Transducer

[shibumi]

Have you gone to the Yamaha field rep?

How does one go about "going to the Yamaha field rep"? I wouldn't mind seeing if I could get my name towards the top of the list in the Tampa Bay area for a transducer

 

[Pullen724]

I ordered my transducer on 9/14/21 and just got an update today indicating a “confirmed ship date” of mid December 2021…. Thats better than the July 2022 estimate Yamaha gave when I ordered it a few weeks ago. We shall see…

 

[ks9mm]

Any others out there? Still waiting and Dealer still has no idea. Super annoyed as I want to sell the boat and no one wants to buy it with this issue..

Has anyone looked at the component level repairs? I know most the time companies just sell a new one when usually it's something simple like a capacitor or some resistor somewhere that can be replaced at the component level.

I am also willing to look at scrap yards, eBay and overpriced gouging sites just to get the part replaced so the boat can go.

look on ebay.. i saw one last year for $300 but decided not to buy it.. for $300 can get complete Unit from Garmin.

 

[Pullen724]

Any others out there? Still waiting and Dealer still has no idea. Super annoyed as I want to sell the boat and no one wants to buy it with this issue..

Has anyone looked at the component level repairs? I know most the time companies just sell a new one when usually it's something simple like a capacitor or some resistor somewhere that can be replaced at the component level.

I am also willing to look at scrap yards, eBay and overpriced gouging sites just to get the part replaced so the boat can go.

Im still waiting on mine that I ordered in September 2021. ETA has changed 3 times already.

 

[Mjolsen74]

Im still waiting on mine that I ordered in September 2021. ETA has changed 3 times already.

at least they give you a date to miss.. I have no date outside of July 2022 (since last august).. I have no idea if they are even getting any in or it's a 100% no product until July. Does anyone have Yamaha contacts that can help find out some data? No data drives me nuts and really sucks.
Took it out yesterday for a quick run and whew.. even with duct tape and a towel wrapped around the noise maker it's so annoying.. every 5 mins you can silence it again but the silencing goes away.

You would think Yamaha could at least offer up a software update to allow an "ignore transducer" setting to just ignore it.. Since they can't commit to anything else..

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Sooooo stupid question, where is the transducer? Also anyone have any luck getting one? 2020 AR240. Last two outings my water temp was reading 120 degrees, depth was working fine until I got home to clean it up. Getting a “lost comm transducer” boat is still under warranty so I’ll let them fix it I suppose, I was just going to check connections. Everything behind the dash looks in place. I really don’t want to deal with that alarm all summer.

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Well.. hate to say this but a lot of us have dealt with it for almost a year. Was told July before they start shipping..

good luck! I had to tape and wrap towels around the peso alarm in the helm so I didn't have to hear it so loud.

Where is that stupid beeper? I’ll have to do that. I missed 3.5 months last year due to a drive shaft snapping, I ain’t missing months/year for a transducer and stupid beeper

 

[shibumi]

FWIW (and if I'm recalling correctly) I finally got mine replaced. Rather than waiting for the "Yamaha specific" part, they just got the Garmin equivalent and then spliced a Yamaha plug onto it. Does that make sense??

In other words, the transducer itself is Garmin (I believe? Right?) - but they make the exact same transducer for Yamaha with a Yamaha specific plug on the end of it. So they just took the regular Garmin transducer - cut off the regular plug - spliced on the Yamaha (maybe even the plug from my original transducer ??).

I haven't had a chance to get out on the water yet, but they water tested it and said it was working.

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

FWIW (and if I'm recalling correctly) I finally got mine replaced. Rather than waiting for the "Yamaha specific" part, they just got the Garmin equivalent and then spliced a Yamaha plug onto it. Does that make sense??

In other words, the transducer itself is Garmin (I believe? Right?) - but they make the exact same transducer for Yamaha with a Yamaha specific plug on the end of it. So they just took the regular Garmin transducer - cut off the regular plug - spliced on the Yamaha (maybe even the plug from my original transducer ??).

I haven't had a chance to get out on the water yet, but they water tested it and said it was working.

