Fix for Connext Battery Voltage Issue - Confirmed

[fraserjr]

Are you talking about swapping the labels basically on connext. I'm not aware of anyway to do that.
As some have pointed out it kinda makes sense to call the House battery "System" cause its what the Connext [system] runs on, leaving the Start as "Aux". But you bring up a good point, it is actually opposite of what the '17 Manual says System and Aux are.

Edit: I'll just add for completeness sake - this only works on boats that have the extra sense wire which from what I understand was added in '17 models. Earlier boats would need to use @Mainah method of hi-jacking the SPU wiring. For that matter there isn't any reason '17 model owner couldn't do this as well if they wanted to - just seemed the sense wire swap was easier. Using @Mainah mod you can really choose what battery you want labeled what by what wires you tap into for each battery.

Do we know if the 2016 E-Series boats with Connext has this extra wire?

 

[MidnightRider]

Do we know if the 2016 E-Series boats with Connext has this extra wire?

Yeah I can't say for sure but from what I understand it was added in the 2017 models. But maybe someone else can say for sure.
You should be able to look and see if you see a smaller wire bundled with the main house feed, if its there I'd think it probably is in the same place as my photos above show it. Again though, just guessing and my bet would be on 'no' from what I've gathered from the different threads.

 

[F.M.]

Take a look at my photos 2 posts above yours. On the '17 there is a red sense wire that heads out of the battery area bundled with the main House feed. That red sense wire goes into the battery switch cluster and is connected to the House battery switch (you have to remove the switch cluster to see the connection bolts on the back of it).

You need to remove that sense wire from the House battery switch and instead connect to the Start battery switch. After you do this the Connext will read the House battery as "System" and the Start battery as "Aux" separately.

What you are fixing is that as-is the Connext is getting its voltage reading from itself which is fed by the House battery named "System" on the connext. Also it is getting the "Aux" voltage from the sense wire, problem is the sense wire is also connected to the House battery. So both are reading the House battery. Which is why you need to swap the sense wire over to the Start battery switch.

If that doesn't make sense let me know and I or some else that has done this can go into greater detail.

S0.......First off thanks to everyone that had input on this for figuring this out.

I came across this thread a few days ago and decided to give it a try since the connect screen battery voltage read outs have been driving me nuts since day one. Since I have a 2017 model, the sense wire seemed to be the easiest way to do it so as to avoid running wires around to the port side storage area. I did run into what I thought was going to be a snag and did cause a few minutes of confusion. My sense wire (labeled AUX BATT) was not connected to the house side of the switches, it was connected directly to the house battery. So I snipped it, added a short jumper so that it would reach, and connected to directly to the start battery. Connect screen now has 2 different voltage readings instead of the same voltage for both batteries, SWEET, AWESOME, FINALLY, HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!

But I do have one question though. Will the sense wire connected directly to the battery vs. through the switch cause any issues, power drain, etc....? Thanks in advance.

 

[MidnightRider]

S0.......First off thanks to everyone that had input on this for figuring this out.

I came across this thread a few days ago and decided to give it a try since the connect screen battery voltage read outs have been driving me nuts since day one. Since I have a 2017 model, the sense wire seemed to be the easiest way to do it so as to avoid running wires around to the port side storage area. I did run into what I thought was going to be a snag and did cause a few minutes of confusion. My sense wire (labeled AUX BATT) was not connected to the house side of the switches, it was connected directly to the house battery. So I snipped it, added a short jumper so that it would reach, and connected to directly to the start battery. Connect screen now has 2 different voltage readings instead of the same voltage for both batteries, SWEET, AWESOME, FINALLY, HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!

But I do have one question though. Will the sense wire connected directly to the battery vs. through the switch cause any issues, power drain, etc....? Thanks in advance.

I would think that it would minimal if there is any draw, but the real answer is, I don't know. My go to on a question like this would be @Mainah so maybe he could chime in on what he thinks about that.

 

[Mainah]

Think of the sense wire (for boats that have it) like a lead on a multimeter. If the multimeter is off then the sense wire has no draw.

 

[F.M.]

Think of the sense wire (for boats that have it) like a lead on a multimeter. If the multimeter is off then the sense wire has no draw.

