CONNEXT "ERR" messager....AGAIN!!!

[captras]

Well, after thinking foolishly, that the problem had been fixed, for the 4th time now I get the dreaded "ERR" message which is indicating a loss of GPS signal, making the highly Yamaha, highly touted "DRIVE" control virtually worthless. I picked it up back in Mar, been out on the water 8-10 time and it worked perfectly.....till this weekend....and for no known reason....it started acting up again. I called my dealer service (Conroe Texas Marine) about it. They have really been great about this. The problem is not them but Yamaha! My service manager said it is driving the Yamaha techs crazy too. They have 2 2017 242 models in the shop now with the same issues. Yamaha now says that they believe it has something to do with the remote radio control head on the swim deck. Why that would be an issue, who knows....but apparently the company that designed the system (FUSION) thinks the issue is the head. I am NOT going to pull my boat out for a month at least while they figure it, so the service manager suggested I give it time for them to see if they have truly identified the issue. I will take it in at the end of the season. I still have 2 more years on my YES warranty. This is an awesome boat in every way EXCEPT one of the big pluses that Yamaha says you get for spending the big bucks. I dont know if anybody with a 2018 model is having any of these issues. I think that the CONNEXT was changed with the 2018s. Interested to know if any 18 owners of either the Limited SE or the X are having this issue!

 

[Dave Baran]

There is a new Connext system in 2018. Fusion is the name on the rear head unit. I have only been out twice here in Michigan but no problems so far. Good luck to you. I hope you get it fixed soon.

 

[jethrof16]

Well, after thinking foolishly, that the problem had been fixed, for the 4th time now I get the dreaded "ERR" message which is indicating a loss of GPS signal, making the highly Yamaha, highly touted "DRIVE" control virtually worthless. I picked it up back in Mar, been out on the water 8-10 time and it worked perfectly.....till this weekend....and for no known reason....it started acting up again. I called my dealer service (Conroe Texas Marine) about it. They have really been great about this. The problem is not them but Yamaha! My service manager said it is driving the Yamaha techs crazy too. They have 2 2017 242 models in the shop now with the same issues. Yamaha now says that they believe it has something to do with the remote radio control head on the swim deck. Why that would be an issue, who knows....but apparently the company that designed the system (FUSION) thinks the issue is the head. I am NOT going to pull my boat out for a month at least while they figure it, so the service manager suggested I give it time for them to see if they have truly identified the issue. I will take it in at the end of the season. I still have 2 more years on my YES warranty. This is an awesome boat in every way EXCEPT one of the big pluses that Yamaha says you get for spending the big bucks. I dont know if anybody with a 2018 model is having any of these issues. I think that the CONNEXT was changed with the 2018s. Interested to know if any 18 owners of either the Limited SE or the X are having this issue!

I am having some major 12.3" Connext issues as well. After a couple hours in the sun by screen becomes almost completely unresponsive. It will start to flip out and make it's own selections as times. On Monday is decided to constantly flip between single and dual throttle ops. You never knew what mode you were going to get when taking the throttle/throttles out of neutral.

 

[Pittsburghjetboat]

Any resolution? Mine just started doing the same thing and can’t figure it out.

Well, after thinking foolishly, that the problem had been fixed, for the 4th time now I get the dreaded "ERR" message which is indicating a loss of GPS signal, making the highly Yamaha, highly touted "DRIVE" control virtually worthless. I picked it up back in Mar, been out on the water 8-10 time and it worked perfectly.....till this weekend....and for no known reason....it started acting up again. I called my dealer service (Conroe Texas Marine) about it. They have really been great about this. The problem is not them but Yamaha! My service manager said it is driving the Yamaha techs crazy too. They have 2 2017 242 models in the shop now with the same issues. Yamaha now says that they believe it has something to do with the remote radio control head on the swim deck. Why that would be an issue, who knows....but apparently the company that designed the system (FUSION) thinks the issue is the head. I am NOT going to pull my boat out for a month at least while they figure it, so the service manager suggested I give it time for them to see if they have truly identified the issue. I will take it in at the end of the season. I still have 2 more years on my YES warranty. This is an awesome boat in every way EXCEPT one of the big pluses that Yamaha says you get for spending the big bucks. I dont know if anybody with a 2018 model is having any of these issues. I think that the CONNEXT was changed with the 2018s. Interested to know if any 18 owners of either the Limited SE or the X are having this issue!

