

 

I found the site online, u simply type in...putting a 302 in a 98 or newer ranger and the site will pop up, as will a few others. it says to pull dash cluster, connecter 214 I think its the largest of the 3, pin 8 gets moved to last spot on connector and this will allow tach to work with v8. I did this and newer cluster isn't correct, another guy on here said he thinks someone messed with the tach needle?

 

Ford computer's close the fuel pump relay for 2 seconds as they boot up with Key ON, but only for 2 seconds
If you turn the Key OFF then ON again Computer will close fuel pump relay again, for another 2 seconds.
You can repeat the key OFF and ON as much as you like, doesn't hurt anything, to see if Fuel Pump Relay is closing and you hear the HUMMMM of the pump starting
Once engine RPMs are above 400(engine started) computer closes fuel pump relay to turn on the fuel pump full time


Did you try rwenzings instructions?

occam's razor is a problem solving thought process, which boils down to "the simplest answer with the fewest assumptions is usually the correct answer"

I.E. I can't find my car keys this morning

Possible answers
Someone must have broken into the house, removed the keys from my pocket and put them somewhere else in the house, then left.

I was abducted by aliens while sleeping, they wipe my memory, including the part of where I put down my keys, then returned me to my bed.

I can't remember where I left them.

First two are of course possible, but the 3rd is the simplest with the fewest assumptions and most likely to be the correct answer.


So no, I don't think anyone messed with the Tach needle

 

Lol, I always figure its that I cant remember where I put them. although sometimes I blame it on aliens..so I don't feel so dumb because I 4got where I put them. I read rwenzing thread on how to set tach but my tach from my original cluster was set for v8. when I put it back in I will see what happens. just curious, what kind of setup do u have on your ranger...exhaust wise...headers? stock manifolds?

 

This is not correct. The wiring change involves two connectors, not one. See my earlier post.


Starting from an unmodified 96~03 cluster and harness:

V6 --> V8 swap: Remove the #8 wire (BK/YE) from the 10-pin cluster connector and move it to the unused #16 position of the 16-pin connector. That's it.



[Also, since you say that you pulled the wire from pin 8 of 16-pin connector and moved it to the #16 position of the 16-pin, that wire needs to be returned to its original #8 position before the above can be done.]

 

I understand what ur saying but I did wat the site said to do and my tach was pretty close to being on the money. I could try wat ur saying and see if it fixes the tach I'm current dash

 

Ok, so ur saying to take #8 wire from 10 pin connector and put it at #16 on the biggest connector...I will try this, maybe they wrote it wrong or I misread it but they said to take #8 from the biggest plug and put it at end of connector...I did this back in January and the tach worked pretty decent. Not to change the subject, but, ive been looking at headers, ford racing shorty headers to be precise. if u go on utube and look for Mustang Ranger...its really kickass..302, solid axle swap, 18 in lift..he is from Vermont. well in his video he shows his mustang 5.0 from wheelwell and u can see his header and chrome valve cover. he has ford racing headers...I looked on their site and I see other brands of headers. my guess is shorty headers are easiest fit for conversion, unless u pay $600 for torque monster headers which I wont. do u have headers on ur v8?

 

Year? Torsion bar or coil or SAS? 4WD or 2WD?

 

Hi, it's a 98 ext cab 4x4, torsion bar, ifs with 4 in lift, 3 in body lift if that makes any difference. It helped some with 5.0 swap..I also have the 70rw tranny which I keep reading most long tube headers won't fit. Im more into the idea of shorty headers and then I plan to get pipes bent to the stuff I have now. I plan to get the holes drilled for all 4 02s and 1 for egr also

 

I pulled my dash today, read the site to check which wire I moved...I wrote it wrong, the site says to take the #8 wire, black/yellow, from 10 wire connector and move it to #16 spot on the biggest connector which that spot is open...the same thing u said to do...and yet the tach on used cluster is off while the original one was damn close if not on the money

 

The bad news:
The absolute best fits for a torsion bar 5.0 Ranger are the factory Ex manifolds or Torque Monsters. Both are custom made for the 5.0 Ex which has a nearly identical engine bay compared to a torsion bar Ranger. Many swappers have tried other headers but I have not seen a good substitute. Most off the shelf headers will have trouble with the Explorer engine mounting plates, the upper A-arm pivots or the narrow boxed frame.

The worse news:
With a 3" body lift, your steering shaft wants to be in exactly the same place as the upper tubes of the DS Torque Monsters. This is a no-go unless you make modifications. One possibility would be to reroute your shaft through an additional U-joint as the 4.6 Ranger swaps sometimes do. Or you might be able to cut and modify the TMs (not something I would want to do to a new set of very expensive headers).

I have a set of the original TMs on mine and they are very high quality. I don't know anything about the newer version which I believe is made by someone else.

 

You don't, by chance, have a 1995 cluster, do you? The dash wiring pinout and the tachometer itself are electrically different from other years with this style cluster.

 

The dash I had was original 98, the one I got said it's for a 99 exp/ranger and it's the same as original
. As for the headers, my engine mounts are the 3.0 mounts with holes drilled to allow 5.0 to fit. The site I found for putting a 5.0 in a 98 says ford racing headers will fit but who knows, they aren't made anymore...it says on that site that it's ur engine bay in the photo at top of site. Who wrote the site, do u know?

 

I was looking at some boss 302 headers online, they are shorties, still might be a tough fit

 

Ford Racing used to sell a set of headers specifically for the 5.0 Ex but they've been out of production for a decade or more. They had the goofy 90 degree tubes junctions on cylinders 2,7 and 8 similar to the stockers and some had very sloppy welds and poorly aligned tubes/holes. They were probably a little better than the 96~97 sheet metal stockers but I doubt that they would be much better than the later cast iron 5.0 Ex manifolds. I bought a used set of the FR headers but sold them right away and bought the TMs instead to finish my swap.

Picture of the FR headers here:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fms-m-9430-e52

Sounds like your cluster is defective since the tachometer itself was the same across all 96~03 Rangers and 96~01 Explorer 4-doors. Only the dash ground wiring determined how the cluster would read RPM for 4, 6 or 8 cylinders.

 

Yes, that's my Ranger. As far I know, TRS site owner Jim Oaks put that article together. A good portion of it was cut and pasted from posts I made over the years. The rest is from other sources. It's mostly accurate but you still have to do your homework because there are are so many possible combinations of Ranger and Ex 5.0 donor.

 

Not to put anyone down but the only way I'd pay 700 for headers would be if I hit the lotto for like 10 million and had more $ than I knew wat to do with. Or wen I pay my house off but I'll be 62 by then. My one buddy that talked me into the 5.0 swap suggested the Mustang manifolds , I think people call them hot do manifolds..they are kinda a cast iron pipe with short pipes to each cyl. He feels they would give a Lil better flow? (I do think the tach part of cluster may be defective..wen I rev it it doesn't go smootly

 

Thanks for the link to those headers, they look like my factory manifolds but slightly bigger piping..plan to call summit to get a price since I couldn't see any.

 

They are not available anymore. You may be able to find used but not likely.

 

Ya I noticed it says that on summit site. Looking at my 5.0 and engine bay, pass side looks ok but driver would be tight fit even for shorty headers