Speedo Repair
 

I just bought a 1998 180 Shabah and the only problem with it is the speedometer is not working. I did some googling and found that it is most likely a plugged hose. I need help finding out where exactly it is so I can clean it. 4.3LX engine.

It's most likely plugged at the pickup hole on the outdrive. Assuming you have a Mercury Alpha 1, look for a little orfice located just above the nose cone at the bottom front of the outdrive. Use a thin wire or a very small drill bit to clean it out.

Oh, and welcome to the club!

Hello bpfirrman,

Welcome aboard! We had another member with a similar issue, check out the second page of this thread: Click here

Do you know we have brochures, manuals and other references for contributing members, if you're interested, take a look in the Donate section. Click here

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Lastly, when you have some time, go ahead and stick your pin on our map! Need assistance? Click here

Good Luck,
WetWilly

Thanks! I found the hole last night and sure enough it was clogged with sand. Got it clear with a small drill bit, should work fine this weekend. As far as manuals go, the previous owner of my boat still had the black Mariah book that came with the boat that includes all the manuals and promotional material. Will post pictures soon!

So I took the boat out on the lake yesterday and clearing the hole in the outdrive did not fix it. I checked the hose before I left and that seems to be connected fine. When I got out on the water the speedo did not work at all, then about 5 minutes into my first full throttle run it went up to 30mph and got stuck there. Throughout the course of the day it slowly started making its way back down to zero again. Any ideas?

Sounds like your tube is still plugged somewhere. Try disconnecting from the back of the speedometer, and blowing through the tube (compressed air works best if you have a way to do it). If that seems clear, it could possibly be the speedo itself. Faria has a lifetime warranty (but I believe they charge $40 for "registering" or "handling" or something) and I've heard they can keep the gold trim and "Mariah" faceplate so it looks the same as what you currently have.

Since you found sand clogging it before, I'd guess that's still the problem. You may not have been able to fully clear it out. Try blowing air in the pick-up and doing some more drilling (by hand of course).

After clearing the hole some more the speedo was working this weekend, thanks for the tips! My depth finder was not workig properly either, but that fixed itself this weekend as well. Finally on my third trip out everything is in perfect working order and wouldn't you know it, I get the boat out of the water and pull the drain plug and I noticed the prop is damaged and their is a 1" piece missing from my lower unit. Must have ran over a piece of driftwood, the lake I frequent is riddled with the stuff. Can your repair SS props or should I just replace it?

I may look into fixed, new it is about $400. There are a few dings and some bends in the blades, I will post some pics. Is it safe for the boat to run it like that or should I get it fixed immediately? Most webistes I found recommend it get repaired immediately. I went through your post on the skeg repair and I think I may just need to use a little JB Weld, I have about a quarter size divot missing, should be easy to repair with JB.