2016 242X connext "gateway comm error"

[Mainah]

Stereo is related as the radio canbus runs through the tachs including the wire that tells the stereo to power on.

 

[Dave burke]

Thanks @Julian, I’ll check that out this w/e.

 

[Julian]

Stereo is related as the radio canbus runs through the tachs including the wire that tells the stereo to power on.

So done for the night.....I unplugged and checked connections and reseated all the connections behind the helm, in the starboard storage under seat and by the batteries (including the gateway box by the amps). No change at all.

Guess I'm just going to have to take it to the dealer.

 

[Mainah]

So done for the night.....I unplugged and checked connections and reseated all the connections behind the helm, in the starboard storage under seat and by the batteries (including the gateway box by the amps). No change at all.

Guess I'm just going to have to take it to the dealer.

It just dawned on me that the the power distribution and resistor blocks are in play with the radio canbus on your model. Try checking the relays and fuses in those prior to making the trip to the dealer. The reason why is the radio can bus requires power in order to communicate. Easier way to check relays is to swap like relays around. Many ways for fuses including visual, fuse tester or a multi meter on continuity check.

 

[Julian]

It just dawned on me that the the power distribution and resistor blocks are in play with the radio canbus on your model. Try checking the relays and fuses in those prior to making the trip to the dealer. The reason why is the radio can bus requires power in order to communicate. Easier way to check relays is to swap like relays around. Many ways for fuses including visual, fuse tester or a multi meter on continuity check.

Yamaha uses their own freaking fuses in those boxes! I went to check them and couldn't as they are all black with no visual indicator. Grrr

Dont have a fuse tester.....but sounds like something I should own!

Any way to test a relay?

 

[Mainah]

Yamaha uses their own freaking fuses in those boxes! I went to check them and couldn't as they are all black with no visual indicator. Grrr

Dont have a fuse tester.....but sounds like something I should own!

Any way to test a relay?

Those black custom fuses are just ato or mini ato fuses with a slick cover. Read the tops or the label in the box as some are resistors. 2.2k is a resistor, 20a is a fuse. Pull the fuses and continuity check with a multimeter by first checking the meter by touching the probes together to make sure you get a beep, then by putting each lead on a different blade of the same fuse. If you get a beep good fuse, no beep bad fuse. Easiest way to check a relay is to swap it with a same rated one. Frequently multi same rated relays in the same vehicle so swap one for another.

A fuse tester/puller is just a small dodad you press to the top of ato and mini ato fuses to check them without even removing them (except for those stupid factory ones with a cover)

 

[tek4fun]

The fuses are standard fuses the black ones are all resistors. The black ones do have raised numbers on the top of them, but they are hard to read. There are both 120 Ohm resistors and 1.2 k Ohm resistors. The 120 Ohm resistors are used as CAN termination resistors and the 1.2 k Ohm resistors are used with the lighting. You can check the resistance with a multimeter to make sure there is not a short or open circuit inside them. It happens, but not very often. I suspect there is something wrong with the gateway, since you confirmed that the radio is not responding now. I would only suspect the radio relay, if the radio was the only thing not working. You also may want to check to make sure that both the GPS and the gateway are getting power on the 'system on' circuit. For the GPS puck, this would be on pin A and on the Gateway, this would be position C3. Position C3 would be the third wire from the right on the bottom row, if you are looking at the back of the connector and the locking mechanism is on the right.

 

[MattFX4]

This may be a long shot, but check fuse under port side rear bench seat. There’s a fuse holder near the battery switch with a 20 amp fuse maybe? I seem to remember it was yellow. Anyways, had similar problem with my ‘15 242 and it was that fuse. Try charging a phone from USB port, or running an air pump using 12 volt plug in rear swim deck seat storage area. None of that worked either.

 

[MattFX4]

I just went back and checked and mine was "Stereo Comm Error" so probably not the same thing. Oh well, hope you get it figured out soon.

 

[swatski]

This may be a long shot, but check fuse under port side rear bench seat. There’s a fuse holder near the battery switch with a 20 amp fuse maybe? I seem to remember it was yellow. Anyways, had similar problem with my ‘15 242 and it was that fuse. Try charging a phone from USB port, or running an air pump using 12 volt plug in rear swim deck seat storage area. None of that worked either.

@Mainah that's a good lead, isn't it? Isn;t that the one you helped me find one time?
I don;t re,member all the symptoms but it was sometihing weird and the fuse was not obvious to find!
--

 

[Julian]

The fuses are standard fuses the black ones are all resistors. The black ones do have raised numbers on the top of them, but they are hard to read. There are both 120 Ohm resistors and 1.2 k Ohm resistors. The 120 Ohm resistors are used as CAN termination resistors and the 1.2 k Ohm resistors are used with the lighting. You can check the resistance with a multimeter to make sure there is not a short or open circuit inside them. It happens, but not very often. I suspect there is something wrong with the gateway, since you confirmed that the radio is not responding now. I would only suspect the radio relay, if the radio was the only thing not working. You also may want to check to make sure that both the GPS and the gateway are getting power on the 'system on' circuit. For the GPS puck, this would be on pin A and on the Gateway, this would be position C3. Position C3 would be the third wire from the right on the bottom row, if you are looking at the back of the connector and the locking mechanism is on the right.

If the stereo headunit were dead, would this cause the other problems I'm seeing (no gas reading, no GPS reading?)? I went to the swim step control and the knob was pretty stiff to turn, so I wonder if I'm anothe victim of the Polk stern head unit dying???

When you say to check for power at the GPS and the Gateway, which plugs are you referring to? The gateway is in the battery compartment and has a different plug than any other in the boat (strange latch). GPS....the plug to the puck???

