2010 230 PME or Keypad issue?

[DAtique]

Any help on diagnosing an issue here please? Attempted to take boat out yesterday for Memorial Day and it nothing works or almost? Boat is a 2010 230 with the ZR409. Ran great last weekend and everything worked as it should.

Turn battery switch on in rear, flip toggle to on, enter code on keypad and the little light comes on.. Hit start button and nothing. Same with blower, ballast and even horn buttons. Any button I press on keypad makes a inconsistent humming/buzzing noise under dash. Pulled the cover off and its the PME box making the noise. None of the breakers were tripped. Batteries have good voltage and voltage reads good at the terminals at PME box. Not sure where the ground from PME box goes to or where to check other end of it? Not sure if this is sign of a bad keypad or bad PME box but I don't think its a bad breaker per say.

[DAtique]

Update.

Checked all grounds on ground bars under dash and everything is tight and no corrosion that I can see. Unplugged and checked the keypad and that appears to be clean also. Keypad will take the code and light up, Linc screen boots up, stereo will come on and bilge from toggle will run. Pressing ballast buttons, does nothing. Pressing the blower or horn button makes the PME box buzz and then keypad quits working and Linc screen goes off.

I haven't checked grounds on engine yet. And haven't opened the pme box yet.

[SilentSeven]

Tricky one. Sounds like all keypad functions are not operable but other non-keypad systems are? Also, sounds like the keypad is functional in some partial sense as it powers up, acks the code and appears to trigger PME functions (the buzzing).

Can you think of anything that might have changed from the time you last ran the boat to now? Did you have anything apart or change anything electrically? Did you connect a battery charger?

I seem to vaguely recall that Nautique Parts had some ability to test keypads? I might try giving them a call and see if indeed this is something they can do or if they have additional insight to the problem.

Do post your progress as I think others will benefit what the final solution turns out to be.

[DAtique]

Correct, I don't think the buzzing is correct but that only happens when certain buttons are pushed.

Nothing has changed since the last time it ran other than the main switch and toggle being switch off, loaded on trailer and then the switches turned back on to attempt to crank.

[functionoverfashion]

I just have to say it, make sure you check the connections at the battery / batteries. A slight bump can dislodge a loose cable on a battery that would otherwise work fine, and it's easy to overlook because it "looks fine" at a glance.

[DAtique]

Battery cables are tight and clean.

Could a bad cable cause these issues? Or a bad PME toggle switch?

[SilentSeven]

Did you ever try contacting Nautique Parts to ask them about keypad testing?

Here's my understanding of the keypad - PME relationship. This is specific to my 2004 model year boat...not sure how much they have changed by 2010.

The keypad is a signaling device. The PME is a relay and circuit breaker device with selected circuits controlled by the keypad. The PME has dedicated 12 volt via a ~ 10 gauge inline fused direct feed from the battery. The keypad is hot when the master switch is turned on. When the correct code is entered into the keypad, a signal is sent to the PME enabling relay functions. The PME will not operate until the keypad sees the correct code. Note: it's possible the PME 12v feed also goes thru the master switch, can't remember for sure.

The keypad/PME connection is via a 4 wire harness using a coded mechanism to communicate with the PME. When a keypad button is pushed, it signals the PME to operate that circuit. The specific relay then uses the direct PME power feed from the battery to switch on that device. If there's a short in the device, the breaker function trips. The PME unit itself is connected to the boat's wiring harness (including the keypad signals) via a large deutch plug type connection. The PME power and ground are separate connections.

So....assuming this is correct, here would be some thoughts on why all circuits are not working.

1 / The keypad pin function is fubar. PME never is authorized to switch on.
2 / There's problem with the dedicated 12v power to the PME.
3 / The PME is fubar and can no longer recognize the keypad signal

If it was my boat, here's what I would do.

First, I would test to see if the PME is sending power to a non-switched device like the audio system Enter the code and see if the tunes work. If yes, that suggests the problem is with the keypad's switching and the PME may be good. If the non-switched device doesn't power up, then I would....

1 / Disconnect and reseat the keypad connection to the harness. Shoot some contact enhancer into the connection. Inspect the keypad for signs of water damage or corrosion.
2 / Verify the 12 v direct battery feed to the PME is working. Replace the fuse, look for corrosion, verify the lug is tight on the battery.
3 / Pull the PME unit. Inspect the 12v feed and ground line. Test the 12v battery feed to make sure it's hot. Verity the ground circuit. Undo the main deutch plug harness and inspect for water intrusion and corrosion. Spray with a contact enhancer and reseat.

If none of that solves the problem, my suspicion would be that either the keypad or PME has a fault.

Hope this helps. There's not a lot of board knowledge on how the electrical switching works in detail.

[DAtique]

I'm still leaning towards bad toggle. The keypad will take the code and light up even with the toggle in All Off position. Whether the toggle is on or off, the keypad will take the code, screen will boot up, radio will come on but none of the buttons work for any accessories.

I have ordered a new toggle and keypad. If it's not the keypad, at least I'll have one on backup. Will update when I know more.