2012 wakesetter vlx charging issue

[Quimby]

Hey everyone, I was hoping someone might be able to give me an opinion since there is only 1 Malibu dealer near me and I don’t think they are even 100% on what’s going on with my boat. Long story short they said my alternator was not charging, so they replaced the alternator. After they replaced it they said that there is still no charge going to the batteries. Now they are saying I need a ecm as it’s not allowing the alternator to send the charge to the batteries. Indmar tech support says it’s unlikely that is an issue so I’m not sure what to do at this point. I’m going to pick the boat up tomorrow regardless so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks In advance.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Quimby
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[macdaddy]

I find it hard to believe it to be an ecm issue.  Battery cable or terminal post issue?  I had a negative connector that connects to the battery go bad…so there was no reading to the ecm…motor would not run.  New connectors fixed it.  Not saying that is your issue….I do not see it being an ecm.

[Quimby]

They apparently said they were able to test that there was a charge from the alternator going into the ecm. But then it doesent come out to the batteries. I double checked connections on each one myself and they are tight. I tend to agree though, seems odd the ecm works perfectly and gives no codes but just won’t charge the batteries. I will double check it when I get it home tomorrow. I read on another post about someone who had a similar issue in his 2001 and said it ended up being a reset button of some kind on the side of the motor. Do those still exist on the new models by chance?

Edited July 13, 2021 by Quimby

[justgary]

I'm not aware of any function the ECM might have in telling your alternator to charge the battery.

Pull the Cannon Plug that connects the engine harness to the boat harness.  It should be on the forward port side of your engine on the side of the square box cover over the ECM.  Check to make sure that all of the pins are in good condition, and none are bent or pushed out of the connector.  If they are the old split male pins, use a small blade to gently spread them so they make better contact.  You can use a dab of grease on each pin before you reconnect to keep water and oxygen away.

If it still doesn't charge, check the engine ground points at the front side of the port head to make are absolutely sure that all the connections are good.