Please Help! 2004 196 - Electric Issues - PME/Keypad

[BadLuck]

Guys, I’m having trouble with my Nautique and believe it to be PME and/or keypad related. With the original PME and keypad when I turn the 3-way switch to “All on” some or all of the lights come on randomly and there is no response from entering codes or any ability to turn on accessories like the blower, bilge, etc. Given this issue, I ordered a new PME and keypad and installed them today. With the new PME and keypad installed, the second I switch the 3-way to “All on” the starter motor starts cranking. This is without pressing any buttons on the keypad. Pressing stop or any other buttons has no effect. No indicator light illuminate on the keypad at all.

Part numbers on the PMEs are identical. I have videos of both the old and new showing the different symptoms, but can’t get them to upload to the site. I’ll try to get them on YouTube and linked. The starter was 1 season old and I swapped it to a new Nautique starter to confirm it wasn’t anything to do with the starter. Both starters begin turning the second power is applied as show in the videos. Any guidance or ideas on this?

[BadLuck]

New PME and Keypad:

Old PME and Keypad:

[jmo]

Have you tried the new keypad with the old PME, I ask because I’ve never heard of issues with the fuse box but have seen keypads go bad that exhibit weird behavior? If you replaced the on/bilge/off toggle - seems like if you wired that up incorrectly it’s like hot wiring it?

[BadLuck]

I tried all combinations (old PME, new keypad, new PME, old keypad). The behavior was the same and followed the PME. I also tried the new PME without a keypad at all and it still cranks the engine. I’ve not done anything to the 3-way switch. Basically the old PME and switch were working one day (5+ hours of use) and the next they were not.

[NautiqueJeff]

Sounds like possibly just a bad new PME. I would have them send you another PME and see if that fixes it. Hopefully they'll take the new one back.

You might also check the starter relay to be sure wires aren't touching there that shouldn't be.

[BadLuck]

So the plot thickens... the dealer sent a new PME to replace the defective one that was cycling the starter. I installed the new PME and everything worked perfectly. I was able to program the master code, the primary user code, the blower, bilge, lights, stereo, etc. all worked perfectly. Started the boat up and headed to the marina for gas (about 20 minutes each way, so around 40 minutes of cruising total). The boat worked perfectly the whole time. Got back to my dock and powered the boat down. I shut off main power for a few minutes, turned it back on and entered the code. Again, everything was perfect and the boat started right up. Shut things down again and carried my tool box up to the house and grabbed my ski to get a set in. Jumped back in the boat, turned on the power and the keypad was non-responsive and acting exactly like the original PME and keypad did (see Old PME and Keypad video above). Between it working perfectly and it not working the boat was not moved and nothing was messed with.

At this point the only thing I can think of is a wiring issue or something else outside of the PME or keypad causing this behavior as I now have two PMEs and keypads (original and brand new replacement for the defective one that triggered the starter) with the exact same symptoms. Any advice on what to check now? Does anyone make harnesses for these anymore?

I think I'm living up to my username...

[NautiqueJeff]

Still getting the weird multiple lights on the keypad like before?

This is just a weird situation. What do the battery cables look like? I very often have to replace the battery cables on my older restoration projects due to weird electrical issues like this.

[BadLuck]

Quote removed by Admin for not following the Guidelines for Quoting Previous Posts in a Thread.

Hey Jeff, yes, exact same issue with multiple lights (sometimes all, sometimes just a group of lights, just like before). The battery cables are clean, no corrosion on the terminals. If it helps to narrow things down, the only other thing I noticed when working on it today is that when it was working correctly, the bilge indicator light under the throttle was working perfectly. When it is doing the "multiple lights and not responding" activity, the bilge indicator won't come on even if the 3 way switch is set to "bilge only". Brand new 3-way switch, kill switch and bilge circuit breaker as well as I was trying to eliminate anything else in the circuit as a culprit.

[NautiqueJeff]

The next time it acts up, grab the battery cables and move / bend them around a bit. Corrosion could be hiding inside the rubber. If doing that makes it work properly, replace the battery cables.

I just can't think of another thing that could be causing the issues you're seeing, especially if we know that the issue goes at least all the way down to the all on/ all off/ bilge only switch. That switch is the first thing in line.

[BadLuck]

Thanks. It’s acting up 100% of the time now, won’t even turn on. I’ll replace the battery cables and report back.

[BadLuck]

I saw another post where you recommended 12ft 1AWG for the battery cables, so I'll get an order placed. Also planing to go to Westmarine and pick up wires, connectors and heat shrink to re-run all the wires to and from the 3 way switch and the PME. What gauge should I use? 10AWG? 8AWG? Trying to eliminate everything I can...