2018 Nitro Z20 Pro control panel switches at console and bow

[JP96ranger]

Hi all. I purchased a 2018 Nitro Z20 Pro last summer that was in immaculate condition- kept inside a climate controlled environment, motor had 80 hours, I don’t believe it had ever seen a day of fishing in the rain - until a couple of weekends ago when I fished a tournament where it rained 90% of the day and all the way home on the trailer (2 hour drive).


The issue: Both the dash and bow control panels have specific buttons that no longer work. The dash control panel has 4 buttons that do not work: Horn, Fan, Nav/Anchor lights, Dimmer. On the bow panel, the Bilge button works but the Trim up/down, Fan, and Nav/Anchor buttons do not. So the common buttons that do not work on both panels are Fan and Nav/Anchor.


What I’ve done so far: installed a new 6-pin control panel (made no difference), checked every fuse in the back (about 6 I believe) and under the dash but none were blown visually; checked the 20 and 42 amp breakers were not tripped, starter battery (new dual purpose interstate) shows 13+ volts.


Would water intrusion cause a ground fault that would last even after the boat has dried out?


I’m not great on electrical issues and would appreciate any advice or suggestions. I absolutely hate taking my boat in and leaving for weeks … worst time of the year too.


Thanks in advance.

[JP96ranger]

Attachment 543910

Attachment 543911

[C0MRAD]

The quickest solution is to order new control panels for the console and bow and install them yourself. I wouldn't want to try and fix a broken panel. I would build a new panel with rocker switches before I tried to fix the old panel.

[Mcjenson]

https://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1212661

I went ahead and did the rocker switch conversion

[JP96ranger]

Spoke with a Spyderco tech and now thinking water intrusion into the ECM may be the culprit. Tech said the epoxy used in this timeframe would develop micro cracks and allow water to get in. Knowing there is an issue in the manufacturing process I need to get some help getting a replacement that will hopefully be covered by some kind of recall or service bulletin. Work in progress..

[JP96ranger]

The fix turned out to be…


The module assembly or ECM was damaged by water entering the fine cracks that developed in the poor quality epoxy used on the circuit board during the manufacturing process. Spyder Controls part number 319982. Found at Great Lakes Skipper @ $200. It is a known issue and parts and labor would have been covered for the ORIGINAL owner. I did not mount the replacement the same as the original because the original had been installed in a manner that caused one of the corners to be bent outwards, which may have been the source for the cracks in the circuit board epoxy. Used industrial Velcro which worked well. I hope this helps someone save time and money!

[JP96ranger]

https://www.greatlakesskipper.com/ni...rness-assembly

[Rocket256]

I am very curious to know how hard was it to install the 6-pin control panel?