 

[brddog]

I am having some major 12.3" Connext issues as well. After a couple hours in the sun by screen becomes almost completely unresponsive. It will start to flip out and make it's own selections as times. On Monday is decided to constantly flip between single and dual throttle ops. You never knew what mode you were going to get when taking the throttle/throttles out of neutral.

I had the same thing happen on my 2017 E-Series this past weekend. It shifted back to dual ops, but only did it once. I thought it was me. Hope this isn’t the start of bigger issues. Otherwise I have had no problems.

 

[spatty99]

Total guess, but I remember reading another thread where the remote wiring had corrosion somewhere and disconnecting/replacing was a fix (they had to disconnect from the correct end- head unit vs remote because of how the signals travel). If you can find that thread it could have some good info.

 

[Julian]

Well, after thinking foolishly, that the problem had been fixed, for the 4th time now I get the dreaded "ERR" message which is indicating a loss of GPS signal, making the highly Yamaha, highly touted "DRIVE" control virtually worthless. I picked it up back in Mar, been out on the water 8-10 time and it worked perfectly.....till this weekend....and for no known reason....it started acting up again. I called my dealer service (Conroe Texas Marine) about it. They have really been great about this. The problem is not them but Yamaha! My service manager said it is driving the Yamaha techs crazy too. They have 2 2017 242 models in the shop now with the same issues. Yamaha now says that they believe it has something to do with the remote radio control head on the swim deck. Why that would be an issue, who knows....but apparently the company that designed the system (FUSION) thinks the issue is the head. I am NOT going to pull my boat out for a month at least while they figure it, so the service manager suggested I give it time for them to see if they have truly identified the issue. I will take it in at the end of the season. I still have 2 more years on my YES warranty. This is an awesome boat in every way EXCEPT one of the big pluses that Yamaha says you get for spending the big bucks. I dont know if anybody with a 2018 model is having any of these issues. I think that the CONNEXT was changed with the 2018s. Interested to know if any 18 owners of either the Limited SE or the X are having this issue!

I was getting an ERR message while we were in Bimini, but since I wasn't using the drive control I just ignored it. Is the only impact to the drive control, or does it hamper other functions for you too?

 

[Pittsburghjetboat]

I was getting an ERR message while we were in Bimini, but since I wasn't using the drive control I just ignored it. Is the only impact to the drive control, or does it hamper other functions for you too?

Just can’t see the speed and I silence the alarm but the alarm keeps coming back on like every 15 minutes then I have to silence the alarm again, it’s just super annoying

 

[Julian]

Just can’t see the speed and I silence the alarm but the alarm keeps coming back on like every 15 minutes then I have to silence the alarm again, it’s just super annoying

Huh...on my boat I don't get an alarm.....just a visual "ERR" message on screen, I wonder if we are talking about 2 different errors?

 

[Brad Dunn]

We had the errr on the speed control setting. Making the function non usable. We had to send the tacks away for recalibrating. Know all is good. Even though we rarely use that function. For wakeboarding it is needed. Fore surfing we find manual works better.

 

[AndyF]

Yes am having issues with my 2018 212x. Started out as pump controller error and now many others including joystick comms issues. 2nd time back to dealer and they have not figured out. Yamaha corporate now involved but now many weeks without use of new boat.

Have found online it could be 1) bad battery. 2) bad ecm 3). Wires need replacing. 4). In 2018 they changed some things including wiring for main radio now being in area in back that gets wet all the time. Hope they can fix soon or they’ll need to buy it back.

 

[swatski]

Hope they can fix soon or they’ll need to buy it back.

