Fault Code on SMX air conditioner

L

LivinLife

New Member
Feb 7, 2008
20
Gunpowder River, Maryland
Boat Info
380 Sundancer 2002
Engines
8.1's
Has anyone run into the PS/HI and PS/LO fault codes on their air conditioners. I have a 2002 380DA that has the SMX Cruisair system. Over the past week, when the heat was running, the HI/PS code would flash, and when the A/C would run the PS/LO code would flash. I have a seperate systems and both push water while the systems are running. The salon system is the only one that is flashing a code and shutting down. It seems to push good water through, although it may not be as much as the master cabin system. I have not had time to look at the impeller and strainer yet or to check for any blockages. Was hoping to get some quick feedback if anyone has been through this before.
Thanks!
 
My manuals are on the boat so you should verify this in your owners packet, but the PS-HI and PS-LO indicate your compressor head pressures are high or low. Heat can cause it, but since you get different indications on heat vs. air settings, you are probably dealing with low freon in the compressor.

The cooling water pump is not normally servicable and it is a magnetic type impeller. As long as a good water stream is coming out of the boat, the pump is more than likely doing its thing. There is only one pump and one relay to turn it on and it is located in the rear unit.....both units signal the relay to run the pump.
 
Both faults are indicative of very low air flow. Check the condition of the evaporator coil and air filter.
 
I had the same problem when I aquired my current boat. It was due to blockage in the hoses from marine life and mud in the lines. It was getting the units to warm and they would shut down. It is also possible your strainer is not letting enough water through. I ended up running new water hoses because even with chemicals to flush the lines it does not disolve the mud. Ever since all 3 units heat and cool fine. Hope this helps.
 
I can't remember which is which but according to the AC guy one is low coolant and the other is low air flow. Check filters in units and returns, if they are clean it's the coolant charge.
 
Agree with all above. I have had this happen twice. In the first instance the relay which caused the water pump to turn on failed, so I was not getting adequate (or any) water flow to the midcabin/salon Crusair unit. In the second instance the same Cruisair unit was low on R-22 refrigerant. Assuming good water flow (good pump and no water circuit obstructions), and clean filters (adequate air flow) I am betting R-22, or whatever refrigerant your boat has, is low.

regards
Skip
 
I have the exact same problem and had an AC guy look at it. He cleaned the strainer, added freon but the problem persisted. The AC guy told me that the bow unit has to be on for the water pump to run for either unit. If the bow unit is not on while the salon unit is on, the salon evaporator line could get frozen. It sounds like a stupid design if that's the case and I don't know if he is BSing me, but I have been testing that theory and it does seem to work better if I keep the bow unit working at a lower setting than the Salon unit so that the bow unit is on most of the time while the salon unit works at a lesser rate.
 
A word about "low on freon". These small package systems that are installed in these boats from the factory hold a very small amount of refrigerant, in some cases less than 16oz. These units are factory charged and leak tested. Unless the system is touched, in the vast majority of cases, the charge lasts the life of the unit. Because they hold such a small amount of refrigerant, any leak at all, even a very small one, under those high pressures will result in the loss of all refrigerant in a very short time. You will rarely come across a unit that has a partial charge for any length of time. In addition, any and all leaks MUST be repaired before recharging. Don't let some flunky mechanic tell you "I just topped off the charge" That is NOT how it's done. Niether is running to your nearest auto parts store and purchasing a small can of "freon" and doing it yourself. Those days are long over.
 
I think another area that people forget about is these systems need to be flushed from time to time if you live in an environment where you have water born growth. The heat exchangers can get clogged up and that will give you a PS/HI error code (no water flow) with the AC running *and* you see water flowing.
 
