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Help- No ECM Data on my 2014 Axis A24


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My 2014 Axis A24 (with a Marine Power LS3 engine) just died suddenly Tuesday evening while I was cruising on smooth water at about 4000rpm.  Engine has always run excellent until then.  Engine just shut off like a light switch.  Batteries are fine, stereo still plays great, all dash lights come on, but I get a flashing message that says "no ECM data".  Put a post up on the Facebook Malibu owner page and got some quick responses.  Checked the kill switch right away- not the problem.  Verified that if I flip that switch to the kill position, I get even less info on the dash.  Also checked all the fuses and relays in the fuse/relay box..... everything looked good.  Ended up getting towed in.  Got home and the following morning I called Marine Power (the maker of the 2014 LS3's).  The guy there is super nice and helpful, and sent me some photos of what to check.    He says it sounds like the ECM is most likely not getting power.  So he shows me where to check to ensure that I am getting power to the ECM, and I verified that it is.  So it is not a loose battery wire or a faulty connection in the power wire all the way to the J1-20 port on the ECM harness.  The guy at MP then told me to verify that I am getting power to the J1-19 port when the ignition is on.  It doesn't appear that I am getting power to this port on the ECM harness when the key is on.  However, I am getting power thru the purple "J" wire at the 16-pin harness that connects the boat harness to the ECM harness.  What I don't know is if this lack of power to the ECM J1-19 port could be responsible for my problem, and if so, do I need to unravel the ECM harness to see if the purple "J" wire is really the same wire that provides the ignition + wire to this port.  I keep thinking there has to be a more simple explanation.  I can't find any other loose harness connectors.  the main engine breaker (looks like a 50A red button) seems to be fine (I pushed on it and nothing moved).  I can't hear the fuel pumps running when I turn on the key.  

I am suspicious that the ECM just died.  The parts guy at MP said I could order a new ECM and if that doesn't fix it, I could return it.  I am still waiting to hear back from the ECM guy at MP before doing this to get his opinion on troubleshooting further.  They are super busy this time of year and I know they aren't obligated to help me, so I am appreciative of any time/help they can offer me.  My closest dealer is about 75 miles away and the first available appointment is 4 weeks out.   We just bought a timeshare in a Lake Powell houseboat this spring and have a ton of money invested in a family reunion on the houseboat which starts in a little over 2 weeks.  If I don't have my Axis working by then, it will be a huge bummer.  

Are any of you fairly knowledgable on the electrical systems on these boats?  Any ideas?  I know I don't have a loose connection on the back of the key switch, and I know it is providing switched power to the purple wire at the 16-pin boat-to-ECM harness and I am getting power on both sides of that harness when the ignition is turned to on but none when it is turned to off.  So at least to that point it all seems good.

 

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OK- I can't believe I am updating this thread already.... and somewhat embarrassed.  after reading more on here I went out and decided to just look over everything from the start again.  This time when I pushed on the main engine breaker I pushed a little harder and hear it go "click"!  Well, that turned out to be all I needed.  It now starts up just fine.

 

So after all that work, it was just the main engine breaker.  Question now is, why did my main engine breaker trip?  I had been surfing for about 2 hours but at a very leisurely pace with lots of just rest time and idling around being lazy.  Water was smooth glass.  Running close to 4k in ballast but only 3 people in the boat.    Far less taxing on the engine than what we normally do.  

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14 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

Haha awesome!  And for the record that’s what I suggested you do first after turning the battery switch on and off 😏

Haha ya, I feel pretty stupid.  I swear I pushed pretty firmly on that darn thing but maybe I am just getting old and weak!

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1 hour ago, dalt1 said:

Glad you got it. Where is that main breaker?

 

On my boat it's right next to the ECM; open up the engine hatches, remove the warming tray, and look straight down at the top almost right under the cupholders/ski pylon.  They mounted the ECM right above the transmission.  There is a little sealed black box slightly higher and to the port side that contains the fuses and relays; the main breaker is not inside this box.  Look just slightly behind and to the port side of the ECM.  My engine may be different than most though; 2014 was the only year Malibu/Axis used Marine Power for the LS3 and other years may have them mounted slightly different.

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The guy at Marine Power emailed me back this morning and said it is possible that the breaker just tripped from engine bay heat.  Anyone else had a similar problem?  The day this happened, it was "only" about 95-98 degrees.  Very mild compared to most days here this time of year.  It was 112 yesterday!  This is my first year here with this boat (bought it used about 6 months ago from Arkansas).  Hopefully I don't have to remove the warming tray and run the blower full time to keep the engine compartment cooled....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having a very similar issue - simply died during a relaxed stroll across the lake. Has the breaker ever tripped again? My dealer is considering the ECM...  :( 

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  • 1 year later...

hi all, I'm also experiencing the same "no ecm data" issue when i try to start my boat (2015 A20 330).

turn key to the ON position, within in a few seconds error is displayed...but blower, pumps, radio all seem to work fine. 

but I cant start the motor at all, no crank.  I have replaced one of the batteries only (boat are still the original..so 5yrs old) still no luck.

I'm guessing before I take the boat out for service I will replace the 2nd battery.  thoughts?

I have checked all connections, relays & fuses.

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2 hours ago, opers13 said:

hi all, I'm also experiencing the same "no ecm data" issue when i try to start my boat (2015 A20 330).

turn key to the ON position, within in a few seconds error is displayed...but blower, pumps, radio all seem to work fine. 

but I cant start the motor at all, no crank.  I have replaced one of the batteries only (boat are still the original..so 5yrs old) still no luck.

I'm guessing before I take the boat out for service I will replace the 2nd battery.  thoughts?

I have checked all connections, relays & fuses.

How did you check the Relays? It's common for a relay to cause this. It sounds like the computer isn't getting any power. Do you hear the fuel pump running?

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6 hours ago, boardjnky4 said:

How did you check the Relays? It's common for a relay to cause this. It sounds like the computer isn't getting any power. Do you hear the fuel pump running?

there are 3 relays and a bunch of regular fuses..which relay would cause this? PTR, START & FUEL PUMP 

now i'm wondering if a relay plus batteries could be causing this?

 

Edited by opers13
misspelled
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4 hours ago, opers13 said:

there are 3 relays and a bunch of regular fuses..which relay would cause this? PTR, START & FUEL PUMP 

now i'm wondering if a relay plus batteries could be causing this?

 

Good question. PTR probably

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If the Power Train Relay and the fuel pump or starter relays are the same size, you could swap them to see if you get a reading at the helm.  Also check for burnt or damaged pins where the relays plug in.

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1 hour ago, csleaver said:

If the Power Train Relay and the fuel pump or starter relays are the same size, you could swap them to see if you get a reading at the helm.  Also check for burnt or damaged pins where the relays plug in.

Yes exactly. Came back to say this.

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2 hours ago, opers13 said:

so I got new batteries installed and new relays, no dice.  thinking about it now, I dont even hear the feul pump.

How do I check if power is getting to the motor?

A volt meter?

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6 hours ago, opers13 said:

so I got new batteries installed and new relays, no dice.  thinking about it now, I dont even hear the feul pump.

How do I check if power is getting to the motor?

Check the fuses too? Also check the main breaker. If the ECM isn't powering up, then you won't get a fuel pump running either.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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