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Melted black plastic? Dripped from what seems depth finder - 2003 Benny

Tara

Tara

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Lake Ontario - Hilton, NY
Will post a photo when I can grab one - last night, was showing my neighbor our "new to us" 2003 Benny - he noticed a black stringy material right below the depth finder (almost looked like silly string). The depth finder seemed to have a bit of a gooey feeling at the bottom. The boating neighbor thought it might have short-circuited and melted? Any advice? I do have a 60-day major mechanic warranty through the dealer - any ideas what might have caused this? Haven't gone out yet to see if it's working..it was when we came in)
 
Is it a type of sealant ?
I would take advantage of your warranty
 
Take it back and have them check it! Last thing you want is an issue that may cause further headaches out on the water
 
I would think for the plastic to melt like that it could be caused by one of two things. A chemical got spilt in the area (which you would know about), or an electrical short. I would disconnect the depth finder before I used the boat again. An electrical short can cause a fire. I would also check the size fuse on that circuit to see if it properly sized. And, then I would check the wiring. If the heat from the short was hot enough to melt the plastic of the depth finder then it was more than hot enough to melt the plastic coating on the wiring and any other wires in a harness.
 
My bet is some type of sealant. If it was electrical, you would've smelt it and saw smoke.
 
I would think it would smell pretty bad if burnt electrical wiring .... I’d think sealant, but odd that it’s just now doing it.
 
Attached are photos of the issue I'm having. Per dealer, "The individual who wrote this doesn’t understand transducers. The “voltage” associated with a transducer is mini volts, certainly not enough to cause anything you are concerned with."
 

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Now we see it's not the unit on the dash but the transducer. It's still very strange.
 
Would that be covered under your warranty ?
You stated " major mechanic warranty "
 
It did smell funny too. Last night we took it out, the depth finder seemed to work fine. I just went out to look - not nearly as bad, but there is a slight amount of this material again this morning. I wrote to both Bennington as well as the dealer, hope to hear back soon. Thank you for your help :)
(Last nights beautiful sunset cruise - our first of I hope many!)IMG_2559.JPEG
 
Looks like a type of sealant. The top half of the transducer looks cracked on the left side, perhaps it had been busted and "fixed". Regardless, it's time for a new transducer, at the least.
Ps. it's milli-volts.
 
Per Bennington: "Engineering said they have never seen an issue like this before and the transducer does not look familiar. They believe this was an aftermarket add-on."
Let me know if you have questions. Thanks,
Mandalynn Tardi
Warranty Administrator
 
looks like the actual sealant put inside the transducer to keep it waterproof. Time for a new transducer. That one looks pretty "shot". Even if it's working now. My bet is, it won't be in several more trips. OR...When you actually need it!

I hate transducer goo!

The "New to you" '03 Benny looks like it needs a NEW upgrade to the '03 transducer! That puppy is shot.
 
Thank you - agreed. Should I expect a replacement that would integrate with the depth finder compass on the dashboard? I'd hate to have that not working and need an additional depth finder mounted on the dash.
 
Tara said:
60-day major mechanic warranty
Click to expand...
My guess is it won't be covered, hopefully I'm wrong . If the display is as old as the transducer looks you might new everything.
 
I'd be calling the manufacturer of the depth finder , not the dealer or Bennington. I doubt it's covered and most electrical components are normally only covered for a year by the manufacturers. I'd want to talk to them to hear what they say would be a cause for this , fix any potential issue if there is one , and then get a replacement ordered. Transducers are not that expensive.
 
the-little-B said:
I'd be calling the manufacturer of the depth finder, not the dealer or Bennington. I doubt it's covered and most electrical components are normally only covered for a year by the manufacturers. I'd want to talk to them to hear what they say would be a cause for this, fix any potential issue if there is one, and then get a replacement ordered. Transducers are not that expensive.
Click to expand...
thank you - that was my thought as well, but I'm struggling to find the model or brand. I've been googling images - I'm sure it's an older model so it's tough to find. Any idea where I might find this info? I"ve researched the Hummingbird site. so far no luck. I've also been reading fishing forums
 
What brand is the display.
IS it depth only or a fishfinder?
 
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