Matt, I checked every fuse in the boat I could lay my hands on....all looked fine (I dont have a tester, but most are 20 or 30 amp fuses, and it is usually easy to tell when they are fried)

 

[tek4fun]

If the stereo headunit were dead, would this cause the other problems I'm seeing (no gas reading, no GPS reading?)? I went to the swim step control and the knob was pretty stiff to turn, so I wonder if I'm anothe victim of the Polk stern head unit dying???

When you say to check for power at the GPS and the Gateway, which plugs are you referring to? The gateway is in the battery compartment and has a different plug than any other in the boat (strange latch). GPS....the plug to the puck???

Matt, I checked every fuse in the boat I could lay my hands on....all looked fine (I dont have a tester, but most are 20 or 30 amp fuses, and it is usually easy to tell when they are fried)

For the GPS puck, check it at the 3 pin connector close to the puck. The gateway should be the connector directly connecting to the gateway. It is a strange one. They both should be 12 volts. They actually go to the same splice (ultrasonic weld) in the harness. If the radio is dead or dying and spitting out random packets on the CAN line, then the GPS problems would have to be a completely separate issue. Most of your issues are with things that go through the gateway. The GPS puck is the only thing that doesn't so far. That is the confusing part of trying to bring this to a single root cause. Even the 'system on' circuit that they both use is shared by other devices that do not seem to be affected like the joystick, depth transducer and pump controller.

 

[Julian]

For the GPS puck, check it at the 3 pin connector close to the puck. The gateway should be the connector directly connecting to the gateway. It is a strange one. They both should be 12 volts. They actually go to the same splice (ultrasonic weld) in the harness. If the radio is dead or dying and spitting out random packets on the CAN line, then the GPS problems would have to be a completely separate issue. Most of your issues are with things that go through the gateway. The GPS puck is the only thing that doesn't so far. That is the confusing part of trying to bring this to a single root cause. Even the 'system on' circuit that they both use is shared by other devices that do not seem to be affected like the joystick, depth transducer and pump controller.

OK, lets take the GPS issue out of the equation because that had been acting up before this "gateway comm error" started. Lets assume there are 2 separate issues.

The most important is solving the Gateway error because this:

1. causing an annoying beep every 5 minutes or so.
2. results in no gas guage - which is a real problem!
3. Results in no stereo (unless there are 3 distinct issues).

 

[tek4fun]

OK, lets take the GPS issue out of the equation because that had been acting up before this "gateway comm error" started. Lets assume there are 2 separate issues.

The most important is solving the Gateway error because this:

1. causing an annoying beep every 5 minutes or so.
2. results in no gas guage - which is a real problem!
3. Results in no stereo (unless there are 3 distinct issues).

If we take out the GPS issue, then I would be leaning towards the radio having internal damage causing a short to the gateway, which then causes the gateway to shut down or the gateway itself going out by itself. You could try disconnecting the radio from the system and see, if you get your fuel gauge back. I do not know of a good way to check your gateway without putting it on another boat. Really hope all this information helps. This issue really has me curious.

I would still make sure to check the 'system on' circuit that I described earlier. If water got into the harness and that splice, it would slowly corrode and cause issues with the wires coming off of it. That could explain the GPS going out first and now the gateway. I would expect the other devices going to this splice to start going out over time, if this is the cause. That splice is located approximately under the shifter, so it is very hard to get to it.

 

[Julian]

If we take out the GPS issue, then I would be leaning towards the radio having internal damage causing a short to the gateway, which then causes the gateway to shut down or the gateway itself going out by itself. You could try disconnecting the radio from the system and see, if you get your fuel gauge back. I do not know of a good way to check your gateway without putting it on another boat. Really hope all this information helps. This issue really has me curious.

I would still make sure to check the 'system on' circuit that I described earlier. If water got into the harness and that splice, it would slowly corrode and cause issues with the wires coming off of it. That could explain the GPS going out first and now the gateway. I would expect the other devices going to this splice to start going out over time, if this is the cause. That splice is located approximately under the shifter, so it is very hard to get to it.

So what connections would I need to undo to eliminate the stereo from the equation?

 

[dh8500]

Had a similar issue in a 2016 AR240 with a COM4 Error with no GPS/Radio/Tachs/Fuel Guage today. Turned out to be a drained “house” battery issue. Engines started up just fine and after 20 minutes of running with the batteries in parallel and restarting the Connext, everything came back just fine. With some much rain in the Chicago area, the bilge pump killed the house battery that the Connext is running off of.

 

[Julian]

Had a similar issue in a 2016 AR240 with a COM4 Error with no GPS/Radio/Tachs/Fuel Guage today. Turned out to be a drained “house” battery issue. Engines started up just fine and after 20 minutes of running with the batteries in parallel and restarting the Connext, everything came back just fine. With some much rain in the Chicago area, the bilge pump killed the house battery that the Connext is running off of.

Boat is connected to shore power and both batteries have a full charge. I did try setting them to combine just as something to do....no difference.

 

[tek4fun]

So what connections would I need to undo to eliminate the stereo from the equation?

I would disconnect the 2 pin connector that has only 1 dark blue wire (JDAB) in it from the radio connections. This would eliminate any ideas of the radio causing any communications issues with the gateway.

 

[jocolo21]

I got the dreaded comm error last sunday, stereo wont work. Talk to the dealer they wantedbit for 2 week.....no. the sales guy texted me to turn on the engines and off within 10 sec of the screen foing dark. Ill try on frida. I think mine said joystick com err

 

[Julian]

I would disconnect the 2 pin connector that has only 1 dark blue wire (JDAB) in it from the radio connections. This would eliminate any ideas of the radio causing any communications issues with the gateway.

The boat is at the dealer now (while I am out of the country)....I'm hoping they can get to it while I am out!