Connectx system and "Err" speed

[captras]

Update, for those who care Dealer replaced the GPS antenna and module. Results.....still not working and got an additional "ERR COM" message. Next step, as per Yamaha is to replace the entire unit! It has been an ordeal, BUT, at least they are doing something. Another advantage to Yamaha....One boat...One warranty! They say it could be ready this weekend, dependent on the availability of the part....remove and replace is apparently a pretty simple operation!

 

[Davidm]

I have the error readout for the speed constantly appearing on my 2017 limited 242 e series. This makes the drive control useless. I will be keen to hear if anyone has the fix for it.

 

[captras]

That is EXACTLY what mine was doing. Second time it has been in the shop! Hopefully when they replace the system it will be fixed. I will keep you updated.

 

[captras]

Latest update. ...according to the dealer, Yamaha sent the wrong unit! Geeź...in the shop going on 5 weeks.....getting stupid now and getting pissed. If I knew who to call at Yamaha I would! Had the boat 10 months. ...been in the shop 11 weeks! Boat runs great and I love it but I am beginning to think that the Yamaha Connext system is a POS!

 

[captras]

Continuing CONNEXT saga....Spoke to the dealer today. Yamaha techs determined that I needed and complete new GPS module, whatever that entailed. So they sent it to the dealer. Dealer, while attempting to install, noticed the old module had a male connector, going to female connector on the boat harness. The one that Yamaha sent had a female connector....and since we know that female connector to female connector doesnt work (well in the electrical arena anyway), the dealer says they called Yamaha. They were told it didnt matter, just clip the female connector off the old unit and splice a male connector. This they did....hooked it up...and they got error messages up the ying yang! DAMN....so they called Yamaha again....this time the tech rep said...OH NO...they are 2 different types of units. So they were expecting the 2nd new unit to arrive yesterday and would install today. Hopefully all will work.

 

[Mainah]

Thanks for keeping us updated. I am very sorry to hear about your woes. I can provide a bit of insight for you. On my boat 242LS the GPS Antenna is a NMEA 0183 single wire communication (4800 baud rate) type with 3 leads, power, ground, and NMEA 0183+ with a female triangle connector. On your boat the GPS Antenna is a NMEA 0183 2 wire communication (9600 baud rate) type with 3 leads, power, NMEA 0183+, and NMEA 0183- in a triangle connector that provides communication and ground on the single wire. This very possibly could have a male instead of female connector but I can't confirm without seeing a non-eseries side by side with a e-series) so it does not get interchanged with the lower baud rate one. Plugging in the wrong antenna would certainly throw up a bunch of communication error messages. Yamaha does have different part numbers for these two antennas as they should....
F3F-U8K1L-10-00 = e/x series
F2D-U8K1L-00-00 = ltd s, ar240

Given the above what your dealer is calling the GPS module is likely not a module ( I consider the module the brains on the other end of the antenna). They are more than likely just replacing the antenna and calling it the GPS module. Keep in mind this is not an am/fm antenna and actually exchanges digital information with the micro controller on the other end over the NMEA 0183 canbus protocol many times per second. Now it is possible and even more likley on the 9600 baud rate 3 connector type for the antenna to go bad from moisture or electrical interference. Even though Yamaha charges over 250 bucks for this part it is quite common and available as a generic 9600 baud rate (10hz) gps antenna for about 20 bucks on amazon with no connector on it. If I were Yamaha footing the bill for the parts I would want to start here as opposed to the port tachometer, Boat control unit (BCU), SCU (not fully named in the tech manual but it is a microcontroller handling can bus communication specific to the e/x series). Yes really there are 3 micro controllers plus the gps antenna and ECU that have to communicate for the gps speed control to work in the e-series boats. I really hope it is just the GPS antenna and you get your boat back soon. If not your dealer may consider checking for the error codes related to the SCU and BCU which are listed in the tech manual for your boat.

Good luck and please do let us know which part it turns out to be as this seems to affect more than one boat. If it is the antenna I wonder how well that RF translucent plastic dome in front of the drivers windshield is really protecting it from moisture as opposed to the plastic encapsulated type that come with perfect pass or ride steady and again only costs 20 bucks on Amazon.

