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I have a 2007 H190 and the speedometer does stoped reading. Any tips on what could be wrong? I looked in the manual and it showed a drawing of a device that reads the MPH and it is supposed to be on the transom. I don't see anyting that looks like it. Any ideas, tips, pics etc would help out a ton.

Thanks,

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Dennis

2007 H190
4.3 liter
Seattle WA

In the past I have had a few different issues with speedometers.
They can be flipped up
plugged or broken

I have had a fork truck or trailer break / flip them up. If you can reach it it actually lockas into place. You can usually hear it click.

I hope that helps.

Bill

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2001 Sundowner 235

If you have a Volvo stern drive the pick-up is in the lower unit. You can CARFULLY blow out the line, but make sure you remove it from the Speedo. Also be careful not to disconnect it from the lower unit by using too high a pressure. I am not sure where the pick-up is on the lower unit. Usually they are near the bottom just above the skeg.Sometimes the hole is plugged in the lower unit.

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Andrew
07 H180
2000 Buell X-1
Stouffville Ontario
Canada

On my Funship with a VP, the speedo pitot is transom-mounted. As others have said, the pitot could have flipped up or broken off; it could be plugged, or if it is like mine, there may be salt water which has made its way up into the speedometer itself.....

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

i don't see anything attached to the transom or that looks like it was attached to the transom at some time. I have a metal round thing on the bottom of the hull. I think this is the depth finder. Could the speedometer be hooked to that somehow? No possible way it is hooked to the outdrive?

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Dennis

2007 H190
4.3 liter
Seattle WA

I have a volvo drive and have the paddle wheel speedo pick up. If and when they go bad, you just have to replace. Nothing to plug up, maybe sea weed/junk to jam wheel from not turning, but a better system vs the pressure pickups IMHO.

No speed pick up is attached to transducer. If you did not have anything on the transom, then the pick up is inside the out drive.
As mentioned above, you should have a small hole in the leading edge of the outdrive, if I remember correctly 1/3 to 1/2 way up. All it takes is a blade of grass, moss, chunk of drift wood to plug hole. Our 1st boat had this set up, always getting plugged, I kept a small drill bit and small piece of wire to clean out all the time.

Paddle wheel style pick up.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

I also prefer the paddle wheel pick up type/ electronic speedo; it allows an accurate speedo at all speeds, unlike the pitot tube type that only start working at around 15 mph or so. The only problem I had with mine originally was barnacles that jammed it, the second year I antifouled the paddle transducer and no more problems.

The pitot type are simple though; the problem is either a blocked inlet, or the pushed on tube has fallen off either the outdrive or at the speedo head itself.

Graham

No hijack intended. I have the same issue. 07 180 with 3.0 Merc. I know the pickup is on the lower unit. Someone mentioned earlier about "Blowing it out". So this would entail removing the tube from the back of the Speedo and simply blowing everything in the tube out? Forgive the ignorance, but I would have thought there would be more to this than a simple tube from the water to the speedo. Or is this just me overcomplicating things again...

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Rob
2007 Four Winns 180 Horizon

Rob, DGS... The way speed is measured on the H190 is really simple - through what is called a pitot tube that is the little black plastic thing mounted on the transom below the water line. Basically how this works is that as the boat moves forward, water pressure builds up in a tiny hole in the pitot is sent up to the back of the speedo by a tube. So the faster you go in the water, the greater the pressure in the tube and the more the speedo needle moves up. So your speedo is effectively a big water pressure gauge!

Believe it or not, most modern aircraft today also use pitots to measure airspeed! The faster they go, the more airpressure builds up. The biggest problem with aircraft is the pitot becomes blocked by ice and stops working (suspected as the cause for the recent Air France crash from Rio).

Advantages - dead simple and pretty foolproof. Disadvantages - not always accurate, and does not work well at low speeds (hence why some prefer paddle-wheels - a completley different technology!)

Now the biggest complaint with pitots is that the speedo stops working. 99% of the time it is due to weed over the pickup on the transom, or dirt in the tiny pitot tube or some other blockage preventing the water pressure getting past the actual pickup. Key things to do are look to see of there is weed over it and remove, gently probe the pitot hole with a wire and/or remove the hose coming up from the pitot and carefully blow it out with compressed air. If none of these solve the problem, then remove the hose from the back of the speedo and blow back to the pitot with compressed air.

Hope this helps...

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

The pickup is on the lower unit of the Merc. Is it safe to use the compressed air method from the dash back to the drive to blow it out? Really don't want to damage anything.

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Rob
2007 Four Winns 180 Horizon

On my old alpha drive, there was a quick disconnect so you could blow compressed air right at the out drive, no need to go pull the gage out of the dash.
Look with the drive all the way up, you will see the bellows, and other hoses and cables. Find the tube for the speedo and hopefully you will find a disconnect.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Found it. Will try this and see if this fixes the issue. Thanks!

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Rob
2007 Four Winns 180 Horizon

I also found that little basterd of a hole. I never would have thought it would be on the backside of the outdrive. There was a small piece of wood stuck in there got it removed so should be good to go.

Thanks for all the help!

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Dennis

2007 H190
4.3 liter
Seattle WA

Where you guys able to fix your speedo issues? I'm assuming yes. I hadn't taken the time to look yet, but I'm assuming I have a partial blockage, due to speedo reading 30 at WOT.

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2008 H210SS VP 5.7 Gi/SX
2011 Ford F150 FX4 EB

I cleared the lower unit with air, And I pulled the guage at the dash and blew back from there. Doesn't seem to bee any blockage, but the guage still sticks, ie reads speed after stopped for quite awile or does not read speed very well. May have a bad guage?

I'm guing to try loosening the retaining nut on the back when I can and see if this helps.

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Rob
2007 Four Winns 180 Horizon