Speedometer failure

[baroda5]

I have two Airguide Speedometers on my '97 Pre2150wt, and I can't remember when they both worked at the same time. The running joke is that we need two speedometers because one will always be broke! I have been told it has something to do with the inlet lines becoming clogged, but no one will tell me exactly how they work, or what to fix. I have taken it to my dealer and they have fixed it, for a price, only to have it fail again soon after. After two years of this, I have accepted the speedometer to be a cosmetic gauge, and we drive off of the tach. Can anyone help me remedy this problem?

[Tige M.D.]

the 2 black plastic pick-ups on the back of your boat are water inlets. there is a small hole on each that allows water to push thru a tube to your speedo. inside there is a series of springs and sprokets that move your needle. if the small holes get clogged the speedo can't work. you ned to clear them out with air pressure. remove the rubber hose from the top of the pick up and blow air through. 12 1/2 psi equals 30mph. DO NOT blow 125psi to the gauge. you will destroy your gauges.

[baroda5]

Are you suggesting I put 12.5 psi through the pickup and the Tube?? Seems like if I blow through the tube, whatever is clogging the tube will end up in the gauge?? Or is it just likely that the pickup is the only thing clogged?

[NICKYPOO]

I keep an 1/8" driil bit (might be a 1/16") mounted in a cork in my glove box. If they get clogged just wait untill you pick up your skier and jump in the water. Take the drill bit on a cork and insert it into the pick up hole. The trick is spinning the bit in a clock wise direction while you are inserting it. This will pull the debri out in stead of pushing it in. Just make sure you don't use a bit that is bigger than the pick up hole. Oh, the cork? If you drop it, it will float.

[Tige M.D.]

remove the hose and blow air backwards thru the pick up. 12.5 psi is ment to tell you that the system is very sensitive to air pressure and not to bblow it towards the speedo. if you have 125psi then use all of that to clear the pick up. where safety glasses, you never know what will blow out or what direction it will go.

[baroda5]

Thanks, I hope to have both speedo's back up and running this weekend. I'll let you know!!

[jsz]

I have one speedo on the dash and a wakeboard pro that also gives the MPH. It seems that the speedo always reads 3-5 higher than the pro. I'm guessing the pro is more acurate because the speedo bounces around a bit.

I heard the speeedo can be adjusted but I don't know how. There is a knob all the way to the left of my guages but i've never messed with it. I'm guessing thats what adjusts the speedo. any thoughts?

I don't remember seeing a pick up tube on my 02 21v (not saying it's not there). I do have a black thing holding a small black wheel though. could that be the sensor for the wakeboard pro?

[Tige M.D.]

your boat has a electric speedo, the paddle wheel is for that speedo and the knob is to calibrate that same speedo. the perfect pass paddle wheel is under the boat. yes, the perfect pass is more accurate.
a few years ago i saw a device in waterski magazine that you mount next to the dash, you push a button and it clears the spedo pickup, pure freak'n magic.

[smendez]

On our 2005 22v, we have the boats electric speedometer and perfect pass (wakeboard pro). When running anywhere from 25 to 30 mph, they were off from each other by almost 5 mph. I figured the boat speedo is wrong and perfect pass was right.

Then one day I decided to find out just how close perfect pass was to my gps - Surprise. Perfect pass was off by 5 mph and the boat's Fariah speedometer was dead on when compared to my gps unit.

I tested this on Table Rock Lake going on a straight line at 30mph and no side winds.

I have since recalibrated Perfect Pass to give an accurate reading.

However, I also found that depending on where our passengers seat on the boat (behind the driver or on the other side), Perfect Pass varies as much as 1 mph from the real speed (as measured by gps).

The moral of this story - Don't blindly trust Perfect Pass. It may not be "Perfect" until calibrated.

[Tige M.D.]

that is very interesting mendez, you see, it's people like you that help teach the rest of us new and useful things. i would have bet a paycheck that the perfect pass was dead on with the gps.
my warrant officer in the uscg told me this and i live by it everyday, if you don't learn something new everyday, then you weren't paying attention.

[jsz]

thanks guys. so maybe it was a good thing to not mess with the calibration knob although i am still curious how it works??? i also need to find out how to calibrate the wakebord pro???

[smendez]

Calibrating Perfect Pass was a snap. I just touched the menu button and I believe the first item is "Calibrate", I punched that and then you just dial up or down from where it's at.

I don't know how to calibrate the Fariah speedometer.

A side note. When calibrating, if you're using GPS (I don't know how you'd do it any other way), make sure it's a calm lake without any wind that would drift your boat sideways. Don't try to do this on a river. Your GPS reading will only be accurate relative to the satellite, but not relative to the water.

[jsz]

thanks. i bought it used and don't have some of the manuals so you guys are always a big help.

[smendez]

The Fariah manuals are online here under Downloads.