Issues with Catapiler EMS Main Unit disply

[stephens013]

anyone out there versed on how the Catapiler electronic monitoring system interacts with the dash board analog gauges? I replaced the center tank fuel guage and sending unit along with the rudder angle displacment system; now my two tachometers are dead. Still getting complete engine data off the ECM and the two 4 in one engine gauges work fine, just no tack. Just wondering how catpiller wired up the data feed to the analog part of the system.

 

[dtfeld]

I don’t have ECM engines, but willing to assist.

First step is getting ahold of the schematics..Sea Ray may have most in the Owners Supplement, but CAT has some as well. Mine were taped 8nto the lid of my control boxes.

 

[dtfeld]

@stephens013

I have the Shop manuals for the 3126's, but I'm thinking they could apply to the 3196's as well.

There are come schematics in the files for the "Marine Multi Station Control System" Is this what you have by chance??

 

[stephens013]

@stephens013

I have the Shop manuals for the 3126's, but I'm thinking they could apply to the 3196's as well.

There are come schematics in the files for the "Marine Multi Station Control System" Is this what you have by chance??

Went to the boat today determined to over come this pesky guage issue. Well that didn't happen, but I did come way with a wealth of knowledge regarding MMDCs and the SeaRay guage tie in. Bottom line, the MMDC is not sending the correct tachometer signals. Apparently it was not sending the correct main fuel cell nor rudder angle data either. I'm replacing the tachometers using Catapiller's engine diagnostic plug as an engine RPM data source point. Installing Faria 12 volt gauges; reliable and a damned sight more available. The SeaRay 4 in one gauges are operating normally so I'm leaving them and whats operationally left of the MMDC alone.
So far I've had to replace the fuel sender unit and guage, the two tachs and the whole rudder displacment system.

 

[dtfeld]

I've made many trips to the boat to unsuccessfully troubleshoot electrical issues. Fun fun fun.

 

[stephens013]

I've made many trips to the boat to unsuccessfully troubleshoot electrical issues. Fun fun fun.

Well; it's now a point of honor. I will have an instrument panel with anolog RPM guauges.

To day I spent hours on the phone between Coneticut, Tampa, Merritt Island and various Catapiler experts and it all boils down to bypassing what's not working and be done with it. By the way; anyone have issues with off the wall guage crap they should touch base with lspeedo.com out of Tampa. Their tech guy Arial is a master at work arounds that will make a RedNecks cheeks glow.

 

[dtfeld]

If your redoing tach's... do Aetna's. You will not regret it. Lots of threads on here espousing the switch. Looks good, easy, accurate.

Here's one --> http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/tachometer.81913/

 

[stephens013]

If your redoing tach's... do Aetna's. You will not regret it. Lots of threads on here espousing the switch. Looks good, easy, accurate.

Here's one --> http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/tachometer.81913/

I recall reading that post when I had the 400DA. changed out the dashboard and gauges; loads of fun.

This current deal started with a faulty fuel guage and an intermitant angle indicator. Getting those issues corrected turned into projects way beyond the scope reason. No sooner did one mality get sorted than another develops. My goal is to keep the look of the stock SeaRay guage panel. The original SeaRay 4 in one's are working and I still have those Cat ECMs on the far left/right of the board. At the end of the day I'll have a fully functional array of miss matched, over hauled instrumentation and a story of the why's and how come's only a boat owner gives a flip about.

Oh; I'll also end up with no less than 6 SeaRay tachometers and 3 of those nifty 4 in one multi guages all looking to have a MMDC plug jammed in their back side.

 

[Wheelhouse]

Out of curiosity, were the original gauges connected to a Keysor-Medallion system? That was the issue on my 560 and they (US Electronics) could no longer source the materials to build a replacement panel. I ended up just changing all of the gauges to NMEA 2000 (but at considerable expense).

 

[stephens013]

Out of curiosity, were the original gauges connected to a Keysor-Medallion system? That was the issue on my 560 and they (US Electronics) could no longer source the materials to build a replacement panel. I ended up just changing all of the gauges to NMEA 2000 (but at considerable expense).

The MMDC is connected to the guages via three wires. The plug, think it's #81, plugs into the black box then goes to a splice point under the dash. The splice point I'd just that, three wires splicing into 6 three wire leads to the individual guages. Worked great fo many years but all and all not a repair friendly set up. Took me, and a couple of other boat guy, to realize how this think operated. Hell the SeaRay guys weren't all that up o speed.

My MMDC box seems to be sending out crap data. Started with the center fuel guage then the rudder indicator. No sooner sorted them out with new systems and both tachometers just stopped; nothing. I'm still getting data to the 4 in ones so I'm letting the MMDC work that part of the puzzle. Not sure I want to do the NMEA 2000 if for no other reason than the expense of the whole deal. I can replace both 4 in ones to direct reading analog, old school sending units and guages at a reasonable price. I'm thinking it would be a damned sight more reliable as well. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.