Smart Craft "Critical Fault" What is THIS???

[RichardS]

HERE is what flashed up at me with a loud audible alarm to accompany it just as we were finishing up a little ride today and heading in.

It was an uneventful ride, everything SEEMED normal, than THIS.

After a minute or so of this nightmare, the alarm stopped, and the fault went away, although as you can see it's stored in memory.

I have looked up codes and all the ones I found were much more definitive than this one. What the heck does it mean anyway?

And how worried should I be?

I can't go back out again until tomorrow to run the boat, but after the alarm stopped and the fault stopped displaying we got to our slip with no issues. All temps and pressures were normal by the way. So what is this??

Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts you may have!

 

[Bmcilmail]

Your unit is more advanced than mine but I suspect that the smart craft system lost communication with your engine(s). Did it place your engines into guardian mode? (Aka 1500 rpm max) I've had a similar problem on my older smart craft system. After detaching (and inspecting) and then reattaching all of the smart craft wiring connections from the motor back to the dash the problem was fixed.

 

[paulswagelock]

Without much data, I say your exhaust temps hit a critical high level putting you into full guardian mode. Once everything cooled down the alarm cleared and the beep stopped. Did you just come down from a 4000 rpm run or so?

same boat and engine, had that problem last year.

 

[RichardS]

I should have give you guys more info. I had gone out for a short ride that included a 10 minute ride at idle speed to the bay. Then a couple minutes at cruise speed, then idling around the lagoons on the other side of the bridge we go under from our causeway. All normal, then we decided to go home and I went to WOT towards the bridge we pass under before turning onto our causeway. I felt like I wasn't getting as much power as I should but then the bridge was in front of me and I had to slow down anyway. We went under the bridge, onto the causeway and after cranking up the throttle for about 30 seconds towards the spot where we have to revert to idle speed as we enter the lagoons, the alarm started sounding and the message flashed "System Fault". I slowed down and started worrying, the alarm blasting in my ear. About a minute later the audible stopped and the message disappeared and everything seemed to go back to normal.

As I said, the fault did get stored in memory.

But it doesn't give ANY details as to what it really means, and until tomorrow, I can't say whether everything is ok. Im hoping to get some reassurance in the meantime everything IS ok.

Edited to add: I was never put in Guardian Mode, at least there was no sign of it.

 

[paulswagelock]

The continuous beep is telling you that guardian is activated.
based on your description, I say exhaust temp overheat.
turn your smartcraft gauge to water pressure and note the pressures. I am betting you will find your high rpm water pressure is only in the 6-7 psi range. Should be 13 psi or so above 2500 rpm.

 

[RichardS]

The continuous beep is telling you that guardian is activated.
based on your description, I say exhaust temp overheat.
turn your smartcraft gauge to water pressure and note the pressures. I am betting you will find your high rpm water pressure is only in the 6-7 psi range. Should be 13 psi or so above 2500 rpm.

I can't tell you what the high rpm water pressure is, but I can tell you at idle, which is what I checked back ay my dock, was a steady 8 psi.

 

[RichardS]

The continuous beep is telling you that guardian is activated.
based on your description, I say exhaust temp overheat.
turn your smartcraft gauge to water pressure and note the pressures. I am betting you will find your high rpm water pressure is only in the 6-7 psi range. Should be 13 psi or so above 2500 rpm.

Because of this G#%#D€£¥M weather I haven't been able to take out the boat AT ALL to further check out this situation. And so I am losing sleep over it. So any other thoughts on this issue guys? Any ideas? I'll even take wild guesses!! What about the water pressure at idea being 8psi? Is that high enough to be comfortable or is that number worrisome? I won't be able to get a reading at WOT or even cruise speed until this horrendous weather clears up. And today, after a terribly rainy and cold week, it's rainier and colder than ever!! So, in the meantime, if any of you guys have ANY thoughts on the matter, I'd appreciate hearing them!
thanks fellas....this weather and this issue have me pulling what little is left of my hair out!

 

[paulswagelock]

If you are at 8psi at idle, that actually sounds too high. It would be helpful to have the pressures across the RPM band. You might have sufficient pump ability, but a restriction limiting pushing the water through the system.
I had the same error last year when i was overheating the manifold temp sensors from low flow. Solid warning beep, Guardian limited RPM.

Do you have an IR gun to measure temps?

Could be restricted exchanger limiting flow causing high pressure.

I am sure there are other possible causes, but I am relating my experience with the same motor, same alarm.

 

[Bt Doctur]

I see it going to be time to be installing resistors to by-pass these features. Just as easy to replace the impellers and just watch the temp gauge. Way too much electronics and sensors in today`s boats.

