vdo tach repair

[440032]

Following this with interest, my tacho is starting to do the funky chicken dance in the digital display after 20 years. Tell-tale that it's gunna totally crap out I think. I need to watch it with engine off.

My orig part no. is 333035011 - $181.50 trade price from Bursons in 2001. no longer available

Replaced by A2C3832990030 which can now take CANBUS signals as well as analogue.

PHWOARRRRR $845 at REPCO or $676 via auto club price. PHWOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR "tellem they're dreamin" 

$413 at automotive superstore online.

$470 at VDO sales

$395 at Howard VDO Australia: Quality Gauges & Senders from Howard Instruments

[BrendAn]

20 minutes ago, 440032 said:

Following this with interest, my tacho is starting to do the funky chicken dance in the digital display after 20 years. Tell-tale that it's gunna totally crap out I think. I need to watch it with engine off.

My orig part no. is 333035011 - $181.50 trade price from Bursons in 2001. no longer available

Replaced by A2C3832990030 which can now take CANBUS signals as well as analogue.

PHWOARRRRR $845 at REPCO or $676 via auto club price. PHWOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR "tellem they're dreamin" 

$413 at automotive superstore online.

$470 at VDO sales

$395 at Howard VDO Australia: Quality Gauges & Senders from Howard Instruments

I will post it if they can repair it. Might be a while though.

Jabiru is $470 for a new tacho but the kicker is if the old sensor won't work with it a new one to suit is another $270.

[T510]

5 hours ago, facthunter said:

How could you do that with a large backlog of work and not being sure till you start on each job how much work is involved or what parts are required and what can be repaired and can't be. ?  The fact they have a lot of work means they are trusted. You're lucky to get people who are still doing this stuff at all.  It's probably Not the way to make Millions either.  In this world the retailer often makes more money per Item /article than the Manufacturer does.  Nev

 

After 55 years in the business of repairing gauges I would expect Howard have a pretty good idea of how to calculate their lead times. It's not that hard.

 

Given they have just relocated I would expect there may be some delays but it's not hard to indicate that to your customers.

 

All that said I will still keep using them when required.

[facthunter]

Also it's getting to be a throw away world. A lot of stuff is made to be unrepairable. Nev

[440032]

On 11/07/2026 at 4:07 PM, BrendAn said:

I will post it if they can repair it. Might be a while though.

Jabiru is $470 for a new tacho but the kicker is if the old sensor won't work with it a new one to suit is another $270.

Well that's a kick in the klacker. The VDO stated replacement tach does analogue signal and I guess it's CANBUS. I would have thought the original RPM sensor was analogue - just ping ping ping as your tach tabs fly by the simple sensor.

Sounds rather odd the new tach won't.

[440032]

Some generic VDO info I found in a manual that the new part number sent me to:

SingleViu (I guess - the overseas VDO instrument "brand" or product line) is approved for all standard sensors and signal types.
– Inductive sensor
– Magnetic pick-up (standard orig Jabiru?)
– Hall effect sensors
– Alternator
– Ignition
– Generator encoder

[BrendAn]

3 hours ago, 440032 said:

Well that's a kick in the klacker. The VDO stated replacement tach does analogue signal and I guess it's CANBUS. I would have thought the original RPM sensor was analogue - just ping ping ping as your tach tabs fly by the simple sensor.

Sounds rather odd the new tach won't.

i was told it might not work by jabiru parts bloke. he said sometimes the new tachs don't work with the original sensor. maybe the sensors were faulty themselves.

[440032]

I do recall that programming my tacho originally was a royal PITA. Get it wrong and yep, it won't work properly, if at all.

I was looking at the instructions sheet again the other day and it's fiddly with a few rabbit holes and traps. Instructions were written by an expert, not a novice user.

I think if it comes that I too need a new one, I'd just buy it and try it before firing the parts cannon at it too.

But I'd probably get an electronics whiz friend to maybe take a look at repairing my existing one. My display flickers - that's all I have going on. I too almost suspect a dry solder joint.

Mine flickers in flight, I need to watch it on ground (or air) with the engine off.

[BrendAn]

5 minutes ago, 440032 said:

I do recall that programming my tacho originally was a royal PITA. Get it wrong and yep, it won't work properly, if at all.

I was looking at the instructions sheet again the other day and it's fiddly with a few rabbit holes and traps. Instructions were written by an expert, not a novice user.

I think if it comes that I too need a new one, I'd just buy it and try it before firing the parts cannon at it too.

But I'd probably get an electronics whiz friend to maybe take a look at repairing my existing one. My display flickers - that's all I have going on. I too almost suspect a dry solder joint.

Mine flickers in flight, I need to watch it on ground (or air) with the engine off.

that is the advantage for me if i buy new from jabiru, they will set the new tach up to match the original.

and the price is better than most i found online. 

Edited 23 hours ago by BrendAn

[BrendAn]

                                                                                                                                                       this one from aircraft spruce looks good but i don't know if i can fit a different tacho to a

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