Morningstar RM-1 Red Light Status

P

PuffinStuff

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
76
Fluid Motion Model
C-288 C
Vessel Name
Puffin
Hi - Super new to the forum, new boat owner and just plain new to boating, so sorry for lots of dumb questions to come, but we just bought a 2012 R-29 and after a short cruise around the marina with the RM-1 showing green with 13+ V I noticed later in the day the display was locked on "11" with the status light showing red.

The manual didn't specify a reset option and indicated it might be a temperature sensor gone bad or heat sink issue. Has anyone else experienced this? I must admit, I was attempting to scroll through the menu prior to noticing the red light, so is there something stupid I might have done?
 
Hello,

Need more information. What system are you talking about ?

Bernie
PS Morningstar means nothing to me on my Ranger, but does apply to my investments🙂
 
The RM-1 appears to be a voltmeter or remote monitoring device that presents three buttons and a small LCD screen, located directly beneath the inverter/shore power switch on the side of the switch panel, just as you enter the cabin. My thought is that this ties directly into the solar panel we have installed on the boat and displays power being sent to the house and starter batteries. Perhaps all Rangers do not feature this (those without the solar)? Does this ring a bell?



Also – good luck with the investments! Always new stuff to buy for the boat!
 
To reset the unit remove the in line fuses to the engine battery and the house batteries. Remove the hot lead from the solar panel to the controller. Wait a minute. Reinstall the hot lead from the solar panel then reinstall the in line fuses to the batteries. The most common issue with the warning is that there is a connection block for a remote temperature sensor and if it gets wet it shorts out and thinks you have the remote temperature sensor. Then when it dries it thinks you lost it and you get a fault. To prevent this from happening again either relocate your controller to a drier spot or get a wire and permanently short out the connection point.
The other problem could be a bum controller. They have a 5 year warranty. Morningstar is good. Just call and they will send a replacement with a return slip to ship the bum one back.
 
Thanks so much for your reply. The sensor in the port storage hatch has a module (Sun Duo?) which has a blinking red light on it also [ stating fault], which leads me to believe it could be the temperature sensor, but the boat is pretty much brand new and we were in a huge rain/snow storm, so might be a moisture problem. I’ll take a look at it again this weekend. I really appreciate the advice. If all else fails I’ll hit Morningstar up and see if I can return it for a new one.
 
My bet is that you had so much rain it ran over the gutter and hit the connecting points for the remote temperature sensor. It is a small black block protruding from the unit with small screws. In my opinion the controller unit should not be installed below the gutter, but rather on the sidewall or on the hull using a piece of starboard adhered to the hull. These areas are much further back from the gutter and avoid the water from flowing on to the unit. After I relocated mine I have not had this issue. The real problem is the gutter system is not really adequate to let a deluge of water to drain. I removed the drain grills and this has helped, but you need to be diligent to make sure you clean out the drain lines regularly by shooting water down each drain and clearing the exit flaps from debris. in my opinion they need wider and deeper gutters and two additional drains at the hinge corners of the engine hatch. Add a bad sensor on your bilge pump and this is a recipe for disaster. So keep those drains clean, sensors clean and check your sensors regularly to make sure they are operating properly.
I know this is a little off topic, but it relates to your possible controller issue.
 
I had the same problem as you PuffinStuff when we were at the Florida Rendezvous, where Mike Rizzo diagnosed our problem as he described to you below. Subsequent to that I took the fuses out and then moved the unit to another in the same locker that had better protection from water overflow and have had no further problems. If you're not at your boat make sure you have or bring two 30 amp inline fuses with you, just in case one is burned out. Let us know how things turn out and thanks Mike for your help on my system.
 
I would also check the temp sensor to see if the unit has been jumped together. Morningstar now sends us the unit with this setup. If you need to jump the system all you need to do is take a 16 gauge wire, 2" long and place each end in the terminals. Strip the ends of course before you install the wire. Morningstar does this same setup with a large staple.