 

[RichardS]

If you are at 8psi at idle, that actually sounds too high. It would be helpful to have the pressures across the RPM band. You might have sufficient pump ability, but a restriction limiting pushing the water through the system.
I had the same error last year when i was overheating the manifold temp sensors from low flow. Solid warning beep, Guardian limited RPM.

Do you have an IR gun to measure temps?

Could be restricted exchanger limiting flow causing high pressure.

I am sure there are other possible causes, but I am relating my experience with the same motor, same alarm.

ANOTHER "bad day" on the water, but MAYBE I have discovered the problem......

Read on........

I deeply appreciate your feedback, and I would have thought exactly the same thing, but with the manifolds and risers being recently done, and yes, I do have an IR gun, but foolishly did NOT bring it with me today, and went by feel. But both risers got only "warm".....not hot enough that I couldn't grab each side bare-handed and hold on without any chance of getting burned whatsoever. Surely if there was a blockage I wouldn't be able to do that, right?

Anyway..........went out for a ride to see if the problem would raise it's ugly head again.

The bay was choppy and I was pleased that the boat cut through with a fairly speedy, dry ride.

All went well, I reached speeds of about 42-43 mph on the GPS, and after a couple runs up and down the channel that cuts across to LBI and the LEI, I brought her about to go home and cut across the bay towards "my" bridge. (The one I have to go under to go up Willis Creek and onward to my lagoon.) We were ok until we approached the bridge and darned if that alarm didn't go off AGAIN, almost right at the same spot as last time, as I slowed down to go under the bridge.

The difference THIS time was it also through me into Guardian Mode and it stayed in that limp mode for about 2-3 minutes, and then cleared and allowed me to run up Willis Creek at WOT, hitting around 40mph before I had to slow down again for the no-wake zone we have as we enter the residential area. I went back to my house, docked the boat, and went inside to "study".

By the time I went out to give it another run I knew what to look for.....where the icon specific to whatever was triggering the engine fault would be highlighted. I wasn't aware you have to catch it while it's "lit", since once the problem clears, the icon goes from red back to black.

Sure enough, as I returned from another seemingly normal ride, as I entered the no-wake zone and brought my speed down, the alarm went off and I was back in Guardian Mode. But I knew what to look for and it turned out to be the "Anchor" icon. I took note of it and sure enough, a couple minutes later it resolved itself. But the "System Fault" message it gave me was the same as every other time, "Engine Message Data Fault".

An "Anchor" icon means, according to the Northstar manual, "the boat moves more than the alarm trigger value".

No, I don't know. Do you????

I remembered that nothing like this happened during the survey sea-trial, or the sea-trial by the techs after the work was done, or the final sea-trial by the Brokerage owner and myself, where we took a lengthier, higher speed ride than anything I have done since.

And I remembered that when I got the boat home and took it for that first ride after delivery, I had no issues.

But once I got the boat home, I started messing around with settings on the Northstar 550, and it wasn't as intuitive as the Garmins I have had before, and MUCH prefer to any other brands I've tried, especially this obsolete Northstar. I didn't read the manuals I found later, I just went in and started turning things on! I have no doubt that while I don't remember what was already on and what wasn't, I certainly turned on a lot of stuff, as I do remember wondering for a brief moment why so many things that could be monitored weren't be utilized. Now maybe I know! LOL!

So here is what I did. After due consideration, I went into the config mode of the chartplotter and de-activated every alarm that I couldn't clearly understand and see a real and present need to have active.

After de-activating these alarms, the icon for each alarm, including the Anchor icon, disappeared from the area of the chartplotter that displays the alarm icons. I have to think if the alarm isn't turned on the system doesn't know it exists anymore, so even if it would have been tripped, it can't anymore, so whatever that reason was for triggering Guardian Mode will no longer trip that mode, even if the same condition persists.

It's my hope by doing this, that whatever was triggering that "System Fault" will now be removed from the system, and will result in no more "Engine Message Data Fault" errors.

I sure wish I could have put it to the test by taking the boat back out for another run, but we had to head home for family matters as soon as I was done with the new settings on the chartplotter.

It will be a few days, at least, until I can go back and take the boat out and see what happens. But while I could have simply waited and told this story in it's entirety, I thought you guys might like a chance to weigh in on what I have for you so far.

Maybe we should form a pool here!

Who thinks I have discovered the problem and effected a solution?

Who thinks I am grasping at straws and I will continue to get the System Fault with a different icon lit next time, or maybe no icon lit at all?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!