There is another thread on here of someone who did exactly that. He did a good write up so I decided I am going to do the same, instead of taking it to the dealer and waiting who knows how long and dealing with the beeper all summer. I got everything delivered yesterday, going to install tomorrow or Saturday. It’s a “Air Mar” transducer, but somehow related to garmin, as the support page for the part has Garmin all over it. I’m doing what the other post recommended to not void the 2 year warranty on the transducer, and bought a cable that plugs into the transducer cable, going to snip the end off of that extra cable and splice in the old transducer connector. Hopefully it solves the problem.

 

[shibumi]

There is another thread on here of someone who did exactly that. He did a good write up so I decided I am going to do the same, instead of taking it to the dealer and waiting who knows how long and dealing with the beeper all summer. I got everything delivered yesterday, going to install tomorrow or Saturday. It’s a “Air Mar” transducer, but somehow related to garmin, as the support page for the part has Garmin all over it. I’m doing what the other post recommended to not void the 2 year warranty on the transducer, and bought a cable that plugs into the transducer cable, going to snip the end off of that extra cable and splice in the old transducer connector. Hopefully it solves the problem.

Good luck! My shop was able to do the install in like an hour or so! It was shocking to have it fixed so quick after waiting so many months! lol

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Good luck! My shop was able to do the install in like an hour or so! It was shocking to have it fixed so quick after waiting so many months! lol

It seems pretty straight forward. I think the hardest part is going to be access. I popped the small hatch, the waterbox/muffler? Is right in the way, and the scupper tube is right over the transducer as well. I’m going to unscrew the entire clean out hatch and hopefully I will have enough access to not have to unhook the muffler and scupper line. The instructions that came with the transducer are pretty detailed, just need to pick up some 4200 and make sure I have enough heat shrink connectors for the splice. With the obligatory beer breaks and a couple cuss word rants I’m thinking about two hours, which means it will actually take me 3-4. I’ll post pics this weekend when I get to it.

 

[InmyElement]

As soon as it gets warm..I just received all the parts...I've taken the transducer out before, its not bad.
Hope this helps..

https://jetboaters.net/threads/how-i-replaced-yamahas-airmar-transducer-for-half-the-cost-with-pictures.35869/#post-595771

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

As soon as it gets warm..I just received all the parts...I've taken the transducer out before, its not bad.
Hope this helps..

https://jetboaters.net/threads/how-i-replaced-yamahas-airmar-transducer-for-half-the-cost-with-pictures.35869/#post-595771

Yup! That’s the post I used to order the parts, thanks for the link!

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Credit to cyclops, his post inspired me to give this a try. Would have taken me 2.5-3 hours, but I took a couple breaks to grab a beer and check on the kids, and spent a good 1.5 hours trying to get a ratchet I dropped and couldn’t reach. (More to follow).

If you have a twin engine boat, access to the transducer is the biggest problem. The starboard waterbox sits right over the keel, making it impossible to get at the transducer without moving some stuff. First, get a beer, the pull the access tray, then unscrew the larger tray that covers the entire rear bilge of the boat. Undo the rubber straps for the water box, and loosen the hose clamp where the exhaust exits the water box. (I couldn’t get this hose off the water box, it was stuck pretty good, with the current parts shortages and my laziness I didn’t push the issue) Next open your engine bay and find the transducer cable, it connects where a bunch of connections are above the starboard engine. I cut a pretty good length from the connector so I got plenty of wire to work with for any future repairs. Loosen the hose clamp on the starboard exhaust where it goes through the back of the engine compartment. Grab another beer, take the old transducer cable you just cut, and a new NMEA extension (1.5 ft works just fine) and splice them together. Pretty simple, match the color wires, heat shrink connectors (18-22 gauge) and splice away. Finish your beer and grab another, it’s about to get painful. You have to finagle that water box around so you can access the old transducer, it’s a real PITA, once you have it situated, cut the safety wire on the old transducer, unscrew the cap, pull the old one out, put the new one in, tighten down the cap, safety wire it down, and run your wires. Put the water box back, tighten all your hose clamps, clean and then re seal the clean out hatch, and you should be done. After resealing the access tray, I was tightening the hose clamps that hold the clean out tubes to the tray, and dropped a ratchet, it went under the waterbox as far forward as it could. Being stubborn and fresh out of 4200, I didn’t want to pull the big tray back up and move the water box again, so using my phone camera to see, and a lot of awkward bending and reaching, I was able to retrieve the ratchet. This was by far the longest part of the project.

