speedometer pitot hole-gctid392580

[Guest]

Sooooo, this one is a little embarassing to admit to, but after my recent damage to the prop and outdrive on my boat, i was doing a thorough inspection of the outdrive so when i took the boat to the machinist he might fix all the damage. Well, as you have probably already guessed, i thought the speedometer pitot hole was damage, and i had the guy weld it shut, so my plea for help goes out to anyone with a mid millenium alpha one outdrive. Would you please measure the distance from the lower most horizontal fin on the outdrive to the center of the pitot hole so that i might attempt to salvage my speedometer?

Oh yeah, whomever does choose to help me out, if you could snap a picture of the measurement you are taking so i can make sure to measure in the same manner that would be great. Thanks

[Rocky_Road]

My 2005 is 6 3/32" from the underside of the fin....

I am not sure if the size of the hole will make a difference...but my 'gut' says that it will!

Good luck!

[Guest]

Rocky_Road wrote:
My 2005 is 6 3/32" from the underside of the fin....

I am not sure if the size of the hole will make a difference...but my 'gut' says that it will!

Good luck!

Yeah, i'm going to need the luck. If you would mind helping me out a little bit more, grab a set of drill bits and see what the largest drill bit is that will fit in the hole. Would you also mind snapping a picture of you measuring the distance so i make sure to measure the exact same way you did? Thanks for the help

[Rocky_Road]

whitey382 wrote:
Yeah, i'm going to need the luck. If you would mind helping me out a little bit more, grab a set of drill bits and see what the largest drill bit is that will fit in the hole. Would you also mind snapping a picture of you measuring the distance so i make sure to measure the exact same way you did? Thanks for the help

Roger...stand by.

[Rocky_Road]

I used wire gauge twist drills, since they are far more incremental than inch drill bits: the closest is #35.

Here are the pics:

[Guest]

What's the closest standard drill bit to a #35 without going oversize?

[Rocky_Road]

whitey382 wrote:
What's the closest standard drill bit to a #35 without going oversize?

About 1/8"...but considering what you are trying to do, I would think that the couple of bucks for the wire gauge twist bit to be a cheap investment.

[Guest]

Rocky_Road wrote:
About 1/8"...but considering what you are trying to do, I would think that the couple of bucks for the wire gauge twist bit to be a cheap investment.

good call, i'll make a run to the hardware store

[Guest]

If you look into the pitot hole, if thats possible, does it go straight back for a ways or does it appear to make a bend at some point?

[Rocky_Road]

whitey382 wrote:
If you look into the pitot hole, if thats possible, does it go straight back for a ways or does it appear to make a bend at some point?

There ain't no "looking" into an 1/8" hole, but a drill bit appears to go in for a good distance and then meets some resistance.

My guess is that your mechanic closed the first few centimeters with his weld repair, and that may be be reversible. You will have to deal with any drilling residue from this repair, as it doesn't take much to block this water passage. But it is not beyond my imagination that drilling out his surface weld could return your speedo to working again...it would take a GPS to see how accurate your reading ends up being.

Keep in mind that the OEM setup was never all that accurate, and you can mentally make the necessary adjustments to what a GPS tells you to be the truth....

[Guest]

If ever youre in north idaho look me up, i owe you a few beers. I was able to drill the hole and while it may not look quite as awesome as factory, the speedo is back working again. Thanks for your help.

[img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/696503=28951-IMAG0126.jpg[/img]

[Rocky_Road]

Cool!

I have always been a sucker for happy endings!

Happy boating...!