Gotfish said:
I have the exact same problem and had an AC guy look at it. He cleaned the strainer, added freon but the problem persisted. The AC guy told me that the bow unit has to be on for the water pump to run for either unit. If the bow unit is not on while the salon unit is on, the salon evaporator line could get frozen. It sounds like a stupid design if that's the case and I don't know if he is BSing me, but I have been testing that theory and it does seem to work better if I keep the bow unit working at a lower setting than the Salon unit so that the bow unit is on most of the time while the salon unit works at a lesser rate.
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like one of your solenoids is not telling the pump to turn on, and you are now relying on the other solenoid to turn the pump on for both systems.
 
Thanks for the advice, Hampton. I think you may be on to something. Everytime when my solon unit is about to act up, I can hear some loud buzzing sound. May be that buzzing sound is the solenoid quiting on the system. Do you know if there is a water pump dedicated to each A/C unit or both A/C share the same pump? I do see two separate water discharge when both units are running. Both water discharge look to be flowing well, so, I don't think my problem is related to clogged line.
 
There is only 1 pump. The water flows through both units regardless as to which one is calling for the pump to run.

Hampton's suggestion is easy to test. Shut the forward A/C off and see if the Salon unit will start the pump.

Also if you have a small air compressor, try blowing the lines out. Use low pressure.. Your'll see a ton crap come out.
 
Thanks DC380. Another great suggestion. I am going to test it this weekend. Will let you guys know what I find. You guys are smarter than anyone I have talked to so far about this and I had to pay those guys to fumble around.
 
i had the same problem back in 2006 with the same setup in my boat. forward unit (newer - 7000btu) shuts down and psLO comes up on the display. water flow out of the forward discharge was weak (literally a drip). the salon unit (original 12000 BTU) never gave me a problem. i had an AC guy come in and he couldnt find a problem - said it MAY be the pump (also original). no help. i stuck a hose into the forward discharge hole and disconnected the hose at the pump to see what happened when i shot full pressure into the hole. got full flow back at the pump. no obstruction. took the pump out and apart - has a hard plastic impeller that i could NOT find a replacement for. so i bought a new pump (~$200 if i remember). put that baby in and havent had a problem since. my guess is that the impeller was worn down after 18 years of service. if you boat in muddy/sandy water, maybe your impeller is worn as well.

btw, after installing the new pump, the forward discharge flow was MUCH better.

this is the pump you'd need if you decide to replace. very easy install. just make sure you get the one that handles UP TO 24000 BTU (looks like it is now $269).
http://www.boatersworld.com/product/356975391msk.htm
 
I had a PS/HI code on my forward unit last weekend, I turned it back on awhile later and it was fine. I replaced my pump about a month ago and notice that the flow coming from the font outlet is much less than that of the salon outlet. I believe this has been the case for some time due to the staining under the front thru hull fitting. Is this normal for a 380 or should I look for obstructions?
 
Gotfish,

Your "AC guy" is full of BS. Get a new AC guy. If you have one pump feeding multiple HVAC systems and the pump will not turn on with one of the systems, you have a problem with a trigger. I carry a few extra on my boat as they are easy to fix and do tend to blow out on the hottest days. I wrote something up about these things some time ago:

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3687&highlight=trigger

FYI
 
Most people do not realize, but the magnetic drive on the pump is servicable. You need to take the front housing off. There are 4 screws and the front comes off. Wipe the magnet on the impellor and inside the housing, what happens is they get gunked up and the impeller won't spin as fast as it should. This has fixed the same problem for us many times.
 
mine wasn't gunked up at all. but the ends of the vanes appeared worn - sort of faceted. it'd have been nice to be able to get a new impeller but a half-hearted internet search came up MT. figured i'd just better replace the old-a$$ pump.
 
Tested the AC per DC380's suggestion and sure enough, when the front unit kicks off, both water discharge quit even the salon AC is still running. I also talk to the service manager at the marina and told him my suspicion of the problem with the trigger and he agress. Hopefully, I will have full AC by next weekend. Thanks guys.
 
One more question; I notice the fan is on 100% of time even if the A/C is switched off at desired temperature. Is this normal? Anyone knows how long these fans are made to last?
 
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