Smartcarft gauges Engine Com Lost error

[Bobajob]

Do you every wish you’d never started what should have been a simple job?



Today I decided to replace the instrument dash panel on my Sea Ray 215.I thought this would be pretty straightforward, unplug the gauges and switches, fit to the new dash and reconnect. Plenty of slack in the loom so was able to do this one at a time. Got it all back together, turned the key and boat starts and runs but no gauges!



The boat has been re-engined with a Mercruiser 350 MAG MPI and has a full suite of smart craft gauges. When I turn the ignition, I get the initial alarm test as usual but on the tacho powers up, after a few seconds it displays the error message: Engine com lost. I’ve rechecked all of the connections with no change.



Any suggestions as to what to try next gratefully received!

 

[spannerman]

Are you sure the harness from the tacho down to the junction box is plugged in correctly at the junction box, also have you checked the Clean Power supply? There is a fuse in the harness at the battery.

 

[Moonbeam]

I had exactly this problem with smart craft gauges.

Flybridge tacho LCD was failing, so fitted a brand new tacho, identical and the same software version etc, simple plug and play. But then got occasional 'Lost engine comms' message on the lower helm tacho. This persisted for months while I puzzled over it before deciding to try re-installing the old tacho on the flybridge. Hey presto, problem gone and has not returned in over a year.

As a test, I tried installing the new tacho again. Sure enough, the error message returned.

I chatted all this over with a smart craft engineer and he too was perplexed. Suggested the new tacho might be faulty. But if you are having the same problem, I'm thinking the smart craft set up is just very sensitive to changes?!

Anyway, try your old set up and see if that fixes it.

 

[Bobajob]

Thanks Moonbeam and Spannerman for your comments. Moonbeam , I think you may be onto something - unplugged and replugged the speed and tacho and they re now working! I tried this a number of times poreviously without success and them suddenly springs into life. The system does seem very sensitive to changes.

So now have a taco and speedo working correctly with all the correct data feeds, oil pressure, fuel, temp etc but the auxiliary analogue gauges are still not working, also no ilumination on any of the dials so I will recheck the power connections as suggested.

Thanks for your help