Merc SC1000 LCDs blank?

[M1SF1T]

I just powered up my boat to record engine hours before I bring it in for service. I haven't ran the boat in a few months. Both Merc SC1000 gauge LCDs are lit, but blank. They show brief flashes of indication, but then blank out.

No issues with them all last year. I find it strange both LCDs have failed simultaneously...

Boat is stored in a covered but unheated car port with battery tender... Could it be a temperature thing? It's maybe 5°C here today...

Any suggestions?

 

[Corey_lax]

F'ing boats. Always a new thing. Your engines aren't running in that photo. Did you actually start the motors? I can't remember if mine would show information when the motors aren't running.

 

[M1SF1T]

F'ing boats. Always a new thing. Your engines aren't running in that photo. Did you actually start the motors? I can't remember if mine would show information when the motors aren't running.

No, they aren't running. LCD displays as soon as you click the key over, engines don't have to run...

I ran a little electric heater in the console for a while and that brought back the port gauge, flipped the leads and was able to get hours off both engines... maybe just cold or a bit of moisture or something... Hopefully the starboard gauge comes back!

 

[M1SF1T]

Like really you'd think these things were better rated for a bit of moisture and cold given the environment they are designed to operate in...

anyway... another reason to look at installing a Vesselview link and send the info to my MFD...

 

[Sailfish25]

Did you take your cowling off either engine recently? With my old Mercs I had to be careful to tuck the wiring harness carefully out of the way before putting the cowling back on or else gauges would sometimes do funny things.

One time I had a very similar situation - somehow the Contrast on the SmartCraft LCD screen was down all the way and couldn’t see anything on them - had to follow the user manual to hit the right sequence of buttons to get me to the contrast adjustment menu and that fixed it (of course this was done “blind”)

 

[M1SF1T]

Did you take your cowling off either engine recently? With my old Mercs I had to be careful to tuck the wiring harness carefully out of the way before putting the cowling back on or else gauges would sometimes do funny things.

One time I had a very similar situation - somehow the Contrast on the SmartCraft LCD screen was down all the way and couldn’t see anything on them - had to follow the user manual to hit the right sequence of buttons to get me to the contrast adjustment menu and that fixed it (of course this was done “blind”)

Hey.
Haven't had cowling off recently... and they seem to both feed the one I got working... I'll read up on the contrast thing, that's a good thought...

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

maybe your battery voltage is too low for the engine computer to turn on..?