Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

V-6 LX series, Alpha One Gen2 Manufactured in 1993, OEM installed in 1994 model-year boat. Open cooling system.
Received boat back after it was serviced, winterized and then de-winterized by professional mechanic and dry storage vendor. Service included pulling the out-drive to inspect and lube the drive shaft splune and bearings and U-joints, inspect the exhaust flaps and bellows, and check lube level in the outdrive itself.

First time out on the water we find the spedometer does not move from zero reading. I do not have service manuals, but do have the original installation manual from Mercury. It has crummy line drawings that do not reveal the general location of details, only close up line drawings [ no photos ] of details of a hose connection on the interior of the transom frame to the hose that leads to the speedo head. There is a mention of another hose from the outdrive itself to the yolk or transom frame. I have looked at the on-line service manuals for the drive and engine, and can only find pressure to speed reading data, with no specific mention or illustrations of the hoses that move air [or water] pressure from the drive to the interior and on to the speedo head. I presume that one of the hoses was not replaced, or that it split, or that it has come off a fitting. Any help in locationg the origin of the hose system and how it is routed through the yolk and frame would be greatly appreciated. Also...am I doing any damage if one of these hoses is leaking or not hooked up? Is this water pressure, or air pressure system. I DO have good water temperature, oil presure, etc..all other indicators are fine. I have not yet tested the speedo head with air pressure from a secondary source, nor have I removed the hose line behind the speedo to install another pressure gauge. I will do that next time I go to the marina, but also want to be able to check the rest of the hose system as it connects to the parts of the transom mount/yolk/out-drive, but I need advice and or drawings/photos to show what I need to look for and correct if it is not right.

Thanks in advance, Jennifer

 

[achris]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Hello,

Have a look at these 2 videos... I disconnect and reconnect the speedo feed tube as part of the drive removal and installation...
I suspect your mechanic forgot to reconnect the tube (easy done...)...

Removing drive: http://youtu.be/w3O63YTOhn8
Installing drive: http://youtu.be/aGVrY4cWiDA

Chris.......

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Chris, you have the BEST video I have seen on removing and replacing the drive, ...and Ive seen quite a few. I'll check the fitting...from your video I can see where it goes into the outdrive. From there I hope to trace the rest of the line. THANKS!!!

 

[achris]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Chris, you have the BEST video I have seen on removing and replacing the drive, ...

Shucks...

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

I found an basic servive guide for my year of drive....It makes little mention of the speedo system, but it does show a good illustration of the hose hanging down from above on the outside of the transom yoke area, and how to hook up the 1/4 turn fiting on the out-drive itself. The inside frame of the engine mounting has a barbed fitting for a hose to the speedo head. What I have yet to find is a detailed description of what is between these 2 points, how the speedo hose goes from the barbed fitting on the inside of the transom, to the pigtail on the outside with the 1/4 turn fitting.... We are due for a sunny day in a few days...I'll have them put the boat on a work rack the first sunny day we get this week so I can trace this. Hopefully it is just the 1/4 turn fitting, easily located in 'achris' great video....If not, I'll have more tracing of pressure hose to do. There was some electronics work also done...I'll also have to check to see that the hose has not been squeesed shut with a zip tie...There were some added wires put in between the transom and the gauge area too....and they are ziped to the bundle that was already there...which includes the speedo pressure hose....I think I know what to look for now....first thing will be that 1/4 turn fastener on the out-drive! second wil be check for a kink or squeeze of the hose between transom and gauges....if all that is OK, then I'll have to dig deeper...

 

[achris]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Unless you need the speedo for a reason (and a GPS is far more accurate) there are no consequences of the speedo not working.... It's not going to cause anything else to not work...

Just thought I'd mention that...

Chris.......

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Does this help you visualize where the hose and that fitting are?

If that is installed properly, then this hole is plugged up, just ike the one in this photo:

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

It looks like this is just a pitot tube equivalant...a tiny hole in the front of the gearcase admits forward motion water pressure to the hose system that is read by the gauge, that has MPH instead of PSI. All i need to find is an open hose, a kinked hose, or a blockage in the inlet.....

Chris, I do have a chartplotter with GPS speed in the boat. actual speed is not really that important...RPM is important when going fast, but at regular speeds, or just puttin around, I just keep an eye on the temp and oil pressure, the rest by ear. I am just bothered by the non-functional speedo. If I were to re-design and build a new dashboard, I could leave it out completely, and have room to put the VHF radio in a better place up front...Too big a project for this year....but now that I have GPS, the dash speedo is only a reference. It just looks funny sitting at zero. Around here we have rivers, and the Columbia moves right along pretty quick...If you are going upstream or downstream it makes a big difference for Course Over Ground speed VS RPM.....you coould have forward water speed of 5 or 6 MPH, and still be going backwards COG in some places!! Makes docking fun, especially if you have to sideslip a hundred feet to an inner dock. I have had to learn a LOT about boat handling that was never part of the water conditions on the small lakes of Wisconsin,or Lake Erie in Ohio, where I learned how as a kid....

It looks like either Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday we might have a break in the rain..I'll bring a tiny drill bit to check the opening with, and the knowledge you have all shared....This forum is incredible! THANKS !

 

[achris]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

That all sounds good... But I would prefer to blow the passage out with compressed air (from the top of the lower drive housing) than use a drill... You could end up pushing the dirt further in, or pushing the drill too far in ....

Chris.......

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

I hear you on that one....Don't have compressed air at the marina....but I DO have scuba tanks! and a reg set up with a standard shop-air fitting! THANKS!

 

[achris]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

I hear you on that one....Don't have compressed air at the marina....but I DO have scuba tanks! and a reg set up with a standard shop-air fitting! THANKS!

Just like I have...