Awesome, thanks.

 

[jcyamaharider]

S0.......First off thanks to everyone that had input on this for figuring this out.

I came across this thread a few days ago and decided to give it a try since the connect screen battery voltage read outs have been driving me nuts since day one. Since I have a 2017 model, the sense wire seemed to be the easiest way to do it so as to avoid running wires around to the port side storage area. I did run into what I thought was going to be a snag and did cause a few minutes of confusion. My sense wire (labeled AUX BATT) was not connected to the house side of the switches, it was connected directly to the house battery. So I snipped it, added a short jumper so that it would reach, and connected to directly to the start battery. Connect screen now has 2 different voltage readings instead of the same voltage for both batteries, SWEET, AWESOME, FINALLY, HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!

But I do have one question though. Will the sense wire connected directly to the battery vs. through the switch cause any issues, power drain, etc....? Thanks in advance.

I think I may know what you are saying but maybe some pics? I want to fix this as well.

 

[F.M.]

I think I may know what you are saying but maybe some pics? I want to fix this as well.

The Aux Batt Wire (Red Arrow) was inside the split loom tubing above the DVSR and switches. Instead of going into the switches and being connected to the house switch, it was run from one piece of tubing to the other and spliced into the + cable that runs directly to the house battery about half way between the switch and battery (Green Line). So I snipped the Aux Battery wire, added a short section onto it with a ring terminal, and connected it directly to the start battery. ***Please ignore the splice connector I used. It will be removed this afternoon and it will be soldered and wrapped correctly. I was in a hurry to beat the rain and just wanted to make sure it worked before making it permanent.***

While out for the afternoon yesterday, I kept a close eye on the screen while in float mode. The Aux voltage showed a consistent 12.7v all day and the system side started the day at about 12.8v and was reading 12.1v after running the stereo for about 5 hours. So in my mind that's a WIN for fixing the voltage reading.

Now I need to call the dealer to address why my boat has 2 marine starting batteries in it instead of 1 starting and 1 deep cycle or DP. I may take the advice of another member (don't remember who or I would give them credit), and replace both batteries with AGM deep cycles since these motors need so little amperage to start.

 

[Chief]

Yeah I can't say for sure but from what I understand it was added in the 2017 models. But maybe someone else can say for sure.
You should be able to look and see if you see a smaller wire bundled with the main house feed, if its there I'd think it probably is in the same place as my photos above show it. Again though, just guessing and my bet would be on 'no' from what I've gathered from the different threads.

YES! MY 2016 242 limited E-series has this sense wire....i will be fixing this problem this weekend.

 

[Weeb]

The Aux Batt Wire (Red Arrow) was inside the split loom tubing above the DVSR and switches. Instead of going into the switches and being connected to the house switch, it was run from one piece of tubing to the other and spliced into the + cable that runs directly to the house battery about half way between the switch and battery (Green Line). So I snipped the Aux Battery wire, added a short section onto it with a ring terminal, and connected it directly to the start battery. ***Please ignore the splice connector I used. It will be removed this afternoon and it will be soldered and wrapped correctly. I was in a hurry to beat the rain and just wanted to make sure it worked before making it permanent.***

While out for the afternoon yesterday, I kept a close eye on the screen while in float mode. The Aux voltage showed a consistent 12.7v all day and the system side started the day at about 12.8v and was reading 12.1v after running the stereo for about 5 hours. So in my mind that's a WIN for fixing the voltage reading.

Now I need to call the dealer to address why my boat has 2 marine starting batteries in it instead of 1 starting and 1 deep cycle or DP. I may take the advice of another member (don't remember who or I would give them credit), and replace both batteries with AGM deep cycles since these motors need so little amperage to start.

View attachment 80677

Thanks for the info. I didnt see the wire on mine when I did a quick look after reading this. I thought all marine batteries were deep cycle, their not?

 

[F.M.]

Marine batteries are either starting, deep cycle or dual purpose.

