10 FX20 with DSS/DME problem

[broncoholic]

Took my boat out for the first tournament last weekend and everything worked fine. It was a monsoon on the water so everything got soaked however all worked well. Brought the boat home and left the cover off so everything could dry. The next morning I noticed the Nav Light on main switch and bow + power button were blinking? Tried resetting via the switch with no luck. Tried resetting the whole system by disconnecting the battery overnight...no luck. So I got on here trying to find more info. Thanks to all that have posted on this topic otherwise I would have nothing. Started by disconnecting Nav light (at bow) and a hard reset...no luck. Then removed the nav light wire from the motherboard and reset ...no luck. Well it would make you think the motherboard is bad however I had to keep trying because there were no signs of condensation around the unit. So yesterday I started messing with other components involved, mainly the security locks. So I set the alarm and then unset it and BAM I can now turn on the power however the nav light is still blinking? It seems everything else is working except the safety horn, which I do not know if that was working prior. I do not want to believe its the motherboard, is there something I'm missing here. Its 2 hours to the nearest Skeeter Dealer and I'm trying to prevent this expense. On top of that Skeeter is closed till the 2nd! Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks

[Lockon]

I have no idea what the problem might be, but 76 views on this thread and no one welcomed you to BBC. Welcome aboard and I hope you get your issue solved

[broncoholic]

Thanks Lockon! It seems no one knows anything about these DSS systems including the internet. There is NO info out here on how to diag a problem or what the sequence of a nav and power button blinking even indicates....frustrating!

[Rich Z]

Try pushing the blinking nav light button and hold it down for at least 5sec. That's how you reset the live wells so it maybe the same for nav lights. Welcome...

[broncoholic]

Thanks Rich! That was the first thing I tried and couldn't get it to reset it just kept blinking. My next step was a complete overnight reset ( disconnecting batteries) and they still kept blinking.

[Rich Z]

Are the nav lights on the boat work correctly? If they do work I would think it's a glitch with the dms. One thing I did with the dms on my Fx 20 is that I unplugged every connection to the dms and used dielectric grease to insulate and prevent corrosion. No problems with my dms since I did that but I believe Skeeter should have never used this system or at least should installed in a location that never sees any moisture.

[broncoholic]

I can not get the nav/anchor light to stop blinking at dash or on the bow. At first I couldn't get power to anything as that button was blinking however after setting and unsetting the alarm I could finally get power to everything but nav/anchor as they continued to blink. That is why I took a guess that the wire was bad or it had a bad connection at the motherboard. So we just removed the nav wire all together and rest....still no luck?

[hawgherder]

I would try to use a hair dryer to rid the panel of any moisture. When you are using it in the rain the heat generated inside the switch panel will create moisture just like blowing on a cold glass window only the moisture is trapped inside the panel. I do think the DMS box would be the most likely place that would have moisture though. You could probably wait it out and it will start working again but wet = corrosion. The panel lights that are flashing are telling you that there is higher than normal amp draw which could be caused by condensation shorting power to ground. It wouldn`t be enough to blow a fuse but enough that the DMS would notice it. Pulling the connectors off the DMS and blowing them out wouldn`t hurt. RichZ is right in using a dielectric grease after you do this. Skeeter had a bad idea on this one.

[rbarrow]

Had similar problem with my 10 FX a couple of years ago. They had to replace the "black box"....fortunately it was under warranty at the time. No issues since.

[flybyy1]

kinda scared to give my two cents worth here,,mainly because my 20i is 08, and i think they changed the wiring???,,, but,,,, i had a blinking nav light,,, found a fuse blown in the nose of the boat,, but it continued to blink, until I re-set the breaker on the brain box located on the lid of the back compartment, and then reset it, by holding button down for the 5 or so sec like mentioned above. all is well now!, Probally the most screwed up wiring network i have ever witnessed. gene

[broncoholic]

Thanks for all the info...it is much appreciated! Im still in the same spot but trying something different. We took out both DSS key pads and the DME motherboard and put them in the house for a couple nights. It has been cold and raining here for two weeks so I wanted to make sure all (if any) condensation is gone! Hopefully this works, if not its getting close to the 2nd so I can reach Skeeter.

[skeeterfx]

Had same problems. Your brain box is fried. Needs to be replaced

[skeeterfx]

Doing anything else just a waste of time..don't ask me how I know! I guarantee you the brain box for DMS got moisture and is fried

[hawgherder]

Thanks for all the info...it is much appreciated! Im still in the same spot but trying something different. We took out both DSS key pads and the DME motherboard and put them in the house for a couple nights. It has been cold and raining here for two weeks so I wanted to make sure all (if any) condensation is gone! Hopefully this works, if not its getting close to the 2nd so I can reach Skeeter.

The problem you will have with the DMS "brain" ( switch box) is there isn`t any way to get air flow into it. So, it will take a long time to dry it by just bringing it inside. The switch panels can be dried with a fan. The DMS is the most likely culprit. The terminals where the pos/neg wires go is where the moisture usually gets in and you can tell by the green tint on the terminal base. If you get it to work you need to do everything you can to waterproof the box. The box is mounted against an aluminum deck that will condensate even on humid days. spacers are needed to seperate it from the deck or insulate between the box and the deck. try the easy stuff before running out and replacing anything, that can get expensive in a hurry.

[bkeenom]

Where is the DMS? Having a similar issue