Speedometer not working

[Tracker123]

My speedometer stopped working last week on my Tracker. All else seems fine. What makes the speedometer work? There doesn't appear to be any sensor in the water. Is it something to worry about? Thanks for your help.

[Grumpa]

check for a loose hose on your motor, about a 1/8 inch ID hose that has been an issue I have had in the past

[CatFan]

If not the hose, check for a small hole on the front face of your lower unit. They get chunks of wood stuck in them and quit working. If the OB is older, you could have a pickup on the transom too, which could have the same issue.

[Wannabe...]

Don't worry about it. Pressure driven speedometers are worthless anyhow. Chances are it's a foreign object in the pitot (small hole in the face of the lower unit). You can take a needle and dig it out or carefully use a small drill bit to insert and turn by hand to back it out. On really tough stuff, you can locate the small tube that runs from the motor to the speedometer and use an air line to blow from the from speedometer back - NOT forward.

Wannabe...

["G"]

All a speedometer on a boat is good for is to fill in a hole in the dash........they are very inaccurate, don't work half the time, algae grows in the tube and makes it read too slow, debris gets in the pick up hole, etc. Just go by gps and you will be right on.

[Barnacle Bill]

All a speedometer on a boat is good for is to fill in a hole in the dash........they are very inaccurate, don't work half the time, algae grows in the tube and makes it read too slow, debris gets in the pick up hole, etc. Just go by gps and you will be right on.

Yep I agree.

[Dutch552]

I just installed a new pitot tube and tubing this spring and my dash speedometer still reads 4-7 mph faster than I am actually going. I watch my handheld GPS now.

If you have a pitot, crap tends to build up in the tubing over time and may be hard to pinpoint where the blockage is if it isn't right at the sensor itself. The stuff is pennies per foot and takes all of three minutes to replace.

[Tracker123]

Thanks for your help guys.

[pbouy]

Hey guys:
For those of you who use Android smartphones, don't waste your money on a GPS. There's an app called SpeedView. It works really well and gives you an odometer and compass as well. Lots of good features. I use it on an old phone I don't use anymore. You don't have to have service as it reads satellites. To download it from the market, either connect using wi-fi or download the apk to the card and install from there. If you use it on an active phone, just download from the market.