1989 Johnson 90 HP Tach

[flatbow]

Hi Guys, first post...good forum.
Here we go - 1989 Ranger, 90 hp johnson. Can't get the tach to work. Charging system works fine, so I don't think it could be the rectifier.
Looked for the plug on the control box, figured I had it made. NO Grey, Purple/pink/red, Black. I've got white, and two purples. I've identified a hot wire in one of the purples, and as far as I can tell the white is the correct ground. Switching the wires around does no good. Tach will zero, but that's it.
AND, when taking out the old one, I had 2 blues, a yellow, and a black hooked to it along with the first three.
Help

 

[nphilbro]

Re: 1989 Johnson 90 HP Tach

Yellow and yellow/gray at the engine terminal block connect to the rectifier. The YG bridges to the next terminal slot where the gray leads to the harness. The gray terminates from the harness in (I BELIEVE - but double check this with the diagrams in the stickies above) the middle pin-out of the three pin adapter on the remote. All my connections terminate in a block at the stern so I don't use any of the remote wiring but make sure you have live power and ground to the tach.

If you still can't match the colors, trace it back to the rectifier since that's what the tach reads.

 

[flatbow]

Re: 1989 Johnson 90 HP Tach

Update on the extra wires...
Ranger installed different engines on this model, including tiller jobs.
Apparently, to save the hassle of wiring each individually, they installed what is basically a dual wiring harness throughout the hull to the gauges, etc.
That's what the mechanic who took care of the issue told me.
Since it's the best answer I've been given, guess I'll buy it.