Need help with SYTEMS MONITOR

[searay495]

Got the kiss of death today…….I was asked how the boat was running to which I replied "GREAT" only to have my SYSTEMS MONITOR begin to beep once in a while which quickly increased to almost always. When engines are on there is no beep and no alarm status. When the engines are off I get a lot of beeping with alarms which range from "Data link Failure, Alarm off line" to port engine alarm, starboard engine alarm, etc. The boat is running fine. Any thoughts? Also the beeping continues even when the batteries are off. I am on a mooring so there is no electric to the boat either. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[jason78]

Just to confirm- Are you talking about the Sea Ray "Systems Monitor" (Black Square Device mounted to the left of the Steering Wheel with a 2 Line Green LCD Readout) or a Mercury Smartcraft System Monitor (Gray Framed Mercury Monitor with large LCD Screen just above steering wheel)? Just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

 

[ZZ13]

Just to confirm- Are you talking about the Sea Ray "Systems Monitor" (Black Square Device mounted to the left of the Steering Wheel with a 2 Line Green LCD Readout) or a Mercury Smartcraft System Monitor (Gray Framed Mercury Monitor with large LCD Screen just above steering wheel)? Just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

Those text messages quoted are from the 2-line LCD DCM (or DDU as some call it). Those particular messages are only available when the ignition is on. With ignition off you should only get bilge pump messages. The module is directly connected to the batteries (through a breaker) so turning the battery switches off won't affect it. This is a guess but maybe the battery voltage levels have dropped low enough to mess up the operation of the Systems Monitor. If it were me I'd start up the generator and turn on the converter to start charging the batteries and see if it stops.

 

[jason78]

Thanks for straightening that out Bill. I kind of figured it was probably the Sea Ray System Monitor but thought it would be a good idea to get that clarified before people started offering advice for the Smartcraft System View which I have seen often referred to as System Monitor and confused with the Sea Ray variant.

 

[searay495]

It is the Searay systems monitor. 2 line lcd display

 

[my3sons]

I feel your pain, I've been there. ZZ13 is correct that the only messages that you should get on the DDU with the ignition off is the bilge pump info and "Sea Ray Boats, all systems normal". The other stuff you are getting with the boat not running indicates a interface module issue. It could be a bad ground, but most likely the module itself is on it's way out. Find the circuit breaker for the systems monitor on the main 12v dist. panel, and turn it off. Next time you go to the boat, turn it back on and see if the problem starts again. sometimes cutting the power will correct the issue, but most likely only temporarily. There is a 4 or 5 step trouble shooting guide for these to determine where the problem lies that Sea Ray customer service can e-mail you, but it is going to boil down to what I just told you. I was told that the interface module was not available, but Sea Ray was trying to get a new vendor to start making them again. I got around it by turning off the breaker when I would leave the boat so that it wouldn't go berserk while I was away, and it would generally be ok when I turned it back on. Give a shout out to the guys in customer service, it's been a while, maybe there is a solution by now. Good luck

 

[ZZ13]

I feel your pain, I've been there. ZZ13 is correct that the only messages that you should get on the DDU with the ignition off is the bilge pump info and "Sea Ray Boats, all systems normal". The other stuff you are getting with the boat not running indicates a interface module issue. It could be a bad ground, but most likely the module itself is on it's way out. Find the circuit breaker for the systems monitor on the main 12v dist. panel, and turn it off. Next time you go to the boat, turn it back on and see if the problem starts again. sometimes cutting the power will correct the issue, but most likely only temporarily. There is a 4 or 5 step trouble shooting guide for these to determine where the problem lies that Sea Ray customer service can e-mail you, but it is going to boil down to what I just told you. I was told that the interface module was not available, but Sea Ray was trying to get a new vendor to start making them again. I got around it by turning off the breaker when I would leave the boat so that it wouldn't go berserk while I was away, and it would generally be ok when I turned it back on. Give a shout out to the guys in customer service, it's been a while, maybe there is a solution by now. Good luck

Mark, where is that darn interface module located? I haven't found it yet. I had to replace the display unit on mine when I bought the boat. But I go curious as to the interface module, but its hiding away from me pretty well.

 

[my3sons]

Bill, on my 400 it is behind the power panel next to the couch, The panel is hinged, remove two longer screws from the left side of the panel and it will open to the right. Interface module is mounted in the back on the right of the two galvanic isolators.

SR495, your interface module is most likely on the forward bulkhead in the ER. (I am guessing, as that is where it was on my 360, maybe a 340 owner could verify)

 

[searay495]

Thanks for the replies!! Mark, I think I know where the interface module is. There are also fuses or trips on the bulkhead which are marked Systems Monitor, however they are the trips that have the plastic covering on them and protrude when they are tripped. How do you "self" trip these? Maybe I am looking at the wrong panel. The other panel back there has the rockers for the two solenoids plus the breakers that you need a paper clip in to trip them. Maybe I am looking at the wrong panel.

 

[my3sons]

I used a knife blade (or a paper clip would work, I guess) to open the breakers.

