Depth Finder Problem

[D. David]

I made the mistake of taking the unit apart when winterizing. I unscrewed the unit from the base that is epoxed on the bottom of the boat. I guess it was a good thing there was some water in the base. Only problem now the unit gives crazy readings. None of them accurate. The boat is an 03 Supra SSV. The manual doesn't say anything about this. It seems to only screw in place at one spot. There are numbers and markings all around the base that would seem to have something to do with setting the unit up. Any Ideas? Thanks in advance.

[boarditup]

The reason for the erratic readings is the lack of contact with the water. You now are trying to transmit through an air bubble. The liquid was probably a glycol solution. Try to replace it with RV anti-freeze.

[89 skier]

Hopefully it's was boarditup stated because I've heard from Nauty that those depth finders tend to crap out a lot. He just bought an '04 Supra and has been through several of them under warranty.

[Nauty]

It sounds like Boarditup has it. The transducer cannot have any air between it and the hull or it will give false readings. If it was working fine before, this is probably the cause of your problems. I've found that depth finders don't usually go bad. If they are bad, they are usually bad right from the start.

Another cause may be a bad connection between the transducer and the digital display unit. You may check the quick connector between the two.

[McFly]

We actually fill the depth finder puck with Baby Oil. That should do the trick! A common problem can be the puck unsealing itself from the floor of the boat, and the oil leaking out, thus causing incorrect readings.

Thanks!

McFly
Waterski Boats Dallas

[D. David]

Thanks to you all! That's what it is. What I thought was oily dirty water was the gylcol solution boarditup was talking about. I did not realize it was supposed to be in there.

Marty thanks for the Baby Oil idea, we'll have some of that around the house.