998 issues?

[emeryrob3]

I’ve got a couple issues with my 998 at the console. One is sometimes when I’m making a long run it just shuts off. It’ll turn right back on for me but shuts itself off . Also on the same unit when I get on pad to make a run the depth will sometimes just change to 2.2 and it will stay at that sometimes for as long as 5 minutes after I make the run. Then all of a sudden it just starts reading correctly. It shows the bottom contour is deeper but the depth readout sticks at 2.2? The unit has the latest update also. Any ideas or comments are appreciated.

[Real L]

Shutting off is usually the result of a bad connection somewhere along the power wire. Start at the battery and check all the way to the connector at the back of the unit. Depth reading at speed depends on the placement of the transducer. Is it inside the boat or outside ?

[emeryrob3]

Transducer is outside boat

[JohnnyO]

Loose power wire, depth reading will be the way described until a transducer is put inside the hull.

[bombercraw]

I had a 998 at the helm prior to my new Helix and I had the same issue with it shutting off. I had it connected to the power wires that were originally powering the Lowrance unit that came with my boat (wiring that was routed through the main power harness and dash switches). This wiring was small gauge and I think I either had a bad connection somewhere. I suggest you run a dedicated 2 conductor 10 gauge (12 gauge minimum) power wire from your battery directly to the unit and bypass the originally boat wiring. This will ensure you are getting clean power with minimum voltage drop to your unit.

As far as your depth reading problem, as others have stated, transducers mounted on the outside of the boat on the transom almost never function properly on plane. Your only hope to get depth readings on plane is to install a shoot thru hull transducer.