Lowrance X-4 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

salty pirate · 02-19-2014, 01:39 PM

I hade the same unit and never had a problem. I mean it got rolled in the surf and completely soaked and the only time it had a problem was when the battery got low.
I would guess its a wiring issue since you say it works fine sometimes. def get a pic of it when it happens. and reset to default as mentioned above.
Also the lines up and down could be interference from another ff on the same freq.

Eli

FISH11 · 02-19-2014, 02:01 PM

I agree with ALANW try adding a little water to the inside of the kayak (like just enough to 1/2 way cover the transducer) if works than it means it should be remounted because of air bubbles or larger gap. If it still not right than it's the connections at the back of the unit. Check for corrosion on the connector or the pins. If there is some clean it off and apply di-electric grease to both. Good luck.

alanw · 02-19-2014, 03:28 PM

Don't forget the battery too, make sure it's holding at around 12v

bosshoss · 02-19-2014, 04:46 PM

Ok my turn...lol

My elite 4 dsi is giving me false depth readings. I blinks 60 feet at all times. Other than the bogus depths the ff seems to work fine.

I have tried all the same trouble shooting stuff you guys are recommending above. Reset factory settings, manual modes, clean terminals and pins , all the obvious stuff..

I have noticed my battery always reads 13 volts when I meter it. 13 volts before fishing , after fishing, after charging, 13 volts all the time.

Maybe a funky battery ? Any ideas anyone ? Any help would sure be appreciated. Getting tired of buggin my fishing buddy asking what our depth is all day...lol

salty pirate · 02-19-2014, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bosshoss

Ok my turn...lol

My elite 4 dsi is giving me false depth readings. I blinks 60 feet at all times. Other than the bogus depths the ff seems to work fine.

I have tried all the same trouble shooting stuff you guys are recommending above. Reset factory settings, manual modes, clean terminals and pins , all the obvious stuff..

I have noticed my battery always reads 13 volts when I meter it. 13 volts before fishing , after fishing, after charging, 13 volts all the time.

Maybe a funky battery ? Any ideas anyone ? Any help would sure be appreciated. Getting tired of buggin my fishing buddy asking what our depth is all day...lol

what kind/size is the battery? the ff can handle from 18-10 volts. The fact that the voltage don't drop throughout the day makes me suspicious of the wiring. You say you cleaned terminals and pins, was there any signs of electrolysis/corrosion? what are your exact settings on the ff? on mine the depth blinks when the depth alarm is set or am at a greater depth then is set on the ff.

test the battery with a volt meter.

FISH11 · 02-19-2014, 05:53 PM

The depth could be the setting is manually set to limit at 60. I find it's best to set it to auto. The battery voltage when fully charged is over 13v and if the only thing connected to the battery is the fish finder and you don't have the back light turned on it could just be that in one day of use the unit has hardly used up any voltage. It should drop a portion of a volt but might be as little as .5 of a volt.

bosshoss · 02-19-2014, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty pirate

what kind/size is the battery? the ff can handle from 18-10 volts. The fact that the voltage don't drop throughout the day makes me suspicious of the wiring. You say you cleaned terminals and pins, was there any signs of electrolysis/corrosion? what are your exact settings on the ff? on mine the depth blinks when the depth alarm is set or am at a greater depth then is set on the ff.

test the battery with a volt meter.

The battery is made by Gruber Power and is rated at 12 volt-10.5 amphour.
I have tested the battery with a digital multi-meter which is how I know it always reads 13 volts...Yes there were signs of electrolysis on the 2 male prongs going into battery box. Sanded them clean and no difference on the depth readings. 13 volts on battery, and 13 volts coming out of the battery box connector.

Also checked to make sure I don't have the depth alarm set...

janines.fishtales@cox.net · 02-19-2014, 07:09 PM

Thank you all for the advice. I will pass it on to CJ at OEX. He does all my work for me.

Janine

salty pirate · 02-19-2014, 07:18 PM

The 10.5ah should be plenty and would not expect a large voltage drop from that unit. that said I would expect some sort of volt drop after even an hour of use, at least a tenth of a volt.
Are you getting exactly 13 volt every time you test?
I have not seen the elite 4 dsi. does it have two plugs one power, one transducer?
if you can replace the power supply, or at least strip back some of the wire and see how deep the electrolysis went. ill bet the whole wire is f'ed up.

02-19-2014, 03:28 PM	#3
alanw Made in U.S.A. Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dana Point Posts: 1,625	Don't forget the battery too, make sure it's holding at around 12v __________________ Hobie PA 14 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Jackson Kraken ¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu X-Factor ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Malibu Stealth-12 ¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸><(((º> Its not a spelling B its a fishing B ~yakjoe

02-19-2014, 07:09 PM	#8
janines.fishtales@cox.net Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 555	As always... Thank you all for the advice. I will pass it on to CJ at OEX. He does all my work for me. Janine __________________ Fishtales

02-19-2014, 01:39 PM	#1
salty pirate Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: where the hell is Temecula Posts: 268	I hade the same unit and never had a problem. I mean it got rolled in the surf and completely soaked and the only time it had a problem was when the battery got low. I would guess its a wiring issue since you say it works fine sometimes. def get a pic of it when it happens. and reset to default as mentioned above. Also the lines up and down could be interference from another ff on the same freq. Eli

02-19-2014, 02:01 PM	#2
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,643	I agree with ALANW try adding a little water to the inside of the kayak (like just enough to 1/2 way cover the transducer) if works than it means it should be remounted because of air bubbles or larger gap. If it still not right than it's the connections at the back of the unit. Check for corrosion on the connector or the pins. If there is some clean it off and apply di-electric grease to both. Good luck.

02-19-2014, 04:46 PM	#4
bosshoss Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Santee Posts: 197	Ok my turn...lol My elite 4 dsi is giving me false depth readings. I blinks 60 feet at all times. Other than the bogus depths the ff seems to work fine. I have tried all the same trouble shooting stuff you guys are recommending above. Reset factory settings, manual modes, clean terminals and pins , all the obvious stuff.. I have noticed my battery always reads 13 volts when I meter it. 13 volts before fishing , after fishing, after charging, 13 volts all the time. Maybe a funky battery ? Any ideas anyone ? Any help would sure be appreciated. Getting tired of buggin my fishing buddy asking what our depth is all day...lol

02-19-2014, 05:53 PM	#6
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,643	The depth could be the setting is manually set to limit at 60. I find it's best to set it to auto. The battery voltage when fully charged is over 13v and if the only thing connected to the battery is the fish finder and you don't have the back light turned on it could just be that in one day of use the unit has hardly used up any voltage. It should drop a portion of a volt but might be as little as .5 of a volt.

02-19-2014, 07:18 PM	#9
salty pirate Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: where the hell is Temecula Posts: 268	The 10.5ah should be plenty and would not expect a large voltage drop from that unit. that said I would expect some sort of volt drop after even an hour of use, at least a tenth of a volt. Are you getting exactly 13 volt every time you test? I have not seen the elite 4 dsi. does it have two plugs one power, one transducer? if you can replace the power supply, or at least strip back some of the wire and see how deep the electrolysis went. ill bet the whole wire is f'ed up.