Marine starting batteries will function to run electronics but won't last nearly as long per charge as a deep cycle will. They have very thin plates designed to put out higher amperage over a short period of time. If you have lots of electronics (GPS, fishfinder, trolling motor, or an overabundance of amplifiers/speakers) you should have a dedicated deep cycle battery to run them. If you're only running minimal electronics or don't have the room for multiple batteries a dual purpose will do the combined jobs of both fairly well.

 

[Pullen724]

@Chief Did you happen to take any pics of your wires? Ive got a 2016 242 LS but not the E-series. Trying to figure out if mine is same as yours....

 

[Jameson Clark]

Just got mine done as well! Big thanks to @ttzz for finding that sense wire to make this so easy! One other thing, I'm glad I went to do mine because the way Yamaha had the wires routed, the were getting cut into anyway and needed to be re-routed.

 

[Weeb]

Marine batteries are either starting, deep cycle or dual purpose.

Marine starting batteries will function to run electronics but won't last nearly as long per charge as a deep cycle will. They have very thin plates designed to put out higher amperage over a short period of time. If you have lots of electronics (GPS, fishfinder, trolling motor, or an overabundance of amplifiers/speakers) you should have a dedicated deep cycle battery to run them. If you're only running minimal electronics or don't have the room for multiple batteries a dual purpose will do the combined jobs of both fairly well.

Thanks for the info I’m going to have to check the batteries I saw marine on them and took it for granted they were deep cycle.

 

[MidnightRider]

Just got mine done as well! Big thanks to @ttzz for finding that sense wire to make this so easy! One other thing, I'm glad I went to do mine because the way Yamaha had the wires routed, the were getting cut into anyway and needed to be re-routed.

Glad you found it and got it done, but I have to forward credit to @Asok as his mention of the mis-wired sense wire got me looking for it. His findings and success are buried in another thread somewhere on this forum.

 

[Chief]

@Chief Did you happen to take any pics of your wires? Ive got a 2016 242 LS but not the E-series. Trying to figure out if mine is same as yours....

Ill see my boat this weekend and get pics.....fyi, the red sense wire doesnt go to the battery terminal on mine, it is spliced into the main battery cable about 4 to 6 inches before the battery post.

 

[Chief]

Ill see my boat this weekend and get pics.....fyi, the red sense wire doesnt go to the battery terminal on mine, it is spliced into the main battery cable about 4 to 6 inches before the battery post.

 

[Chief]

Its that little skinny red wire on the upper left side of the picture...the wire actually has "Aux Batt" printed on it....just cut it and run it over to the start battery.

 

[gmtech16450yz]

I'm happy to see this is still working for you guys! I knew I posted it but I had a hard time finding the original post myself! I should have been smart like Mainah and actually made a new thread with a title that makes sense like this one! Here's the original...

https://jetboaters.net/threads/rpm-big-difference-twin-engines.5586/page-2#post-267388


Next was figuring out why the Connext display wasn't reading both batteries. I had an idea of how they would wire the display, I expected they took one of the voltages internally and the other had to come in by a separate sense wire. I found a small gauge red wire hooked to the battery isolators and disconnected it. YES! One of the voltages stopped reading. It was hooked to the same battery as the display itself was hooked to, the house battery. Idiots! I hooked that sense wire to the starter battery and guess what? The Connext display now reads both batteries. Amazing. haha. Not really. Just another example of the shoddy workmanship at the dealer prep level and also the boat assembly level. Pretty disappointing.

So if your Connext display doesn't read both batteries, simply move the little red wire from the house battery to the starter battery.

The Connext display will read the house battery as "System" since that's what it's getting it's power from. The starter battery will be the "Auxiliary" battery voltage."

 

[swatski]

Marine batteries are either starting, deep cycle or dual purpose.

Marine starting batteries will function to run electronics but won't last nearly as long per charge as a deep cycle will. They have very thin plates designed to put out higher amperage over a short period of time. If you have lots of electronics (GPS, fishfinder, trolling motor, or an overabundance of amplifiers/speakers) you should have a dedicated deep cycle battery to run them. If you're only running minimal electronics or don't have the room for multiple batteries a dual purpose will do the combined jobs of both fairly well.

Definitely true. However these engines can easily use deep cycle for starting. My next setup will be two deep cycle AGMs, when the time comes to replace my current batteries. Hopefully in a few years.

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