Garmin NMEA 2000 Troubleshooting

[akdeweyj]

Does anyone know how to get Garmin to play well with their Suzuki OB on an nmea 2000 network? I have a new 2011 DF150Z that I am trying to connect to my Garmin 4208 network via the service port on the OB & I am having trouble getting the Garmin to accept the info coming out of the OB. (I am using the service port so that I can keep my analog gauges working.)

At first the 4208 was seeing 4 OB's on the network & trying to multiply the readings by some weird factor so that it was reading 6000 rpm & 33 gph fuel flow at idle + some other gibberish. Garmin first pointed the finger at the instance number being put out by the DF150 but when we ran a Maretron diagnostic program on the system alst night, the Suzuki was reporting properly. Now today after updating the 4208's software (as requested by Garmin), the 4208 can't even see the OB anymore. I have heard that there is a software update for the Suzuki interface cable - does anyone have one they can share? I have contacted Lowrance/Suzuki & am waiting for their input on Monday.

Thanks

[boats.net]

No sorry I haven't tried to connect to a Garmin yet.

[akdeweyj]

Maybe!

No sorry I haven't tried to connect to a Garmin yet.

I may have a solution after talking to a Suzuki familiar technician with Browns Point Marine in NJ. I will post the results this weekend if it works. Out of the four "technical" people I have tried to speak with, this is the first one that had a solution to offer - the Garmin guy blamed Suzuki, the Suzuki factory said "huh" & told me it was a Garmin problem and the Lowrance/Suzuki people are impossible to get in touch with. I guess that it helps to keep the overhead costs down.

[Harper]

Yeah, Brown's Point had to make up a special cable for my '07 DF150 to talk to my Garmin GPS564s. Works fine, except no tilt/trim info.

[akdeweyj]

On its way home!

Yeah, Brown's Point had to make up a special cable for my '07 DF150 to talk to my Garmin GPS564s. Works fine, except no tilt/trim info.

I made one cable for $25, bought a $90 interface cable that didn't work, had Browns Point program it & now 10 days, lots of hours & $75 in express charges later, Fedex is supposed to deliver it tomorrow. This SOB better work. All I really wanted from the OB was the fuel flow to show up on my Garmin 4208. In hindsight it probably would have been less frustrating and maybe even cheaper to shell out the $199 for the Garmin GFS 10 fuel flow sensor.

[grishm]

This SOB better work. All I really wanted from the OB was the fuel flow to show up on my Garmin 4208.

[akdeweyj]

It works!

Yeah, Brown's Point had to make up a special cable for my '07 DF150 to talk to my Garmin GPS564s. Works fine, except no tilt/trim info.

Got my interface adapter back today & it works like a charm. All it needed was to be programmed by someone familiar with Suzuki OB's so that it would recognize my particular OB. Haven't looked into tilt/trim but I have a gauge for that right now.

[Harper]

I made one cable for $25, bought a $90 interface cable that didn't work, had Browns Point program it & now 10 days, lots of hours & $75 in express charges later, Fedex is supposed to deliver it tomorrow. This SOB better work. All I really wanted from the OB was the fuel flow to show up on my Garmin 4208. In hindsight it probably would have been less frustrating and maybe even cheaper to shell out the $199 for the Garmin GFS 10 fuel flow sensor.

I'm glad your problem is solved with the new cable. Fuel flow and an accurate indication of fuel remaining was my main goal also. However, concerning the GFS 10, I'm not absolutely sure that it would work correctly on our OBs, due to the dual pump setup (with the low pressure pump constantly cycling on/off). I know that Flo-Scan doesn't work....it constantly cyles between 0 and whatever as the low pressure pump turns on and off. Total fuel used is still available, but fuel flow is not. I'm not sure, but this same problem might occur with the GFS 10.

[akdeweyj]

So far, So good!

So far the fuel flow is reading steady - Granted its only at idle or up to 1500 rpm in the driveway. Tomorrow is break in day for the new OB since our lakes are now iced out & the launches are open. I'm interested to see how the whole she-bang works in the real world - from the OB performance to the gauges reading & actual fuel usage. This should be a big improvement over the 115 Yamaha that the 150 Suzuki is replacing. Nothing wrong with the Yamaha, I just wanted more horsies for speed & thrust.