MPH guage pickup?

[Bottomlesspit2]

Another new guy type question here. Could someone please inform me about where the speedo guage gets its info from? I am only familiar with the systems on my old boats that had the little pitot tube mounted on the transom. I see no pickups for my guage anywhere on this boat, so must be a system I don't know about. I'm sure it is as simple as my "court" light post!!??!! Please inform me so my mind can be at ease!
Thanks,
Ken

[TeamBajaMarine]

Ken,
If your speedo is not the pitot tube type, the speedo gets its info from the lower part of the outdrive. I forget where on the drive, so someone else will have to answer that one.

[missouri]

A little hole on the front of the outdrive just above the cone.....beach it with the outdrive(or partially down) down and it will clog up. This is on the Bravo....

[Baja Boss]

Dan is right.

It is the small hole, maybe 3/16 inch in diameter that is at the leading edge of the bravo drive.

If you have the boat on the trailer, put the lower unit up in the trailer mode and you will find a plastic fitting on the front with a black rubber hose coming off it. The water enters the small hole and goes into the tube creating pressure that is measured by the speedo.

Keeping these clean and operating has become such a problem, that I recently switched to the GPS speedo. No more clogs for me!

Hope this helps you out.

Mark

[Bottomlesspit2]

Hey, thanks for the quick replies. My drive is just an Alpha One. There is definitely not a pitot tube pickup in the back, and the guage does work! There must be a hole in the outdrive somewhere, I will take a good look tomorrow. I will also be careful about debris, sand etc, from getting in there and clogging things up. I had not thought about that. Again, thanks for the helpful info...really appreciated.
Ken

[GottaHaveIt]

The 1986-90 1st generation Alpha 1s do not have an internal speedo pickup provision. The 2nd gen 1991-up does, and the connector is accessible when the lower unit is removed for water pump impeller replacement. If you ever need to purge debris from the line, use compressed air and purge from the speedometer end towards the outdrive..never towards the speedo!

[Bottomlesspit2]

Good info Chris...something to put in my 'boat book' of info! I looked and did find the small slot in the front of the outdrive. It sure was a small little hole, and I can see the tubing snaking up through the drive. Thanks again to all the replies, I am learning fast!
Ken