Speedometer question:

[Bubble]

I think this topic has been covered here a lot but I can't find anything on it.

My speedometer is reading low and I've been told I just need to blow it out.

Well, what specifically does that mean. It looks like the tube is glued pretty tightly to the wheel itself. So do I blow it our from somewhere else? I looked under the dash and I don't see anything I can reach that looks like air tubing.

Where am I supposed to blow this thing? (setup for smartazz comment, I know)

[dmayer84]

Does it have the paddlewheel or the pickups for the airguide?

If it is the paddlewheel you can get a gps unit and adjust it accordingly with the speedo adjustment on the dash.

[Bubble]

It's the paddlewheel. There's an adjustment on the dash?

So I can fool people into thinking a 230 will hit 60?

Thanks.

[Leroy]

The paddlewheel type doesn't have anything to blow on

Is this on Perfect Pass or MC speedo? There is a calibration process for each to make the speed correct.

[2RLAKE]

i think the paddlewheel was introduced around 2001

[ProTour X9]

So I can fool people into thinking a 230 will hit 60?

Heck a lot of I/Os with 125hp think they can go 70

[Bruce]

Paddle wheel

i think the paddle wheel was introduced around 2001

Earlier than that. My 1999 230VRS has a paddle wheel. However my speedometer does not work at all. I have no idea what is wrong.

[bigmac]

There's the paddle wheel for the speedometer and then there's the paddlewheel for Perfect Pass. I've seen many boats that had pitot-based speedometers but had one of them removed for Perfect Pass. So although they had a paddlewheel, the OEM speedometer could still become non-functional or inaccurate due to a plugged pitot tube and need to be "blown out".

ICBW, but I thought the MasterCraft OEM in-dash speedometers didn't go digital (using a paddlewheel) until 2002.

[dpolen]

I have a similar issue to Bruce...so there is no way to adjust the paddlewheel setup for the Speedometer (no perfectpass)?

[Bruce]

There's the paddle wheel for the speedometer and then there's the paddlewheel for Perfect Pass. I've seen many boats that had pitot-based speedometers but had one of them removed for Perfect Pass. So although they had a paddlewheel, the OEM speedometer could still become non-functional or inaccurate due to a plugged pitot tube and need to be "blown out".

ICBW, but I thought the MasterCraft OEM in-dash speedometers didn't go digital (using a paddlewheel) until 2002.

It is not digital. It does not have perfect pass. It does have a paddle wheel and therefore nothing to blow out to my knowledge. ??

[bigmac]

It is not digital. It does not have perfect pass. It does have a paddle wheel and therefore nothing to blow out to my knowledge. ??

If it has a paddlewheel then it must be digital. By this I mean the way the speed data is obtained and handled (digital signal from paddlewheel), not the way it's displayed on the gauge (needle vs. numerical display).

If you have an electronic speedometer that gets its speed info from a paddlewheel and it's not displaying any speed, then you might have a bad paddlwheel, bad wiring, a bad wiring connector (either in bilge or at back of speedometer) or a bad gauge itself. There have been problems with some of the earlier electronic speedo wiring harnesses failing at the connectors from laying submerged in the bilge. There are also cases of a failed paddlewheel, especially if the boat is trailered long distances without pulling the paddlewheel out of the boat, or at least taping it to keep it from spinning.

[SkiEngr]

So what if it has the pitot tube? How would you "blow it out"? Is there a static vent that you could use to "blow it out"?

[Bruce]

Aw Ha, now I see. When you said digital I thought you meant the gauge which I knew was numerical. At first it just gave inaccurate reading. Now it does not read at all.
Thanks again

[bigmac]

So what if it has the pitot tube? How would you "blow it out"? Is there a static vent that you could use to "blow it out"?

One could unplug the pitot tube from the back of the speedometer and blow through it. If it were me, I'd use a 50 cc medical syringe to do that. First thing I'd do is unplug the tubing at both the speedo head and at the pickup. I'd inject air from the speedometer end. If the tubing is clear, I'd remove the pickup and soak it in alcohol and clean it. If it still doesn't work, I'd replace the pickup. If it still doesn't work, I'd be looking at replacing the speedometer head.

[trunderw]

along these lines, my speedo tube is broken at the rear of the boat before it connects to the thing that drags in the water. Is this replaceable, or do I have to buy a whole new setup..can I just run a new tube, it's broken right above the fastening nut...