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Engine Gauges inop, "No Data" on speedo, '04 VLX


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Came to the lake for our first boat ride of the year. Last night I put my boat battery on the charger. Showed 12 volts, started around 68% or so. Later I checked and it was in the mid 70% range. Next morning the charger showed "F06" error, which means "The charger detected that the battery may be getting too hot." However, it seems like that POS Walmart Schumacher battery charger always shows some kind of error, so I didn't worry too much about it. Figured I would just try it in the boat and see what happens. 

Hooked it up and the boat started right up. But nothing else worked - no gauges, switches, lights, stereo, etc. So, I re-checked my battery cables and I had missed one. [facepalm] (I know, how could I do that, right? My boat has one set of battery cables for the starter, another for the amplifier and another for everything else. I don't know if that's normal, but it's been that way since I bought it in '08. I missed the negative "everything else" cable.) So, I hooked up that cable and tried agin.

This time it started right up again, the Perfect Pass lit up, stereo worked, switches worked, etc. But the engine gauges didn't work (oil pressure, temperature, fuel quantity, ammeter) and the screen on the speedometer scrolled, "NO DATA."

I searched here and elsewhere and found a few troubleshooting tips, but no help. This is what I have tried:

  • Turned ignition on/off again multiple times.
  • Pulled kill switch lanyard & replaced.
  • Disconnected / reconnected battery. 
  • Checked all breakers on side panel (under throttle).
  • Removed side panel, checked all connections on the back site. Removed, inspected, replaced. Everything clean & tight - no corrosion.
  • Unplugged big canon plug on engine next to ECU. Inspected - appeared clean, no corrosion. Spread pins and plugged back in.
  • Removed cover to ECU, unplugged both plugs on ECU. Inspected, looked clean, plugged back in.
  • Removed plugs from Master Module, plugged back in. (Seems to affect only Perfect Pass)

None of that helped. Any suggestions? I read on another forum that "low power in the battery - does not have enough power to power up the ECU which can cause it to go into shutdown mode." The battery would probably be the easiest and cheapest thing for me to replace, but it's hard for me to believe that the battery could be strong enough to crank the engine but not enough to power the ECU. Is that possible?

Anything else I should try?

Thanks!

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Do you have 2 glass inline fuses under the dash? I think they are 2amp and 0.75.  Lost all my gauges a couple years ago, replaced the fuses and everything worked again.

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33 minutes ago, KDCr7 said:

Do you have 2 glass inline fuses under the dash? I think they are 2amp and 0.75.  Lost all my gauges a couple years ago, replaced the fuses and everything worked again.

I will look in the morning. There is power to the gauges, just "No Data." Is that what you had?

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If I recall the gauges had power but kept calibrating. None of them showed any info.  Don't think it said no data but could be wrong.

Hope it's something that simple for ya.

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I can only find one inline glass fuse behind the dash. It was for the Master Module, and it was not blown. 

I did put the battery back on the slow charger last night, and it did charge to 100% with no error messages. So, I think that eliminates the battery as being the problem.

Anybody have any other suggestions? I’m running out of ideas here. 

Edited by MadDogMike
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7 hours ago, MadDogMike said:

I can only find one inline glass fuse behind the dash. It was for the Master Module, and it was not blown. 

I did put the battery back on the slow charger last night, and it did charge to 100% with no error messages. So, I think that eliminates the battery as being the problem.

Anybody have any other suggestions? I’m running out of ideas here. 

After the battery was at 100% did you try it again?  Same or different results?

Just so you know, I had to jump my mower battery last week.  Engine was running, drove to where I needed to start cutting the grass and pulled the PTO lever to engage the blades.  Has an electric PTO and even though the engine was running there was not enough juice to engage the blades.  New battery and bam, back in business.

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37 minutes ago, blk93jeepzj said:

After the battery was at 100% did you try it again?  Same or different results?

Same results after battery 100% charged. 
 

Today I removed the dash panel, pulled, inspected and re-plugged all the gauge plugs back there. Everything there looks good, clean & tight with no corrosion. I feel like there must be a fuse somewhere that I’m missing, but I can’t find it. Not sure what else to check.

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But is the battery really 100%?  How old is the battery?  May want to pull it, have it tested and go from there.

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6 minutes ago, blk93jeepzj said:

But is the battery really 100%?  How old is the battery?  May want to pull it, have it tested and go from there.

Correct, a battery with bad cells will still charge to 100%, but it won't have enough juice to do what you ask it to do!

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I bet mmdc is toast, unfortunately.  As I understand it, you could potentially source a new one (bakes has) or do a TRD conversion per a video I just watched on youtube.  That said, hope you find a (simple and cheaper) solution.

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Please answer the following:

  • Which battery got the charger, the engine battery or "house" battery?
  • Was this the same battery with the error code on the charger?
  • Confirm that there an ACR in your electrical system?
  • What is the DIRECT voltage of the 2nd battery (the one that powers the dash) with engine off & battery switch off?  (you''ll need a voltmeter for this)

For now I would swap the batteries and see if it duplicates.

Edited by formulaben
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15 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

I bet mmdc is toast, unfortunately.  As I understand it, you could potentially source a new one (bakes has) or do a TRD conversion per a video I just watched on youtube.  That said, hope you find a (simple and cheaper) solution.

Could you link that video so that I could have it in case mine decides to die at some point? 

