Maintenance Tip Of The Day "where's My Speed?"

[TheShortAnswer]

This tip refers to a Yamaha 2006 F250. It may or may not be applicable to your motor.

when ever you're cruising along and start to lose your speed indication on your Yamaha "Speed" or "Speed/Fuel" combo gauge, this likely means you are starting to get a clogged pitot tube on the leading edge of the motor foot. the pitot tube is where water pressure is sensed which is created by fwd motion thru the water, and is then sent to a sensor which then relays the info ultimately to the guage.

usually this is an easy fix. if on the water, you can stop the boat and use reverse to clear the pitot tube. if this doesn't work, then when out of the water, insert a 1/16 drill bit into the pitot tube.......rotate the bit in your fingers CW as you insert it........CW rotation helps to dislodge debris.

sometimes the debris has travelled beyond the entry point of the pitot tube and cannot be reached with the drill bit. in this case, you need to remove the engine cover and locate where the rubber tubing (that connects to the pitot tube) connects to the sensor on the back of the engine. remove the rubber hose and use compressed (of your choosing) to blow out the debris until it exits the pitot tube on the motor foot. reconnect the rubber hose to the sensor......you're done. see attached photos.

blue tape on the drill bit shows how far the bit can be inserted.

tape on the back of the motor is the rubber hose to disconnect and blow out.

[triumphrick]

Good tip...nice "marinized" measuring tape...

[Chisox]

The Short,

Sorry, had to do that!

Excellent tip. And how to use a "tip".

[TheShortAnswer]

The Short,

Sorry, had to do that!

Excellent tip. And how to use a "tip".

oh buoy!