Help with my Lowrance?

[split172]

The past few trips when I hit a wake my LMS-520 on my dash just loses power. This is driving me nuts! I have to power it back on then blamo, it happens again! The connection on the back of the unit is tight, no play!

Anyone else ever have this happen?? Any help appreciated.

[DPetty]

Check all your connections, from the battery to the unit, fuse holders everything.

[DaHawg]

You also have a 5 amp fuse inside the unit which may be loose. If all else fails, you may want to check it out.

[kopper_bass]

Split,
That's refreshing to know (in a weird way), cause mine does the exactly the same thing. i have checked all connections and they are tight. it doesnt always happen, but many, many times.

Not sure why.

Kopper

[bbass]

mine does the same thing when i hit a short little choppy wake that slaps in the belly of the boat.
what gives??

[split172]

Thanks for all the quick replies. About the fuse in the unit, where is it located? Will I void any warranties by goin into it? It sucks seeing all the people with the same problem, It kinda feels good though I am not alone

[DaHawg]

There are about a 8-12 screws (tiny) which require a small star head driver. It is on the lower portion, just above the cable plug-ins. A little difficult to see at first if you dont take the cover completely off. As for the warranty end, I do not know if it will void it in any way. Mine wont quit blowing that fuse and I haven't been able to locate the source of the problem.

[DanIsaac]

Yes, you take it apart, and the warranty will be voided in most cases.


Dan

[Dynastyworms]

it cuz your a black cat! Meow!!

[Marc]

Whoa...don't take your unit apart. This really should not be a hard problem to resolve. 99% of the time when this problem occurs it can be traced to a problem outside of your unit.

Your unit needs a steady supply of power. If it gets weak power, or intermittent power, it is designed to shut off.

Make sure the power connection on the back of the unit is clean with no dirt or corrosion (this is rarely a problem), then trace the power wire all the way to the battery. If your unit was wired to a power bus under the dash, there will probably be a fuse wired in line there. If it is one of the older version fuse holders (white plastic two piece fuse holder spliced in the red wire) that utilizes a spring inside (like the springs in a ball point pen), this could easily be the problem. These springs get compressed with time from not properly securing the wire to the bulkhead...the swinging wire from rough water causes the spring to get weak and compress. When this happens the fuse doesn't make contact with the wires, and you lose power momentarily. Fix this temporarily by stretching the spring so it pushes the fuse to the contact. When you can replace this fuse holder with a blade style. This is very likely your problem.

Next continue to look at any wire connection all the way back to the battery. Usually the fuse holder for the Lowrance unit is positioned next to the battery, so look here for a fuse holder. Make sure its spring is making contact, and make sure any splices or wire connections aren't worn or frayed.

Pull the battery terminal off and clean the contact even if it looks good.

If you still have the problem, I would suspect the battery has a problem. Many don't realize that starting batteries sometimes get a loose battery terminal that is not obvious. This can cause intermittent problems. Also the screw stud can work loose in the lead battery terminal...again not visible to the naked eye but is easy to notice when you look at the terminal and wiggle your connection. Another possibility is a short in a battery cell that only shows in rough water. Or if your battery is getting weak from age, and some other accessory switches on and draws your power down, the power to the Lowrance unit may not be strong enough to keep it powered up.

Hope this helps.

ciao,
Marc

[split172]

Thanks again, I will check it out!

[blkdog812]

all great ideas marc. ive found most problems like this are indeed battery related

[Marc]

BTW, in my above post I referenced checking for a loose battery terminal...what I mean is to check the actualy battery terminal post itself...sometimes these get loose inside the battery case. The whole terminal post can break loose from the internal battery...yet it doesn't look bad and can cause intermittent power supply. Wiggle the posts and see if they move...if they do they have a problem.

ciao,
Marc