Keypad/Dash Pod Problem - 2003 SN 196 LE

[mike196]

Please help. I'm having some weird things happen with my keypad. I have a 2003 SN 196 LE with the 330 Excalibur engine.

*With the boat up to speed (2800 rpm), if I press the Heater button on the keypad the engine will make a very quick hesitation and act like it is going to stall. The engine never stalls but you can sure notice the quick hesitation. This is not always the case - sometimes when you press the Heater button while the boat is underway the engine does not hesitate and everything seems fine.
*With the boat at idle, sometimes when I press the Heater button both system indicator lights at the bottom of the keypad will go out, then none of the buttons on the keypad will work - not even the Stop button. The engine will continue to run. And then the only button that will make the engine stop is the Horn button. At that point I can re-enter my code, get both the system indicator lights to light up and then Start the engine normally.
*All the other buttons on the keypad - shower, blower, bilge, etc. seem to not cause any problems as described above.
*Also, while sitting at idle I noticed that with none of the accessories running that the volts read 14.1. When I turn on the accessories, including the heater, the volts drop to 13.5. That seems normal to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. These inconsistent problems drive me crazy. I've heard that other people have had problems with their pods on other 2003 models. Thanks in advance.

[Christopher-W.-Becker]

RE: Keypad/Dash Pod Problem - 2003 SN 196 LE

Check with your dealer and see if there is a Tech Bulletin out. There is one on the 2004 for the Ballast pumps. They did the same thing. They add a diode (hope I am remembering) correctly in the line to prevent the problem.

[skinautique]

RE: Keypad/Dash Pod Problem - 2003 SN 196 LE

Sounds like your keypad or greyhill box is acting up but there is a service bulletin out that Christopher Becker is referring to. I don't think that one effects your boat though. I would take it back to your dealer and let them fix it.

[NautiqueJeff]

RE: Keypad/Dash Pod Problem - 2003 SN 196 LE

Yep, mine had similar issues at the beginning of last season. Replaced the keypad and the PME box, and all was well.

[SGY]

RE: Keypad/Dash Pod Problem - 2003 SN 196 LE

Not too uncommon. Mine did the same thing last year--only once. So, I haven't taken it in yet. Yikes, now its out of warranty.

[Frost]

RE: Keypad/Dash Pod Problem - 2003 SN 196 LE

I think SN is right, sounds like something with your PME box

[mike196]

For those of you following this problem - Correct Craft e-mailed me the following response. Has anyone else done this to their boat?

Hello Mike,

There is an inline diode harness available to resolve the problem you are experiencing. If you find it not feasible to take the boat to the dealer and you can take care of this yourself you can call your dealer and purchase the inline diode harness from them. Since this is occurring through the heater, this is where you will want to install the inline diode harness. You can contact your dealer to order and get further information how to install.



Thank you,

Correct Craft, Inc.

[skinautique]

Yes I have done that replacement but I don't think that is the problem. I am almost positive that it is the keypad/pme box acting up.
The diode fix will fix a "trickle" in the electrical system not the symptoms you are experiencing. Have John cross reference your hull number to the hull numbers listed on the service bulletin and I will pretty much guarantee that yours doesn't fall in that listing.

[Frost]

I'm still sticking with Skinautique on this one, PME

[eric@dcl]

Mike,

I think this a ground problem. Check the battery ground first...the experts I have spoken to agree. The guys at your local Correct Craft dealership have over 40 years of experience with PCM and CC. Trust them!

[nms1991]

So Mike196 what was the problem?

[jlembas]

Hey guys,

Just saw this post and thought I'd share some things from personal experience. A good friend of mine has a 2003 with the electronic dash/ignition. He ordered the boat fairly stripped since he wanted to do a lot of custom work to it. So we added a heater, auto ballast, and relays for various reasons. Everytime we would turn a device on/off the engine and the electrical system would shut down or hesitate, just like Mikes.

What was happening was a problem related to transient voltages in coils. Anytime you use a device with an electric coil (any motor, relay, heater, etc.) it will send voltage spikes back up into the electrical system when turned on/off. This is called transient voltage surge. Now usually this is never a problem since engineers plan for this and build in the proper supression.

We eventually figured out that the Nautique electronic dash was the problem. Altough it was working fine, Nautiques engineers overlooked coil supression and never added the proper diodes into their dash unit. This doesn't mean that your dash is bad, it just doesn't have the diodes built-in. You can easily remedy the situation by adding your own diodes to whatever you connect to the dash switches, or get the "diode fix kit" (but I'm sure that costs money).

Anyway, here is a small article I found relating to this problem.
http://relays.tycoelectronics.com/app_pdfs/13c3311.pdf#search='coils%20transient%20voltage'