Problem with ZF electronic engine controls

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Deleted User YDKXO

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Last couple of times I've taken my boat out, I have experienced an intermittent problem with my flybridge ZF engine controls. When moving the levers from ahead into neutral, the engines will suddenly go into astern after a couple of seconds in neutral. This is a bit scary when you are trying to back into a Med berth with the SWMBO making sarcastic comments about why she isnt driving. Moving the throttles into ahead momentarily returns the engines to neutral. Sometimes this happens with just one lever, sometimes with both and, as I said, it is intermittent so it is not going to be easy to replicate in front of a technician

Anybody got any ideas? A neighbour in the marina has suggested that it might be corrosion in the circuits of the flybridge controls which are more subject to the elements that the lower helm controls
 
Hi Mike

I have ZF controls too and at the end of last summer and this summer I noticed a potential issue with mine, just on the port side. In tickover ahead just a tiny touch backwards would engage neutral, way before the centre notch. When the engines were off I moved the throttle back and forth a few times and that did make a difference, but not totally remove it. My thinking leans towards corroded contacts and it's on my list to investigate. Not sure if I'm brave enough to dismantle it yet!
 
The throttle is just a potentiometer.

I know you can calibrate Volvo but I don’t know about zf.

The difference is resistance between neutral and reverse will be small ( it is a10k pot I believe ) so rapid moving to clean the tracks and a recalibration stands a decent chance of correcting.

If not you could move the lower throttles to the upper. They are plug and play which would confirm a faulty throttle - which in itself will only be a dud potentiometer which will be a few £ from rs components if you can get it out.
 
Deleted User said:
it is intermittent so it is not going to be easy to replicate in front of a technician
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No better ideas than those already posted by others, but I wouldn't worry about the difficulty to replicate the problem in front of an engineer.
I have a funny feeling that if you describe the issue to someone familiar with those controls, he won't be at his first rodeo with such defect... :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for replies guys. Looks like I've lucked in because for the past couple of days the Princess 72 charter boat operated by Boats.co.uk has been parked next to us (the one featured in MBY recently) and in chatting to Paul, the skipper, this morning it seems that their Cala d'Or office has several spare ZF control units in stock. These were removed from new boats because of minor pitted chrome issues on the levers and they can sell a complete unit to me at what I hope is a much cheaper price than a new one from ZF. So I'll replace the flybridge unit first and hopefully that cures the problem. If not its back to the drawing board
 
Agree the above. I carry a spare ZF throttle set for this reason. You're welcome to borrow it Deleted User for diagnosis, but tbh you're better just buying the new one from BCU and swapping it out. Let me know if you get stuck though - I'm on boat this coming weekend and can put it on your boat.
If urgent, you can have mine this weekend to install, and just give me the BCU one when you get it. Mine is mint, never been used. It's a 5200, the one with more buttons than the 4200.
 
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jfm said:
Agree the above. I carry a spare ZF throttle set for this reason. You're welcome to borrow it Deleted User for diagnosis, but tbh you're better just buying the new one from BCU and swapping it out. Let me know if you get stuck though - I'm on boat this coming weekend and can put it on your boat.
If urgent, you can have mine this weekend to install, and just give me the BCU one when you get it. Mine is mint, never been used. It's a 5200, the one with more buttons than the 4200.
Click to expand...

Thanks jfm but we are returning to the UK tonight and I probably wont be back for 3-4 weeks so I have some time for BCU to deliver. If they dont for any reason, I may take you up on your offer. My units are 5200 model too
 
jrudge said:
Oct.

They have just closed the doors on my flight back now !
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Thanks J. I'm asking Cala d'Or to deliver asap direct to Antibes and hopefully that should happen in a few days
 
Read somewhere the earlier ZF Mathers are sensitive to supply voltages .
Newer ones have been sorted .
So check for and eliminate ver d griss on the incoming supply spades .
 
Portofino said:
Read somewhere the earlier ZF Mathers are sensitive to supply voltages .
Newer ones have been sorted .
So check for and eliminate ver d griss on the incoming supply spades .
Click to expand...

I cant say that you are wrong as I have not seen the article you refer to, but I did create my own yacht controller ( engines, winches and thrusters for £100!) so I do know intimately how they work.

The throttle is simply a variable resistor. The purpose of calibration is so that regardless of the voltage the system is actually running it ( 5.00v or 5.05v etc) or the manufacturing tolerance of the potentiometer the system knows what it is looking for in neutral, reverse detent, forward detent etc. Corrosion will absolutely make a difference, but the unit is self compensating for voltage.

When setting up a yacht controller all you do it measure the voltage at the setting you are looking for ( one click forwards for example) and then set the shunt potentiometer so that you get exactly the same voltage. This is all done with the engines not running so that when you test it it does not then decide to head off at full pelt somewhere!
 
I know nothing about ZF controls but the standard course of action on a VP engine (as stated above) would be...

1) Recalibrate throttles (instructions in operator's manual)
2) Check and clean all connections
3) New potentiometer (a £20 part)

I wouldn't replace the throttle body unit itself without trying the other three options first.
 
petem said:
I wouldn't replace the throttle body unit itself without trying the other three options first.
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Pete, as I said above, boats.co.uk are selling me a replacement unit at a reduced price and its just going to be easier to replace the existing unit. Once I have the existing unit off the boat then it can be inspected and refettled as necessary and then, hopefully, I will have a spare unit on board if one of the other control units gives any problems
 
Deleted User said:
Last couple of times I've taken my boat out, I have experienced an intermittent problem with my flybridge ZF engine controls. When moving the levers from ahead into neutral, the engines will suddenly go into astern after a couple of seconds in neutral. This is a bit scary when you are trying to back into a Med berth with the SWMBO making sarcastic comments about why she isnt driving. Moving the throttles into ahead momentarily returns the engines to neutral. Sometimes this happens with just one lever, sometimes with both and, as I said, it is intermittent so it is not going to be easy to replicate in front of a technician

Anybody got any ideas? A neighbour in the marina has suggested that it might be corrosion in the circuits of the flybridge controls which are more subject to the elements that the lower helm controls
Click to expand...

I had the same experience, on one engine only, made for an interesting attempt at anchoring after dark in the wet and wind. Took me a good while to figure out it wasn't just me going crazy.
In my case it was water in the control box, i.e. the one with the actuators for the throttle and gear cables. The water was in the base of the box, not actually touching anything, but depending on the temp etc it appeared like it caused condensation on the circuits somewhere and messed up the sensing of the voltages.
 
James L said:
I had the same experience, on one engine only, made for an interesting attempt at anchoring after dark in the wet and wind. Took me a good while to figure out it wasn't just me going crazy.
In my case it was water in the control box, i.e. the one with the actuators for the throttle and gear cables. The water was in the base of the box, not actually touching anything, but depending on the temp etc it appeared like it caused condensation on the circuits somewhere and messed up the sensing of the voltages.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I half suspected that. I've had a bit of a run in recently with the people who look after my boat because, whilst they are putting the flybridge cushions away inside the boat every time we leave, I suspect that they are not putting the covers on the flybridge which means that the ZF unit is open to the elements all the time. I'll check out the existing unit once I replace it
 
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