Depth Finder

[RhuntIII 555]

2002 AVY

 

The depth finder shows a depth that I know in incorrect then flashes a broken line and then back to the wrong depth. As we move faster the depth will show a more accurate reading but still does the flashy thing.

[RhuntIII 555]

I have the Faria Pilot system with Ballast Level. I also found the operation Guide but do not see trouble shooting. I'll be looking

[RhuntIII 555]

Loss of signal ;

 

If the signal is lost due to depths below 300', depths above 2' or a disconnected or broken cable, a dashed line will appear in the upper display signifying loss of signal. If the upper display depth sounder function is active the dashed line will illuminate and hold. If any other upper display function is active the dashed line will flash on and off alternately with the active function's readout.

 

What does this mean? I know nothing of this.

 

I found this in the Faria Installation and Operation Guide

[DrNate 426]

I just read on the other thread that these go bad quite regularly. I will be curious as to what Faria tells you. Let us know

[Bigcatpt 408]

I have an Airmar transducer and the Pilot 1 Gauge.

 

I get the same symptoms that you get sometimes. Here is how I fix it.

 

Pull your transducer out of its base on the hull floor. Clean all the gross stuff out of the base and clean the face of the transducer. Fill the base with RV antifreeze and re-install transducer in base.

 

This fixes my incorrect depth and flashing dashed line reading every time.

[duramat 462]

I have an Airmar transducer and the Pilot 1 Gauge.

 

I get the same symptoms that you get sometimes. Here is how I fix it.

 

Pull your transducer out of its base on the hull floor. Clean all the gross stuff out of the base and clean the face of the transducer. Fill the base with RV antifreeze and re-install transducer in base.

 

This fixes my incorrect depth and flashing dashed line reading every time.

 

only 2 away from 2K posts!

[RhuntIII 555]

I have an Airmar transducer and the Pilot 1 Gauge.

 

I get the same symptoms that you get sometimes. Here is how I fix it.

 

Pull your transducer out of its base on the hull floor. Clean all the gross stuff out of the base and clean the face of the transducer. Fill the base with RV antifreeze and re-install transducer in base.

 

This fixes my incorrect depth and flashing dashed line reading every time.

What are you talking about with the antifreeze?

[Bigcatpt 408]

Ok, sorry, that was confusing. Here is a picture of my transducer....

 

The transducer is sitting in a base that is epoxied to the inside of the hull. Since the transducer is not flush with the floor their is air space between the transducer and the hull. That is no bueno when you are trying to send sound waves down. So the base has to be filled with a liquid like RV antifreeze or oil to be used as a medium to transmit the sound waves from the transducer through the hull.

 

So you unscrew the transducer (about 1/8 of a turn) from the base. The face of the transducer is usually pretty dirty/grimy as well as the hull of the boat. So I clean those both off. I then pour about a cup of RV antifreeze in the base and re-screw in the transducer.

 

The first time I got the faulty depth readings with the flashing dashed lines I pulled out the gauge and sent it in to Faria. After 6 weeks they sent it back and said that they rebuilt it. It cost me about $150 if I remember right. I re-installed it and took it to the lake and nothing had changed. Still got the flashing dashed lines followed by a faulty depth reading. Like it would be stuck on 10.5 feet and also flashing dashed lines but I knew it was way deeper than that.

 

So i started investigating. I had to see if my transducer was clicking (indicating it was sending the sound wave). So I pulled it out of the base and turned on the Pilot gauge and sure enough...click click click click click. However the face of the transducer was covered with grimy stuff. Almost like algae or something. The fluid in the base was really gross too. So I cleaned them both out really good and made sure the surface of the hull (inside) and the face of the ducer were really clean. I then did some reading online to find out more about their particular transducers. Thats when I learned them needed some fluid in there. I suppose water would work just fine as well. I used RV antifreeze.

 

So anyway I filled it with RV antifreeze, reinstalled in the base, and bada bing bada bang it started working again. I have had it do the same thing several times with the latest being the 1st time out this year. It seems whatever fluid is in there (it seems to mix with bilge water eventually) evaporates during the offseason. So I did the same procedure of remove, clean, refill and its back up and working just fine now.

 

Anyway sorry for the long explanation. Hope it helps.

[Bigcatpt 408]

Double post...sorry

Edited May 9, 2012 by Bigcatpt

[RhuntIII 555]

Hey thanks, That makes total sense with the antifreeze. My transducer is a little different, it has a safety pin that you remove and a ring that you use to pull out the transducer and the speed wheel. It's a all in one type unit. When removed you can see right through the hull. Next time I'm with the boat I'll see if there are any lids to unscrew and clean. I did talk to Faria on the phone and they suggested looking for loose or corroded connections and that I could buy a new transducer that would work with the old gauge.

[Bigcatpt 408]

Sound like your transducer is totally different. I suspect yours in a closed system because it is one with the paddlewheel and actually contacts the water so it does not need a liquid medium to take up the air space.

 

Good luck with solving this problem.