 

[searay495]

Ok, thanks. But how is it marked on the panel? Is it marked "systems monitor?"

 

[Pseudomind]

Check out this thread, I put some information throughout it regarding "Systems Monitor."

 

[Yzfspike]

I have had similar issues with the system monitor. When the engine room is cold (boat has not run for the day), system monitor works as it should. Upon starting the engines, screen lights up and all systems OK. After approximately 2-3 hours, a data link failure occurs. This will happen if I am still cruising or even after a short cruise where I switch both engines off. When engines are off, the systems monitor will start to give regular short beeps. To stop the beeps (and allow a good nights sleep), I put an inline toggle switch to the systems monitor LCD unit's main power line.
I have tried to track this down for two years now. Replacing the coax cable, checking grounds....etc. The control module is an approximately 6" x 8" black box with multiple connectors going into it along with the coax cable. It is located in the lazarette in my boat which becomes hot as it is essentially part of the engine room. I can only assume that the control module board has an intermittent connection as once it becomes warm it looses this connection. I have seen this happen more than once on PCB's.

At this point I have found no solution other than to replace the control module, which is another challenge.

Using the toggle switch, it stops the beep, but is only a band aid. Once the module cools down again, prior to my next cruise, I switch the toggle to on and everything works again. As I stated, this is still a work in progress that has gone on for two years now. Module is still working, but only when its at a "lower" temperature.

If I do find a solution will definitely report the findings.

 

[searay495]

Thanks for all the input. At least I'm not alone with this issue. Going to boat tonight to try some of the remedies. Wish me luck!

 

[makinwaves]

Hey 495, Just wondering how things turned out. I had random "data link failure" days, that were some times accompanied by alarm beeping after we shut off the engines. It started acting up last summer. We tested all the wires (hot, ground, and coaxial) and installed new connectors on the coaxial. Then I tried just a new monitor, it didn't help, it was worse. I emailed Searay. Searay told me the new '14 monitor would not work with the '06 interface module. - Because they have a New version with a new supplier. So I Just put on a new module, and all works fine again.

 

[searay495]

Update: I went down to boat a few weeks back to remedy the situation. I held the silence/reset button on the helm monitor for several seconds and it seemed to do the trick. I still intermittently get beeps, but only on occassion. It is usually when I've been sitting on a mooring with no power and utilizing the batteries. I think it might start to alarm to alert me that the batteries are getting low. I don't know, but for now it's manageable.

 

[scottrreiner]

I am having a similar weird issue with my System Monitor. Not getting the "data link" error unless I disconnect the coax. On mine, the alarm under dash comes on intermittently - with or without engines on. No message appears on the LCD and none of the emergency pumps run (when I flip the float switch by hand I get a different pitch alarm - a hi/lo tone). All things seem to point to either the DDU (the dash unit) being bad or that the alarm itself is bad (yes that sounds odd but I got that directly from Searay along with a schematic and a testing procedure). Anyone else have this same issue and if so, how did it turn out?

 

[MarkCrusei]

I have a 4 page trouble shooting chart that Sea Ray technical support emailed me for the Systems Monitor. but do not know how to upload a pdf to this forum. It may be too large and that's the reason. I would like to see a section for files like I have and I am sure many others have from Sea Ray that would be available especially on the weekends and Holidays when everything seems to go wrong. There are many that cross over from boat to boat.
ping me and I would be happy to send it to anyone.

 

[ebreaux]

Thanks to all who have provided input on this topic. It seems that the Sea Ray Systems Monitor "system" can be quite problematic. I was able to utilize the troubleshooting diagram posted by another user to determine if the system was a complete failure. When the system does not work, you have no alarms for the engines (or other monitored systems on the boat).

I have a 2003 410 DA with 3126TA Cats. The Systems Monitor was not functioning at all when I purchased the boat a few months ago. After researching here and other places, I was able to get the system back to partial functionality. While the repair/troubleshooting process appears to have restored the engine alarms (oil pressure, etc...) the display is still blank.

We tested alarm sounding and shutoff by running the engines in the slip. Replaced the bad portion of the coax connector that was corroded and also fixed a bad ground connection under the dash. VOILA! Engine oil pressure alarm sounds for both engines upon ignition-on and silences when the oil pressure normalizes after startup. That's a good outcome, however, does anyone know if there is finally a replacement system available from Sea Ray or other source to get this system back to full functionality. We have not yet run the boat in open water after this repair, so I really don't know if this "repair" is really successful.

Finding a suitable replacement for the system is clearly the better option... Anybody out there found a good replacement option?

 

[Phasma]

Mid March 2017....My precious is still in winter storage here in Michigan. Still pretty cold. Last fall I had the same problem with the System Monitor. I ran out of time before I could get it fixed. About 3-4 weeks left before the boat is put back into the water. I have several projects to do this year and the Systems Monitor is one of them. I understand about the bad ground problem as well as the bad coax. I am hoping someone will give a final answer on this.