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Achris are you still standing by???? I'm still having some trouble with this....but I have narrowed it down to the 1/4 turn fitting....When I got back to my boat I indeed found the fitting on the drive not attached. However, when inserting the fitting and making the 1/4 turn lock of the outer parts, which by the way are smaller than I would have thought, I don't get a good seal. The outer part of the fitting locks, but the small male part on the hose side just slips in to the socket kinda loosly, even though the outer part holds it in place. There is a groove around the male part that looks like it would be about the right size for a small O ring of about 1/32 inch section and about 1/8" or 3/16" outside diameter...I looked at the online parts drawings and could not find any for this detail, just a lot of gears and major maintence drawings... Is there an O ring that I am missing???? or is this just a sloppy fitting that usually fits a little better that it does now that that it is getting some age on it.... If there is no O ring specified, i will load up the interface of the fitting with some thick silicone grease to try and improve the seal between the parts....but if there is indeed supposed to be an Oring, I would sure like to know about it and then I can get some to trial fit at the hardware store, or hopefully the right one at a local Mercury outlet.
THANKS for your help from 'Downunder'

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Achris are you still standing by???? I'm still having some trouble with this....but I have narrowed it down to the 1/4 turn fitting....When I got back to my boat I indeed found the fitting on the drive not attached. However, when inserting the fitting and making the 1/4 turn lock of the outer parts, which by the way are smaller than I would have thought, I don't get a good seal. The outer part of the fitting locks, but the small male part on the hose side just slips in to the socket kinda loosly, even though the outer part holds it in place. There is a groove around the male part that looks like it would be about the right size for a small O ring of about 1/32 inch section and about 1/8" or 3/16" outside diameter...I looked at the online parts drawings and could not find any for this detail, just a lot of gears and major maintence drawings... Is there an O ring that I am missing???? or is this just an "old age" sloppy fitting that usually fits a little better than it does now that that it is getting some age on it.... If there is no O ring specified, i will load up the interface of the fitting with some thick silicone grease, keeping the hole through the center free of course, to try and improve the seal between the parts ....but if there is indeed supposed to be an Oring, I would sure like to know about it and then I can get some to trial fit at the hardware store, or hopefully the right one at a local Mercury outlet.
THANKS for your help from 'Downunder'

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

No o-ring for that groove that I ever remembered. (But I haven't owned a boat in 4 years, and I just turned 40!) And once you push it down in, it isn't super tight, that's why you have to turn it to "lock" it in place.

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

Well to be more exact in my description....the outer portion of the 1/4 turn fitting does "snap" into rotational position to hold the hose to the fitting on the outdrive...but it still does not fit 'tight' internally...too loose to hold any sort of pressure even though the outer parts of the fitting are snapped together. If they are not roatated to the point of the snap, they don't even stay together at all.... I guess I'm going to visit the Mercruser dealer in the next few days and see if they have detailed parts blow ups and listings for my vintage and hopefully find an answer....I did find some drawings for a more recent style of fitting, 1994 thru some years later, but it is completely different than the fittings on this 1993 manufactured drive.

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

I found a blow up drawing in the OEM instaltion manual that shows what is likely an Oring on the fitting.....So I go to the dealer....no parts...they can't even find the drawing that I have, and they have no listing for even a replacement hose that would have the fitting on it...Bummer!~ However, the same set of drawings I have shows the side of the connector that goes into the casting is threaded...I'm going to try and remove the fitting from the casting and then, with it out, determine the thread size, and just replace the whole 1/4 turn thing with a barbed fitting. To make it seperable for out-drive service, near the outdrive I'll install a tiny industrial quick disconnect fitting in-line. Bummer that it will be so much work just because the guy that did the out-drive service forgot to connect the fittings, which led to loss of the Oring and also perhaps a spacer washer, ...which may or may not supposed to be between the larger diameter mating surfaces of the 1/4 turn parts. It is appalling that no documentation exists for this set of parts.....thousands of them must be out there and as time pases, parts will need repair or replacement, and Mercury has no means to even identify the parts, let alone provide them. My dealer spent about half an hour looking through all the computer drawings, and also searching through a two foot tall stack of paper parts manuals....it would seem that every shim and bearing is covered a dozen times over, but not these parts.....Oh well.....
Jennifer

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

I finally got the boat out to a work rack and removed the entire quick disconnect...and then proceeded to find an O ring that fit. Thank goodness for True Value ..it was the smallest Oring they had in the bins, but it fit perfectly. We took pictures of the entire thing, and will get them out of the camera sometime soon and posted here. Tomorrow we get the boat out on the water and see if we still have a problem...If we do, I KNOW it is not a leaking quiick fitting!

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

I finally got the boat out to a work rack and removed the entire quick disconnect...and then proceeded to find an O ring that fit. Thank goodness for True Value ..it was the smallest Oring they had in the bins, but it fit perfectly. We took pictures of the entire thing, and will get them out of the camera sometime soon and posted here. Tomorrow we get the boat out on the water and see if we still have a problem...If we do, I KNOW it is not a leaking quiick fitting!

Did the same thing on my Bravo. Put on an "O" ring and all was good...

 

[Jennifer "water-wolf"]

Re: Speedometer quit working Alpha One Gen2 1993

BINGO!! it works fine! How on earth that O-ring came off when the connector was apart is a huge mystery...It must have been hard and cracked, becasue it is a tight enough fit that it would NEVER come off by itself....So..it took a month to do a 10 minute job, thanks to the boat being off in a marina and not at home, but we got it sorted out. Thanks to True Value for having a huge hardware department with all sorts of little doo-dads, the ring cost 27 cents.....at our local industrial suppliers I would have had to buy a minumum of 100 pieces!

Jennifer