 

[captras]

Thanks for keeping us updated. I am very sorry to hear about your woes. I can provide a bit of insight for you. On my boat 242LS the GPS Antenna is a NMEA 0183 single wire communication (4800 baud rate) type with 3 leads, power, ground, and NMEA 0183+ with a female triangle connector. On your boat the GPS Antenna is a NMEA 0183 2 wire communication (9600 baud rate) type with 3 leads, power, NMEA 0183+, and NMEA 0183- in a triangle connector that provides communication and ground on the single wire. This very possibly could have a male instead of female connector but I can't confirm without seeing a non-eseries side by side with a e-series) so it does not get interchanged with the lower baud rate one. Plugging in the wrong antenna would certainly throw up a bunch of communication error messages. Yamaha does have different part numbers for these two antennas as they should....
F3F-U8K1L-10-00 = e/x series
F2D-U8K1L-00-00 = ltd s, ar240

Given the above what your dealer is calling the GPS module is likely not a module ( I consider the module the brains on the other end of the antenna). They are more than likely just replacing the antenna and calling it the GPS module. Keep in mind this is not an am/fm antenna and actually exchanges digital information with the micro controller on the other end over the NMEA 0183 canbus protocol many times per second. Now it is possible and even more likley on the 9600 baud rate 3 connector type for the antenna to go bad from moisture or electrical interference. Even though Yamaha charges over 250 bucks for this part it is quite common and available as a generic 9600 baud rate (10hz) gps antenna for about 20 bucks on amazon with no connector on it. If I were Yamaha footing the bill for the parts I would want to start here as opposed to the port tachometer, Boat control unit (BCU), SCU (not fully named in the tech manual but it is a microcontroller handling can bus communication specific to the e/x series). Yes really there are 3 micro controllers plus the gps antenna and ECU that have to communicate for the gps speed control to work in the e-series boats. I really hope it is just the GPS antenna and you get your boat back soon. If not your dealer may consider checking for the error codes related to the SCU and BCU which are listed in the tech manual for your boat.

Good luck and please do let us know which part it turns out to be as this seems to affect more than one boat. If it is the antenna I wonder how well that RF translucent plastic dome in front of the drivers windshield is really protecting it from moisture as opposed to the plastic encapsulated type that come with perfect pass or ride steady and again only costs 20 bucks on Amazon.

Thanks for the explanation...and taking the time. It does give me a little insight. The only thing that I can tell you is that they actually did replace the GPS antenna at first, and still got the ERR message. The service guy told me that Yamaha said they had to replace the whole system, and I think he called it a module. But he did tell me that the boat wiring harness was a female connector and the orginal part, whatever that was had a male connector. The replacement Yamaha sent had a female connector. Based on what you are saying, since the jury rigged the connector, it makes perfect sense that they got a plethora of ERR messages. If the latest part does not fix the problem, I will go to the dealer armed with your info and ask him some pointed questions about what exactly is being displayed on the SCU/BCU. Thanks again for taking the time to enlighten!

 

[captras]

Well, the plot gets stupid. Part was supposed to be in Wed, but since I hadnt heard from the dealership I decided to call. According to the tech, Yamaha sent the wrong part AGAIN! This is the 3rd time. Needless to say I am getting plenty pissed. The shop could tell me nothing about when/if the correct part was ordered/sent. At this point I called Yamaha Customer Relations...spoke to Christian, their rep. I explained the whole history of this problem, and the fact that a 10 month old boat has been in the shop on 2 separate occassions, for the same issue, now for a total of 12 weeks. I have had it with promises! So after relating my story, the rep puts me on hold to call the dealer. Almost 10 minutes and he comes back on....cant get ahold of the dealer...."Nothing new" I tell him....they hardly ever answer their phone. So he continues to try with no luck. He comes back on the line and tells me that he cannot find any record of the parts being ordered after Feb (the first time they sent the "wrong" part). The dealer told me they received the wrong part today from Yamaha, but the rep could find no record! WTF! Anyway, the call ended with the rep saying he wold continue to research the issue, and continue to try to contact the dealer to get clarification! Maybe I shoulda bought at Chap .....or better yet....I LOVE the boat....maybe I shoulda saved my money and bought an AR240!

 

[Mainah]

Now we need a super bummer rating. It is not surprising that some dealerships may not have folks with the skill set to properly diagnose and fix today's electronics issues. The electronics are becoming more complex and it is not just checking for voltage, continuity, or resistance anymore.

Getting lied to (assuming you are) is total BS. It is the dealerships job to relate the issue in a way the customer can understand but that should not mean lying or covering up.

Hopefully this does get resolved for you soon. Heat and moisture are the common enemy to electronics. Parts that are exposed to either are the most likely culprit. That said there is a level of tacked on networking complexity in the e/x series that possibly exceeds that of the appolo program.

 

[captras]

Latest update......my boat is fixed, according to the dealer, and fully operational. Because or work commitments, I wont get it in the water till next weekend. I still have to put my Keel Guard on, and install my Garmin 43DV unit and transducer. This has been a nightmare.....very little communication with the dealer, inept (according to the dealer) tech advise from Yamaha, incorrect parts shipped, etc. I even called Yamaha Customer Relations. They SEEMED concerned and promised they would be back in touch....it will be a week tomorrow, and I have not heard back from Yamaha! That is a little disheartening and doesnt give me a warm a fuzzy about how much they actually give a shit about customer relations. BUT....I am going to be optimistic until I have reason to be otherwise. Those who may be having the same issues, they replaced basically the entire GPS system...the antenna, module, and the unit itself. I will know more exact info when I get the service sheet!

