tach problems..

my tach when you start it up just sits at 4k.. doesnt go much anywhere except up at higher rpms.. what could cause this? even if it did work i understand it wont be that correct but right now im runnin with no tach and its a 5spd.. i cant clock my shifts basically where i wanna shift at.. i have the entire dash pulled all down anyway so i should be able to get to it all.. any ideas? what usually causes these to go out? thanks