Smartcraft Issue goes from Intermittent to Permanent

M

MikeWood

Member
Jan 19, 2012
114
Seneca Creek, Baltimore
Boat Info
2008 270 Amberjack
Engines
6.2 MPI & Bravo III
All,
Occasionally I used to get a "lost comm" error from my smartcraft system. Most of the time I could shut the motor off and restart and everything would come back fine. Every once in a while I'd have to disconnect the cable at the back of the motor and then reconnect it, and that would fix it. As of Friday night, none of that works and smartcraft seems to have permanently "lost comm".
I guess my first action item is to check all of the connections under the dash? If that doesn't solve the problem, then what?

Thanks in advance,
Mike
 
I would advise you to check the connections under the dash. Check connection on gauges as well as connections to the Junction Box if you have one would be under the dash as well. Probably would not have one with a single.
 
MikeWood said:
All,
Occasionally I used to get a "lost comm" error from my smartcraft system. Most of the time I could shut the motor off and restart and everything would come back fine. Every once in a while I'd have to disconnect the cable at the back of the motor and then reconnect it, and that would fix it. As of Friday night, none of that works and smartcraft seems to have permanently "lost comm".
I guess my first action item is to check all of the connections under the dash? If that doesn't solve the problem, then what?

Thanks in advance,
Mike
Click to expand...

Check the pins on the engine. They are not really designed for being pulled out all the time so you might have bent a pin or a crimp has disconnected
 
well....tried to track down all of the connections, at the engine and under the dash. I couldn't find anything loose. I unplugged and re-plugged everything, with no luck!
 
I wonder if it is an issue with one of the terminating resistors? It gets kind of confusing because sometimes it is a yellow module that plugs in to the Junction box, sometimes it is built in to the cable and sometimes it is a combination of the two. As I recall, each end needs a terminating resistor. If it were me, at this point the first thing I would do would be to find a blue Smartctaft cable with built in resistor and plug it directly between the engine harness and the gauge. If you have a J-Box under the helm, check for a module with a yellow cap that is plugged in. You could try to swap that as well. It could also be an issue with the ECM. This one may be tough to troubleshoot without access to spare parts and a laptop with software to read the ECM. I hate to say this but you may want to check with your dealer on this one.
 
UntitledEMI_zps761b44bc.jpg
 
thanks Guys. These resistors give me something else to look for & check. I suppose one/both could be faulty? But as Jason said, without spare parts it might be tough to figure this one out on my own.
 
This has not been fixed yet. I put the boat away for the winter without figuring it out. I'm planning to have it looked at by my local certified mercury guy as soon as the snow melts.
 
just an update on my issue....Mercury technician has diagnosed the problem as an issue with one or more wires within the harness. So a new wiring harness is being ordered and installed from the dash back to the motor. Hopefully that takes care of it and I don't have this issue any longer. I'll keep you posted.
 
Update #2....wiring harness didn't fix anything! It has now been determined that the boat was struck by lightning at the end of last season and the jolt fried the system. The computer is dead, the tach is dead, and something else too that I can't remember. The lightning wasn't a direct hit, but must have been close enough to affect the boat. I guess I'm lucky my electronics survived.
Good news is, she should be fixed next week. Bad news....$4000.
 
Yeah that should be covered by standard boat insurance if it can be determined that it was lightening, not an electrical law that caused the damage.

Just a quick tip future electrical problems, especially if thy are intermittent, get a small bottle of "Stabilant 22A" Use it on all connector contacts for the related circuits and see if that solves the problems. Its expensive stuff, but much better than ACF50 or Corrosion X. It was a Bell Helicopter mechanic that turned me on to the stuff.
 
Last update....yes covered by insurance, thankfully. $300 deductible and I'm back on the water. Everyone enjoy the season!

M99, thanks for the tip!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,241
Messages
1,429,102
Members
61,122
Latest member
DddAae
Back
Top