And one last good thing....because of all the issues I have had, the dealership is going to perform my 100 hour service (probably at the end of the season) at no cost to me! Even though I planned on doing it myself.....I am more than happy to let them do it....as long as it doesnt take 6-8 weeks!

Here's Hoping

 

[Mainah]

So happy for you and about time. I would be very interested to get the part numbers that they replaced.

 

[captras]

So happy for you and about time. I would be very interested to get the part numbers that they replaced.

I should be able to get all that off the receipt when I pick her up!

 

[captras]

Finally got my boat back....fixed....I hope....according to the dealer it is.... I will be able to test it out this weekend if all goes well. But I spent some time and talked to the tech at the dealership, and with a face to face, he gave me the rundown.
1. Initially they just changed out the antenna.....nothing solved.
2. Replaced antenna and the antenna module...Threw additional error messages...
3. After this failure Yamaha told them to replace the entire GPS system. However:
3. Upon further consultation with Yamaha, they determined that Yamaha sent them the wrong part. Seems that the systems on these boats may differ from boat to boat based on what was available when it was produced. If the antenna/module are not a match for the system, it wont work.
4. Yamaha sends another antenna/module. This time the connector had a female plug, but the old unit was male. Yamaha techs told the dealer it didnt matter, just cut the connection and splice a male end. This they did, and shit REALLY got screwed up.
5. Dealer then talked to a tech that apparently had passed his course on anatomy and geology (knew his ass from a hole in the ground) and couldnt believe they told them to do that. Tech found the correct antenna/module and sent to dealer.
6. Dealer installed the correct equipment and....TADA....everything worked perfectly. I will only know once on the water if it is a true, reliable fix.
7. I gave the dealer a lot of grief over this....some deserved, some not. The service dept is very hard to get ahold of, so after 4 -7 weeks with no results, and then nobody answering the phone and few returned calls, I was getting more pissed by the day.
8. I wrote to the President of Texas Marine to complain, and called Yamaha Customer Relations. I did not get a call back/response from either one! This did disappoint me!
9. In fairness, I do think the techs at the dealership were between a rock and a hard spot because they could only install what Yamaha said since it was a warranty issue. The techs at Yamaha basically were severely suffering from cranius rectumus (Head up ass). And since they never ship anything but by ground, everytime they shipped a part is was 4-5 business days before the dealer got the part! So between consultation time, shipping time, install/test time, it took 7 weeks to resolve this issue.
10. As some compensation for all the hassle, the dealer has agreed to perform my 100 hr service and no cost....thats pretty substantial. (I do have that in writing!)

Here is a list of the part numbers they replaced:
F2D-U8K1L-00-00ANTENA GPS $217.51
F3F-U8K1L-1--00GPS ANTENNA $221.24
Labor $238.00
Total Warranty Cost $676.75

If anybody else has this issue, hopefully this MAY help!

 

[Mainah]

I really need to look inside an eseries helm to see what they have going on. Two different parts that they label antenna but call one module. Could be the they are using a non embedded antenna board and are complicating a standard ufl antenna by turning it into a proprietary 3 wire.

 

[captras]

yep, those are the 2 parts they ended up replacing....the antenna and the module.

 

[dan bebe]

I really need to look inside an eseries helm to see what they have going on. Two different parts that they label antenna but call one module. Could be the they are using a non embedded antenna board and are complicating a standard ufl antenna by turning it into a proprietary 3 wire.

those are two seperate antennas for two different model boats

 

[captras]

Got her in the water today. ....everything works as advertised! . Hopefully it will not be an issue again!

 

[Brad Dunn]

ok so what parts were changed that solved the issue again? Mine is doing the same thing and I am 7hrs away from dealership. Thanks

 

[t.gordon]

I have a 2016 Yamaha 242 Limited S E Series that had err speed message on Connext. Could not use the drive control. They ended up replacing port tach. That was last September. In June I had a check port engine message on Connext and the port engine would not try to start. They replaced both tachs and it seems to be working fine. I have 70 hours on the boat.

TG

 

[captras]

ok so what parts were changed that solved the issue again? Mine is doing the same thing and I am 7hrs away from dealership. Thanks

Here is a list of the part numbers they replaced:
F2D-U8K1L-00-00ANTENA GPS $217.51
F3F-U8K1L-1--00GPS ANTENNA $221.24
Labor $238.00
Total Warranty Cost $676.75

This was the antenna and antenna module. They also reinstalled the software.