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Check constant 12 volt power, ignition power and ground to mmdc both power wires have inline fuse. Do this before you condem mmdc this is a common failure 

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16 minutes ago, justgary said:

Did you test the fuse with a meter, or just visually inspect it?  Looks good is not the same as is good....

I should have mentioned that. Mine both looked fine but one had no continuity.

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18 hours ago, blk93jeepzj said:

But is the battery really 100%?  How old is the battery?  May want to pull it, have it tested and go from there.

I think it's a couple of seasons old - will check. I can have it tested when I leave the lake and head back into town. 

17 hours ago, formulaben said:

Please answer the following:

  • Which battery got the charger, the engine battery or "house" battery?
  • Was this the same battery with the error code on the charger?
  • Confirm that there an ACR in your electrical system?
  • What is the DIRECT voltage of the 2nd battery (the one that powers the dash) with engine off & battery switch off?  (you''ll need a voltmeter for this)

For now I would swap the batteries and see if it duplicates.

There is only one battery in this boat. It is showing 12.4 V.

17 hours ago, Scottlpm said:

Check constant 12 volt power, ignition power and ground to mmdc both power wires have inline fuse. Do this before you condem mmdc this is a common failure 

I don't have my multimeter with me, will have to bring that down from the city next time I come to the lake. I've seen other posts that confirm what you say, that there are two inline fuses for the MMDC. I have not been able to find either! Will look again.

16 hours ago, cla10beck said:

Have you gone through this guide to troubleshoot the MMDC?  I was able to use this to confirm mine went bad on my previous boat.

 

https://www.bakesonline.com/images/MediaLibrary/MedallionII_Troubleshoot.pdf

I went through it, but the scenarios don't describe what I'm seeing. Here are the scenarios they provide:

  1. All instruments are dead. - Mine are not dead, the power up and reset, but it just shows "No Data."
  2. No lights in one instrument. - All of my instrument lights work.
  3. 2" instruments work erratically after engine start. - My boat does not have any 2" instruments.
  4. No lights in any instrument. - All of my instrument lights work.
  5. Single instrument resets but does not work. - This describes separate oil pressure, temp, fuel and tach instruments. My dash doesn't have that.

That whole document is for Medallion Series II. I think I might have a later system. My MMDC is a 7018-00002-01.

16 hours ago, justgary said:

Did you test the fuse with a meter, or just visually inspect it?  Looks good is not the same as is good....

Just visual, I don't have my multimeter with me. However, I now realize the inline fuse I found was for the PerfectPass Master Module, not the MMDC. I still can't find the inline fuses for the MMDC. Perhaps they are hidden within a wire loom. I will start opening those up and see if I can find the inline fuses. Thanks for all the ideas!

Edited by MadDogMike
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Have you taken off both the input and output harnesses to the MDC?  On the input, it is important to check to see if it has 12v going in (I think the troublehooting guide shows which pin(s).  this will confirm if a fuse is blown and you have proper power.  after you are getting 12v going in, then confirm you are getting voltage on the output pins on the MDC.

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1 hour ago, MadDogMike said:

There is only one battery in this boat. It is showing 12.4 V.

Oopsie, when I read 2nd set of cables my brain saw what it wanted to see.

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4 hours ago, cla10beck said:

Have you taken off both the input and output harnesses to the MDC?  On the input, it is important to check to see if it has 12v going in (I think the troublehooting guide shows which pin(s).  this will confirm if a fuse is blown and you have proper power.  after you are getting 12v going in, then confirm you are getting voltage on the output pins on the MDC.

I have taken them off, but only to inspect and plug back in. I don't have my multimeter with me here at the lake. (The one time I forget my tool bag! ) :Doh:  I will grab it when I go back to the city and bring it back next time I come to the lake. I will also bring the battery back home with me and have it tested.  

 

In the meantime, I still can't find those damn inline fuses. :rant:  I removed all of the wiring looms and traced the wires, but don't see any inline fuses. The power wires seem to go right to the ignition switch. 

Thanks everyone, I'll get to the bottom of this, eventually! May have to buy a new MMDC, ($830 - yikes!), but want to exhaust other options first. 

  1. Find those inline fuses, if my boat actually has them!
  2. Test the battery.
  3. Get my multimeter and test the MMDC.

Here are some pics. If anyone knows where to look for the inline fuse, let me know!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4boadXk7jztkq2EM9

(Notes on pics):

  • First pic just showing the dash panel. (The wide-angle lens distorts a little - all are 5" gauges.)
  • Second pic shows the MMDC (yes, I know that one plug is unplugged) and the Master Module. All wires tucked in looms at this point.
  • Third pic shows wiring with the looms removed. Can't find any inline fuses in there anywhere. :dontknow:
  • In case you were wondering about the 2 wires with crimp connections in the previous pic, they run to this little plastic thing in the circle. Not sure what that is - perhaps a holdover from older pitot-tube speedometers? (My speedo is paddle wheel.)
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2 hours ago, MadDogMike said:

Find those inline fuses, if my boat actually has them!

Ill crawl under the dash and try to get a pic of where mine are when i get home

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Best I could do.  Both fuses/wires are part of the larger wire loom. Pretty sure they were not in loom but i could be wrong. Hope this helps.

The red lead is my pointer.

 

IMG_20200409_200719.thumb.jpg.7b4f78ac92af87716ece9cc955eebe77.jpg

Edited by KDCr7
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  • Thanks 1
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Thanks KDCr7. Unfortunately I don't see those under my dash. Those are pretty prominent, should be hard to miss. I'll look again when I go back to the lake.

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