# NMEA 2000 to Simrad Issues



## Frank Ucci (Jan 20, 2019)

1) Check that there is no corrosion on the NMEA 2000 plug where it attaches to the back of your GPS. You might put a little dielectric grease on there while you're at it. 2) Check that the "end" caps on the network wiring are attached properly. 3) Check the circuit breaker panel to be sure that the power and ground feeding the network are tightly secured. 4) Remove the engine cowling and check the plug which ties the outboard into the network for corrosion and security.5) Check for damaged/pinched wiring along the cable run.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Where does your unit get is power? From a power block, or straight from the battery?

Check to make sure your power cable is actually supplying voltage to the backbone. It must have power - if it was spotty and now not working, it could not have clean power. Start at the source - it needs a good connection at the engine, and then power.

Also, isolate it - run the shortest cable to your Simrad and go directly to the battery for power to eliminate any T-connector or back bone cable issues.


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## ReelFisher (Mar 14, 2017)

I did confirm the plugs are clean with no corrosion, connectors are all tight, and everything under the cowl looks good. The network is powered through a power block so I'll need to dig into that and see if the connection there is the problem. The power block is in the back of my console and requires some serious skiff yoga to get to....yay


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## GitFishin (May 10, 2019)

If I had other devices on my N2K network I'd look there first. If they're operating properly then your network is powered, properly terminated, etc. If those other devices (e.g. Power Poles) are connected to your Simrad via N2K then that also tells you your Simrad is properly connected. Then it would be down to the NMEA cable to the motor (I'd reseat both ends with a little dielectric grease as Frank said). If that didn't work I'd try to get another cable and run it directly from the motor to the Simrad and see if you're getting data that way. If all that's good then it just about down to the motor's NMEA cable.


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## SkiffaDeeDooDah (Jan 20, 2020)

ReelFisher said:


> Over the last 6 months or so I've been having issues with engine info (rpm, water temp, etc.) showing up on my Simrad. It started out as a sporadic issue that could be fixed by cycling the battery switch and now doesn't work at all. It appears the Simrad is not getting any engine data. I recently had a new console put on my boat and was thinking that would solve the issue if it was a loose connector. Worked well the first couple weeks after I got the boat back, but now I get nothing. I've been all over the wiring and there aren't any physical issues or loose connections that I can see.
> 
> Question is how do I go about troubleshooting if the NMEA backbone has gone bad or am I out of my league without a proper diagnostic tool?


All good suggestions here. I have a 2020 Suzuki 90 as well. Just curious, but do you have a lithium ion battery as your house/starting battery? I did and had same types of problems with my Lowrance GPS. Turns out the Suzuki alternator doesn't play well with lithium ion batteries - causes spikes in voltage and a lot of RF noise.


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## GitFishin (May 10, 2019)

SkiffaDeeDooDah said:


> All good suggestions here. I have a 2020 Suzuki 90 as well. Just curious, but do you have a lithium ion battery as your house/starting battery? I did and had same types of problems with my Lowrance GPS. Turns out the Suzuki alternator doesn't play well with lithium ion batteries - causes spikes in voltage and a lot of RF noise.


That's a great comment. Intermittent power blips are tough to run down.


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## matt_baker_designs (Nov 27, 2012)

Could possibly be the unit itself. My Simrad Evo3 starting shutting down randomly, and it progressively got worse, so I sent it in for warranty work. It was indeed faulty, and still in the two year warranty window, so they are sending me a new unit.


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## ReelFisher (Mar 14, 2017)

GitFishin said:


> That's a great comment. Intermittent power blips are tough to run down.


I am running a standard AGM battery. But I'll reseat both ends again with dielectric grease this time. Sounds like I'll need to track down a spare NMEA cable if the network shows it is getting power. I'll have to see later this week when I have time to mess with it. 


matt_baker_designs said:


> Could possibly be the unit itself. My Simrad Evo3 starting shutting down randomly, and it progressively got worse, so I sent it in for warranty work. It was indeed faulty, and still in the two year warranty window, so they are sending me a new unit.


Mine randomly reset itself a couple years ago, but other than that no issues in 4.5 years so I don't think it is likely. Of course it is also way out of warranty.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

I run an AGM and do not have any issues.

@ReelFisher - if possible, get another power cable and run straight to your battery and use a short cable to run directly to your unit. Or unhook from my power block and go directly to the battery. Bypass all other connections and see if that works. I did this before installing mine to make sure everything worked before running and hiding the cables.


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## mt hwy (Mar 18, 2021)

I just skimmed through this thread, but I may have had a similar issue. I installed a new tach/multi function gauge for my Etec (Icon gauge). It was supposed to pick up engine info from the NMEA backbone. Was driving me crazy trying to figure out why it wouldn't work. I finally tried replacing the T connection on the NMEA backbone where the gauge cable tied in - it worked. The actual tee was bad, approx 10 year old part, I had it apart several times, cleaned, lubed, etc, but it was just bad. If I ever take the time I should replace the entire backbone with new quality NMEA connectors


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