Zero Off trouble shooting Help

[mwfillmore]

Hey all I have a 2012 pcm with 2012 zero off rev R. It is giving me a “can link error”. It’s a dual puck system and one of the pucks has failed as well as the error J1939 txfail.

 

can anyone tell me how to check the can connection?

 

Symptoms are that it beeps and times the slalom course but is not controlling the speed.

In RPM mode it reads 0

 

 

THANKS!

 

 

[skier2788]

@mwfillmore that code is for the can bus signal. The line ZO head unit and ECM talk to each other on. Check the 8 wire plug at the rear of your engine. I have seen a few pin wiring issues at the ecm connecter itself. I would disconnect the battery and unplug then plug them back in. See if it solves your issue. While you have them off make sure nine of the terminals are bent or pushed back in the connecter.

[mwfillmore]

Thanks @skier2788

Just checked those. Unfortunately all of them look good.

[skier2788]

@mwfillmore have diacom software? Will it connect? Linc system or analog with a zoo head unit?

[Kelvin]

Here’s our response from ZO Tech Support:

 

The next time you have the boat out make sure it’s getting engine data….Watch the engine RPM to see if you lose it on the ZeroOff display.

If you lose engine RPM this is your speed control issue….To fix, check the CAN wires and connections to ZeroOff head unit thru the harness to the engine ECM.

 

[mwfillmore]

@kelvin I checked the wires. And it does not register rpm’s... all the connections look great. I guess I need to poke thru each wire to check continuity between each connection

[Kelvin]

Sounds like it. I haven't had a chance to really trouble shoot mine yet. For my boat, the problem is intermittant.

[mwfillmore]

@kelvin Mine started acting up a few passes and then just went caputt with no speed control... still beeps and times appropriately but doesn’t actually control the speed

[Bongo]

Uggghhh. I just spent a lot of hours with a very similar issue on a 2014 Carbon Pro with PCM. I did finally figure out the bad connections.

 

In general, I found there are five wires that matter. 1. Constant power (usually red), 2. switch power (purple @ least most of the time), 3. neutral (black), 4. CAN-bus hi and 5. CAN-bus lo.

 

The CAN-bus hi and CAN-bus lo seemingly changed wire colors at every connection. The signal for basically all gauges and controls run off this pair. The high side should be between 2.5V and 3.5V, while the low side should be between 2.5V and 1.5V. They transmit signals opposite each other, which I assume is a basic quality check. If either or both are very close to 2.5V DC, there's no signal (in my case, 2.44V). I used a simple multimeter set to 20V DC. I ground black from the multimeter to the ground at a connection, and then connected the red from the multimeter to the pin for the CAN-bus hi and CAN-bus low to get my readings.

 

I'd suggest starting at the back of the ZO gauge. And start by connecting / disconnecting the ZO pucks, each and then both. See how the voltage changes, if it does. Then start tracing the CAN-bus hi and CAN-bus lo wires back toward the engine.

 

With help from the ZO folks, RPM mode and Diagnostic mode are your two best friends. In my case, I had no RPM - and they convinced me that until I got that back I should keep looking. The diagnostics gave me two different errors; almost always GPS1_fail, but sometimes also J1938_txfail. (J1939 is the specific data protocol on the CAN-bus.) The GPS1_fail was a red herring for me.

 

In my case, there was a pin from the main CAN-bus connection at the point where it connected to the wiring harness that distributed the signals to each of the gauges that had pulled partially out. Really wedged up under the dash, so I don't know how it got dislodged. And, I expect, in my troubleshooting I disconnected a connector between the ZO side and the rest of the gauges and ECM, which was my second problem.

 

Good Luck. My final suggestion is slow and methodical. It'll likely be better than where I started, which was to try and be quick and jump to conclusions. That lead to a lot of incorrect conclusions and me chasing parts.

 

Bongo

 

 

[ski6jones]

@mwfillmore mine was doing exactly that after I was under the dash one time. Upon tracing from the head unit back.to the engine I found one of the ZO harness connectors wasn't fully connected. Fixed that and all was well. Check continuity like you suggested. I bet you'll find your problem.

[mwfillmore]

Thanks @Bongo

[mwfillmore]

@Bongo you were spot on. Traced it back from the head unit found the triangle connector with blue white, blue purple and red white must have had a bad connection. Let me know if you’re ever driving through east TN.

 

Or let me know where to ship some beer!

 

 

Thanks @ski6jones @skier2788 @Kelvin

 

You guys rock

[Wakebird]

Hey guy, you might be able to help me out here!

 

Ive got a 2011 wakecraft ZR6 with a 343 PCM engine. my ZO doesnt control the boats speed, and doesnt read the RPM's just like you discribed...

 

So i thought there must be a bad connection in the can wire, but the strange thing is that the diagnostics page on the ZO unit has got 0 faults, and when i check the wires they have a good connection from the rear of the ZO unit till the 8 pin block thats connects into the boats harnas. (checked it with a buzzer on my multimeter, had perfect connection beginning to end).

 

When i disconnect the blue/purple canbus wire it gives me J1938_txfail fault code. The code goes away when i plug it back in. When i unplug the blue/white canbus wire, and leave the blue/purple one connected it doesent give me any faults.

 

Any thoughts?? Im at a dead end here =/

 

Thanks!

[skiinxs]

Try disconnecting all of the connectors and take a high resolution photo of the pins. Blow up the picture and make sure all of the pins are exactly the same height. I have seen quite a few issues during the 2010 to 2013 model years where the pins were not fully inserted in the connectors. They initially work fine, but over the years they start having an intermittent connection. In each instance identifying the pin that was not fully inserted and getting it fully inserted until the retainer clicks in has resolved the problem.

[Wakebird]

I have thought about installing two new can wires from the main boats harnas to the plug on the back of the ZO unit to make sure there cant be any faults in any plugs possible. I will be useing braided canbus wire. Any thoughts on that idea?