Autopilot repair

[wcook]

The Autopilot on our 2018 R29S has failed. We are the second owners of this boat.
I found a thread that suggests we may need a Garmin Check Valve Kit Part # 010-11203-00.
We are currently in transit near Charleston, SC.
Please advise, would this be a warranty repair that Fluid Motion could coordinate with Garmin, or should we attempt to contact Garmin ourselves?

 

[CaspersCruiser]

What are the symptoms?

 

[Kevin Lamont]

The Autopilot on our 2018 R29S has failed. We are the second owners of this boat.
I found a thread that suggests we may need a Garmin Check Valve Kit Part # 010-11203-00.
We are currently in transit near Charleston, SC.
Please advise, would this be a warranty repair that Fluid Motion could coordinate with Garmin, or should we attempt to contact Garmin ourselves?

Hello,

What are the symptoms you are having? The check valve kit is only meant to fix a functioning pump. However if the pump has failed or another component the check valve won't fix the issue. Without knowing the issues it is hard to say if Garmin's warranty would cover the failed component. If you are having a hard time reaching them we could help with that.

Thanks,

 

[wcook]

The symptom is that the autopilot will no longer hold a course.
We saw an error message on the GHC-20 about a hydraulic failure.

 

[Wee Venture]

The symptom is that the autopilot will no longer hold a course.
We saw an error message on the GHC-20 about a hydraulic failure.

You will get that error message if you have throttled down or are in neutral and have not disengaged the autopilot. The AP keeps trying to turn the rudder with no or minimal change in course till the rudder is locked hard over and it kicks out the error message. Can you give more info? What speed are you traveling when you notice the problem? Is the AP in “heading hold” or are you trying to “follow route” (the magenta line)? What happens—does it not engage at all? Does it appear to engage but pull to port or starboard? Does the heading slowly drift off course or is it quick? Sometimes when you engage the autopilot to follow a course, the boat will turn significantly in one direction or the other in a way you did not expect, before locking onto the course—which can be disconcerting but is normal. Can you give more details?

 

[wcook]

The autopilot was not engaged when we got the hydraulic error message.
Now, when we engage the AP on heading hold, regardless of speed, it seems to hold course for a few moments, then slowly drifts off course to one side or the other depending on wind or current.

 

[Wee Venture]

The symptoms indicating you need a check valve kit usually involve difficulty in steering manually rather than by autopilot. Typically, the boat keeps pulling to port when trying to manually steer a straight course.

If your hydraulic fluid was low or needed purging for air, that might cause the symptoms you are describing but it would also noticeably affect manual steering as well. Have you tried to run the sea trial wizard? If the settings are off, that could cause a problem. If you try and the system fails to complete the sea trial wizard, you probably need Garmin to intervene. I had this happen one time very similar to what you describe and Garmin ended up replacing the ECU (Electrinic Control Unit), which solved the problem.

Edit: Now I am remembering they also replaced the reactor unit. They told me they upgraded this model reactor/compass somewhere around 2017 or 2018 I think, so that might have been the fix that made the difference.

I have found Garmin to be responsive and helpful when contacting tech support. Good luck!

John