Marcum LX-3tc issues

[shawno]

Has anyone ever experienced an issue with their LX units where is it working well and then all of a sudden everything goes haywire?? 

I had been fishing for about 4hrs ( first time this season ) and then all of sudden I had a massive amount if interference random on the screen almost like it was cycling through a pattern. Sometimes it would get worse...then it almost clear up and then back to really bad again.  I could still see my hook through the clutter, but something is obviously wrong.

I made sure gain knob didn’t get bumped, toggled the zoom on/off, IR on/off, turned unit off for 5mins then switched it back on~same issue, replaced battery ~ no change. Transducer appears to be in good shape...no nicks or anything.

I’m thinking maybe the ducer failed???  Unit is about 12 years old, so it doesn’t owe me anything,  but not really wanting to buy a new one. I’m going to send it in for repair, but just curious if anyone else had this problem.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Is the battery good.i would start there.

[mistertwister]

Is the battery good.i would start there.

Agree here, I replaced my transducer on my lx3tc a few years back, but when mine went bad I had trouble picking anything up even with the gain cranked. Mine didn’t show any obvious damage to the wiring or anything, but eventually I think they just wear out, wires come loose inside etc.

[3300]

sounds like a bad connection. could be in the transducer crystal which we make worse by banging it on ice. a fresh one wouldn't hurt a thing and it could help you trouble shoot it yourself.
on the other hand in the states they give you a new one with the repair and most times it's cheaper to get one this way. thinking 125$ us for a new one retail 80$ for repairs. for your area it says they will give you a quote after they receive your unit, so it sounds like they only fix what is broken.

you can try wiggling the on/off switch or any controls it has to see if they have become contaminated. if so, you could buy a product to flush it out if your handy. if it has a push button, repeatedly press it in and out as fast as you can for as long as possible to try to burnish the contacts. old switches get tarnish built up. works with the twist on/off switches too. if it has one that is also a pot. then move it to both stops as fast and as long as you can to help move the tarnish.

90% of all portable sonar issues are battery/power related.

to me it's either a contaminated switch or a bad/weak connection some where, including inside the puck. also double check every thing is plugged in and tight and no corrosion. take apart the connectors in the back and inspect them. make sure the battery connections fit tight. if not squeeze them some while they are off to tighten them up some. inspect the wire harnesses also. if it feels weak at a connector it might be frayed off internally. you could replace the battery end connectors if you find them to be bad.

also, use a meter to see what the voltage is of the battery after resting on a full charge for about an hour and then check it again after its been on . it should be 12.5vdc after resting and fully charged and should drop slowly after you power on the unit.

if all else fails
https://shop.marcumtech.com/canadian-non-warranty-repairs/

[hardwater diehard]

How old is the battery ..with the proper care should last 5 years ..after that on borrowed time .
Good video ..although Vexilar.. it pertains to most batteries and flashers ..shows the funky Christmas lights.

[shawno]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

The battery was brand new and my second battery was brand new as well. Both are SLA 12V9AH.

Up until the screen went crazy…the unit ran flawlessly.

I am confident the batteries are okay.

I ran it in demo mode this morning without the transducer connected and the screen continued to act up with 3 red bars on the dial.

I’m thinking it now must be the motor that has failed. I sent away to the Marcum repair center in Winnipeg. I’ll let you all know what it was once I hear back from them.

[DR.SPECKLER]

When my motors went out on my marcums the whole display would rock up and down and could hear the motor slowing down.pretty common on the vx1 pros and lx series.

[hnd]

dr speckler i believe your models were all post 2012 which had a different motor issue than one that is probably dealing with a mileage issue.  Thats probably why its visibly different. 

[shawno]

So I just heard back from the Marcum repair center. Issue turned out to be a failed system board. Repair/labour/shipped back to me is going to cost 132$. I’m pretty happy with that all things considered. Hopefully it will last me another 10 years!

[bigfoot86]

When my motors went out on my marcums the whole display would rock up and down and could hear the motor slowing down.pretty common on the vx1 pros and lx series.

Happened to my lx5i where motor started failing, the image was rocking back and forth.  Sent it back to marcum last year and they replaced it with one of the new brushless motors they put in the M-series now.  All better.  And I had to replace my ducer the year before...wiring must have got messed up inside.

[TRT]

I have a LX3 and after 3 trips back to Marcum for repairs I'm done. Unit has failed on fly in trips to Canada an most lakes i
fish locally. It is a great unit when working butt enough. Going with another brand, yes unit is 10 years old give or take.

[grizzlyhackle]

When my motors went out on my marcums the whole display would rock up and down and could hear the motor slowing down.pretty common on the vx1 pros and lx series.

Multiple times for me

[Unclegillhunter]

So I just heard back from the Marcum repair center. Issue turned out to be a failed system board. Repair/labour/shipped back to me is going to cost 132$. I’m pretty happy with that all things considered. Hopefully it will last me another 10 years!

Good deal hope you have some ice to test the repair!
Keep it safe! JDL

[shawno]

Good deal hope you have some ice to test the repair!
Keep it safe! JDL

Thanks!

Going to take out this weekend and put it through it's paces. I'll do a final post when I'm back on the progress and if the repair was indeed successful.


Update - Everything working like it should and I was able to put a few fish on the ice!
Anyone in Canada needing a repair...take a look at the Refit shop in Winnipeg. Good service and quick turn around time!  I believe they service all brands, not just Marcums.

[bigfoot86]

I have a LX3 and after 3 trips back to Marcum for repairs I'm done. Unit has failed on fly in trips to Canada an most lakes i
fish locally. It is a great unit when working butt enough. Going with another brand, yes unit is 10 years old give or take.

When is the last year you had it repaired?

[sunniewally]

My experience with marcum  is they need to be sent in frequently to be repaired. At least with my depth finders and micro camera. vex has been my best.

[3300]

marcum used to use brushed motors and they would fail often. they have been using brushless motors for a while. just like our power tools improved from brushed motors. they may have been one of the last or last to transition over.

[bigfoot86]

Any units sent back now for motor repair will be replaced with the new brushless motors as the one in the m-series.