Transducer comm error is now gone, so at least it’s fixed. I’m sure I could have saved $300 and had it done under warranty, but I didn’t want to wait for back ordered parts, wait for appointments at the dealership, drive back and forth, etc.

 

[Neutron]

Credit to cyclops, his post inspired me to give this a try. Would have taken me 2.5-3 hours, but I took a couple breaks to grab a beer and check on the kids, and spent a good 1.5 hours trying to get a ratchet I dropped and couldn’t reach. (More to follow).

If you have a twin engine boat, access to the transducer is the biggest problem. The starboard waterbox sits right over the keel, making it impossible to get at the transducer without moving some stuff. First, get a beer, the pull the access tray, then unscrew the larger tray that covers the entire rear bilge of the boat. Undo the rubber straps for the water box, and loosen the hose clamp where the exhaust exits the water box. (I couldn’t get this hose off the water box, it was stuck pretty good, with the current parts shortages and my laziness I didn’t push the issue) Next open your engine bay and find the transducer cable, it connects where a bunch of connections are above the starboard engine. I cut a pretty good length from the connector so I got plenty of wire to work with for any future repairs. Loosen the hose clamp on the starboard exhaust where it goes through the back of the engine compartment. Grab another beer, take the old transducer cable you just cut, and a new NMEA extension (1.5 ft works just fine) and splice them together. Pretty simple, match the color wires, heat shrink connectors (18-22 gauge) and splice away. Finish your beer and grab another, it’s about to get painful. You have to finagle that water box around so you can access the old transducer, it’s a real PITA, once you have it situated, cut the safety wire on the old transducer, unscrew the cap, pull the old one out, put the new one in, tighten down the cap, safety wire it down, and run your wires. Put the water box back, tighten all your hose clamps, clean and then re seal the clean out hatch, and you should be done. After resealing the access tray, I was tightening the hose clamps that hold the clean out tubes to the tray, and dropped a ratchet, it went under the waterbox as far forward as it could. Being stubborn and fresh out of 4200, I didn’t want to pull the big tray back up and move the water box again, so using my phone camera to see, and a lot of awkward bending and reaching, I was able to retrieve the ratchet. This was by far the longest part of the project.

Transducer comm error is now gone, so at least it’s fixed. I’m sure I could have saved $300 and had it done under warranty, but I didn’t want to wait for back ordered parts, wait for appointments at the dealership, drive back and forth, etc. View attachment 175255View attachment 175256View attachment 175257View attachment 175258View attachment 175259View attachment 175260

Nice work, thanks for the write up

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Nice work, thanks for the write up

Thanks, we will see if the boat is still floating at the end of day of our next outing. Not so worried about the exhaust hoses, that’s a easy fix with a tool kit, but the scupper pipe runs through where I was working. I gave it a good inspection before I sealed the tray back up but I was doing a bunch of bending a pushing/pulling of pipes and hoses trying to get that dang ratchet. Hopefully I didn’t miss any o rings or gaskets on the transducer as well. I like working on the boat, anything below the water line through hall always makes me nervous. I’ll have to add “make sure insurance is paid” to my list of things to do when I hook up the trailer to go out

 

[Neutron]

I just bought the transducer and jumper wire, as a just in case. I will put it with my "in case of emergency break glass" box of parts that are getting hard if not impossible to get.

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

I just bought the transducer and jumper wire, as a just in case. I will put it with my "in case of emergency break glass" box of parts that are getting hard if not impossible to get.

I would love a donor boat someone ran on to the rocks and sold the motors out of. The longer I own this boat the more I’m annoyed by little things Yamaha did with connext and the NMEA network with non NMEA connectors, and all the propriety non sense. In a pre COVID world it was way to jack up prices on replacement parts, post COVID it’s causing people to miss months of boating or come up with innovative/redneck solutions.

 

[anjboyer]

Great beer choice BTW...

 

[motomandan]

I was in the business for 1/2 my life. Airmar makes 75% of the transducers for all makes. Do yourself a favor and solder the wire connections using Epoxy Lined marine shrink tube over each splice after soldering , then cover the entire splice with said shrink tube. (you can stagger the splices to keep the overall diameter of the splice smaller)
You buy expensive Marine shrink tube at West Marine or you buy the same a lot cheaper at Harbor Freight.

Marine Heat Shrink Tubing Assortment With Case, 42 Piece

Amazing deals on this 42Pc Marine Heat Shrink Tubing at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com