Thanks,
-Kenny
 
We also had a problem with the Morningstar temp sensor. It got wet and corroded the sensitive temp sensor. We did not have any code readings, only a permanent RED status. Morningstar was great and sent us a new unit which I installed and at the same time I manufactured a plexiglass 'roof' to keep any future rain drops or condensation from hitting the Morningstar unit. It has worked flawlessly ever since. I do think that moving the unit to a drier location is probably the best solution, but the plexiglass roof does the trick ...and it looks like it belongs!!
 
Thanks for the great insights, everyone. We had our broker take a look while the boat is up in Anacortes and he fixed it fairly quickly, so we could get underway this weekend without fuss. Says it was a simple fix. I'm guessing this was water related as the sensor is right under than port hatch, so I believe he discounnected and reconnected that, but he says he'll share the fix with us on Saturday in case it happens again. Appreciate everyones' comments and will report back on what I learn.
 
For added convenience I added a 30 amp fuse to the power line coming from the solar panel. This makes it very easy to do a master reset. Just pull one more fuse and it eliminates having to unscrew the wire from the buss.
 
Kenny - I did use the 16 gauge wire solution and it works just fine now - green lights and no error codes. Thanks for the instructions. A very easy process. Only took a few minutes.

All the best,

Paul
 
Alas, the problem with red light status and has resumed after about a year of working fine. I jumped the Sun Saver Duo relay under the port storage hatch as directed with a piece of 16 gauge wire, but I'm now getting a code on the LCD screen of the RM-1 showing 19.d6. Upon inspection of the Sun Saver Duo, the temperature sensor does seem to be a little corroded and it also shows a red error light on it. I'm going to reach out to Morningstar and see if I can get a new one under warranty and replace.

Has anyone else had this scenario before with anything to share on the topic?

Thanks,

Paul
 
How many red flashes are you getting? This will indicate what the problem is. If there is corrosion where you jumped out the remote temperature sensor, that could be the issue. Don't forget, once you fix it you need to do a reset: remove fuses to the batteries first, disconnect feeds from solar panel to controller. Wait a minute, reconnect feeds from solar panel to controller, reinstall battery fuses. BE CAREFUL NOT TO SHORT OUT FEEDS FROM SOLAR PANEL. THEY ARE LIVE!
 
Solid red on the Sun Saver Duo and the RM-1. I'll do the reset you recommended and report back.

Thanks again!

Paul
 
Update. This was a very smooth and easy fix. I emailed customer service at Morningstar with the serial number of our SSD Solar Controller. I also attached a photo of the malfunctioning unit. The service tech was exceptional, emailing me back within 24 hours and sending a replacement unit out within a week. The five year coverage on these items is fantastic.

I just had time to replace the unit and it was very simple; a few screws and the old one was out, followed the steps with regard to the in line fuses and removed/replaced the wiring in the order specified and presto, we're back to green status lights and everything is working again.

The culprit was corrosion of the temperature sensor and possibly the wiring at the connection points (the input was getting green and salty), so snipped and attached some nice clean wire when making the change out.

Can't say enough about how great Morningstar's service was. They even sent a prepaid shipping label to me to send back the faulty unit, so they can diagnose the problem and get even better.

Thanks to all for the advice.

Paul
 
They are very good. Two things. You can short out the remote temperature sensor by looping a thin 18ga wire to the two contact points. What happens if that gets wet it shorts out and thinks there is a sensor and then when it dries out it thinks it lost the sensor and goes into short mode. The other thing is I relocated my sensor ( It was in the battery compartment right under the water gutter :roll: ) and put it across fastened to the hull with a starboard backer. Have not had a problem since. And by the way, I also put an in line fuse from the positive solar panel feed to the controller. This way if I have to do a reset I do not have to unscrew wires to the controller.

Glad all worked out well.

Mike Rizzo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top