(wishful thinking) Their most functional unit is the legal department.
Better brace yourself...
I have had a myriad of things wrong with my boat, when brand new. Mostly small, annoying stuff, and a couple of really big issues. I ended up fixing everything myself, over time, much better than trying to deal with the f@ckers at Yamaha corporate. They misrepresent and lie. Unbelievable.

Those boats are actually quite decent if you make an effort and fix what needs to be done. Like others stated, there is a wealth of good info and helpful tips in this forum.

--

 

[ripler]

Putting all of these electronics on boats is just plain dumb, I wouldn't buy a boat that relies on a touchscreen to run the boat. If you can't over ride the screen with a hard wired switch I don't want it especially if you use the screen to control the ballast. What would happen if you have a boat full of ballast and couldn't unload it because the screen malfunctioned? I've had touch screens replaced in my truck under warranty, wondering what a connect screen would cost if it had to be replaced out of warranty?

 

[Thom]

I have the ERR issue on my 2016 LSE as well. The dealer has parts on order to resolve it, I believe he said the GPS receiver.

I don't get an alarm, just the ERR message in the speed display. For normal cruising it isn't a big deal, but when using speed control the engines cut out momentarily when the message appears. It generally isn't noticeable for the person boarding, unless it happens as they're coming up out of the water, but it sure is annoying for everyone on the boat.

 

[captras]

I was getting an ERR message while we were in Bimini, but since I wasn't using the drive control I just ignored it. Is the only impact to the drive control, or does it hamper other functions for you too?

The error message only shows up on the CONNEXT screen. It does not affect any other functions. My understanding is that for this particular error, basically it is telling you that there is GPS reception error. I get no alarms, and if I wasnt looking at the screen at the time of the message I would never know it was there. When it does show up it usually lasts less than a second. Sometimes it will reoccur quickly, and others it may take several minutes. Interestingly, my last 5 outings it has worked perfectly....the DRIVE works flawlessly and no ERR messages! I cant figure it out, but still planning on taking it in at the end of the season, or at least talk to my service rep to find out if there was indeed some connection between the CONNEXT system and the rear radio control head.

 

[jethrof16]

Putting all of these electronics on boats is just plain dumb, I wouldn't buy a boat that relies on a touchscreen to run the boat. If you can't over ride the screen with a hard wired switch I don't want it especially if you use the screen to control the ballast. What would happen if you have a boat full of ballast and couldn't unload it because the screen malfunctioned? I've had touch screens replaced in my truck under warranty, wondering what a connect screen would cost if it had to be replaced out of warranty?

Just had my screen replaced in my '18 242X due to multiple issues. Dealer said the part is $2700. Only took about 30 minutes to replace though.

 

[Thom]

I have the ERR issue on my 2016 LSE as well. The dealer has parts on order to resolve it, I believe he said the GPS receiver.

I don't get an alarm, just the ERR message in the speed display. For normal cruising it isn't a big deal, but when using speed control the engines cut out momentarily when the message appears. It generally isn't noticeable for the person boarding, unless it happens as they're coming up out of the water, but it sure is annoying for everyone on the boat.

Replacing the GPS antenna puck seems to have done the trick.

 

[captras]

I went thru that for the first 2 years......3 long stars at the dealer....but it seems to have been taken care. Has been working perfectly for the last 3 months. I hope it continues. Good luck! BTW.....GPS receiver was one of the components changed in the course of all of this.

 

[Thom]

Apparently I spoke too soon. The ERR message was absent and speed control worked perfectly the first two times I had the boat out on our home lake after the repair. Then I trailered the boat 350 miles down to Shasta for a week on the water. As soon as I launched the ERR message was back, and speed control was worthless.

Probably just a coincidence, but the first time the ERR message showed up was after towing the boat 500 miles up to Sandpoint towards the end of the first summer we had it. I can't imaging towing like that shakes something loose in the receiver or the harness, but stranger things have happened.

 

[Bogus]

I had the err message every ride on the river, but on the sea everything works perfectly. Looks like the system need stable GPS signal and doesnt work if the signal can dissapear for some time. This is FOR my 242x e with tahometers.