i was wondering how difficult/how to hook up a tachometer in my 2000 ford ranger xlt 3.0. im wanting to install just a 3 5/8" sunpro from autozone. dont need anything fancy. just dont know where to tap into the ignition

 

if you need/want a tach just swap in a Expo or Ranger gauge cluster that has a tach. There are some nice ones like the Sport Trac, Expo Sport, FX4 LII, and others that have cool colors and stuff.

Here is mine:
https://www.ranger-forums.com/pictur...pictureid=8535
It's a 01 Sport Trac 2WD cluster with a Ranger cover. The Sport Trac one is silver instead of black around the white.

I think I paid $50 for it but I only paid $30 for my standard Ranger one I had before. They pop right in. No mods required, takes like 20 minutes if you've taken your dash apart before. Like 45 if not.

 

x2. I got an expo sport cluster from my local JY for $40, and I had almost no idea how to do it, and it took like 30 min, and 15 because I took the extra time to swap out the odometers. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure if you pull off the speedo needle (or any needle for that matter) that you hook a AA battery to the 4 speedo connections on the back, and then record where the needle is at, so that your speed stays calibrated. Its all here in this How-To: https://www.ranger-forums.com/interior-exterior-electrical-123/how-change-your-odometer-when-doing-gauge-swap-95-03-trucks-only-104556/

Here's a before, in progress, and after:

Before:

In-Progress:

After:

 

Interesting, I read through that and I never did any of that. I just took my house key and shoved the numbers from 101,XXX to 125,XXX or whatever mileage I had. Problem solved.

 

Ha nice! I didn't even read that when I did it, I just took off the needle and took out the bolts on the odometer and switched them, and then when I went to put the needle back on I realized I was f***ed. So at that point I had someone drive next to me at 15mph and I stuck it on the pin.

 

Yeah I was honestly confused when people talked about that stuff with the needle. I was like "Why?"

 

i kinda like the 06+ gauge clusters, will those work or is it year specific

 

no. 04+ are for 04+ only. you can do 95 to 03 Ranger or Expos.

 

Why is that exactly?

 

digital odometers and gear indicators

 

^^^ yup. the electrical in 04+ is completely different than pre-04. hell, the fuse panels are on different sides of the truck.