# Vex help please!!!



## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Ok guys I have a vex fl-8se. I have had the unit 2-3 years never have had any problems withit. I bought it new. Was fishing yesterday and all was well fished for about 6 hrs and the unit just stopped reading!! I switched holes and it just stopped. I unhooked the ducer and hooked it back up. Unplug the battery and let it set for about 10 mins and tryed again still nothing. Switched out to my spare battery and got zip! I have no idea what is going on. I inspected the ducer cable and can't see any damage. It was extremely weird that it just quit on me. Have never had any issues. I tryed calling vex but they are closed on the weekend. I'm thinking the ducer went bad but idk, hope it's something simple bc a new ducer is about $100 that I don't really have. Any ideas?? Thansk in advance


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## Eliminator (Aug 26, 2006)

I would start with confirming 12v at the pins of the power supply cord.
It should do something even without the ducer plugged in.


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## Erieangler51 (Sep 24, 2012)

Easy way to check if ducer went bad is to see if it is clicking when unit is turned on. Also unplug and plug a buddies ducer in and see if his works on your unit.


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## snag (Dec 27, 2005)

I, ve read articles before on the vex stopping and I thought there were brushes inside that sometime need replacing. Not a 100 Percent on that. I have the fl-8 se also and good so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## Minnowhead (Jan 12, 2011)

What Erie said...


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

Make sure your battery is good. Had this same problem last year. I charged up my battery and still got nothing. Tried my spare battery nothing. Went out and got a new battery and charged it and my vex worked.


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

Make sure a wire isn't lose on your battery connections.Some times they break or come loose and look fine.If it was your ducer you would still have power and would hear it spin.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I guess I should of been a little clearer, the unit powers on. I can hear he "purr" and I get the light on the screen, the light at the top near the zero mark but I won't pick bottom up let alone jig. I have tried adjusting gain and didn't help. I charged my battery today and it still does the same thing. 

Erie I don't know anyone else w a vex to try it with. I have a marcum but the 2 aren't interchangeable.


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

fishintechnician said:


> I guess I should of been a little clearer, the unit powers on. I can hear he "purr" and I get the light on the screen, the light at the top near the zero mark but I won't pick bottom up let alone jig. I have tried adjusting gain and didn't help. I charged my battery today and it still does the same thing.
> 
> Erie I don't know anyone else w a vex to try it with. I have a marcum but the 2 aren't interchangeable.




Try a new battery.... Sounds like its the battery even if you charged it all the way. I had the same issue.... Turn the vex on could hear it pur and only have flashes towards the top of the vex but no bottom flashes.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I have a spare battery that I tried and also tried the battery out of my marcum and it does the same thing. I know a lot of ppl around the net said they had problems and a new battery fixed it, I would think that my spare or the one from the marcum would do it.


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

fishintechnician said:


> I have a spare battery that I tried and also tried the battery out of my marcum and it does the same thing. I know a lot of ppl around the net said they had problems and a new battery fixed it, I would think that my spare or the one from the marcum would do it.


I did the same thing with other spare batteries and it still didn't work. If your other batteries have some years on them and you have other electronics that take the same battery as your vex I would buy a new battery. You can buy that battery $20 right now on sale at several places.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Any place local that sells the battery? I mean for $20 if give it a shot. I live in central oh


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Just got off he phone with vexilar, after a short time of trouble shootng they diagnosed it as needing a new ducer. Said it would run around $95. Hope I can find a used one somewhere or fin done cheaper than that. Anyone have any suggestions?


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

Is it just regular stock 19 Deg ducer that cam with it ?


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Yep just the stock 19


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

I have never heard of any one having problems with that ducer. My 1st vex 8 I used like 15 years and never had a problem( used almost daily).It doesn't sound like the battery but I have tested mine on a boat or car battery just to check.Good luck


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I've tried 3 seperate batteries so far. The guy at vex said that it's not hat uncommon I described the problem to him and he said that is more than likely what it was. He said hold the actual luck to your ear and you should be able to hear a clicking noise. I don't hear anything when I do this. He said cables usually break right at the ducer or at the plug in the plug for the head unit.


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

Best price I found http://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...858813-2&pm2d=CSE-SPG-28-SHOPPING&utm_medium= Free shipping


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## wallydvr (Feb 20, 2005)

I had a similar problem last year. Only mine would only read at full gain. Vex customer service was second to none. The gentleman I spoke w told me they have a crystal in the ducer. They can last a long time or one good drop could break it. He told me if you get more than 3 years out of them you are doing good. Mine would still tick but real low until you turned the gain up all the way. Just never new that they could break that easy. ever since then I take better care to store it properly before I leave.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Thanks young blood


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

So was sitting around last night and decided to mess w the vex. The customer service guy told me the two most common spots for breakage in the cord are at the ducer and at the plug. So I started stripping of the coating on the outside and what do you know, broken wire right above the ducer. So I took a litle electrical tape and fixed it up. It looks kind of ******* now but it is working. Gonna try I out on the water hear soon.


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## youngblood (Feb 9, 2012)

I was going to suggest that I figured if it was bad what do you got to lose.Way to save some cash.You may want to use liquid electrical tape so no water gets into your ducer and freezes.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

fishintechnician said:


> ...So I started stripping of the coating on the outside and what do you know, broken wire right above the ducer. So I took a litle electrical tape and fixed it up. It looks kind of ******* now but it is working....


Suggest you put some silicone or similar under the electrical tape or over the whole repair to make it watertight.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

You beat me to it youngblood.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

That's probably a good idea w the silicone/sealer. Yeah young blood that's what I started to think last night I don't really have anything to loose by trying to fix it.


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

Fishing Tech - Transducers usually have a very long life with Vexes. But and it is a BIG BUT a lot depends on how carefully they are handled. Try to limit any pulling or twisting on ducer cord itself. Cushion transducer when traveling foam packing works great for this.

Seen some of my fishing buds allow transducer to freeze in hole then tug at cord trying to set free. Clean the surface often with damp soft cloth. By often I usually clean after each trip. As someone else stated drops can mean a premature end for a transducer also.

I treat a transducer about as careful as a raw egg. While they are indeed hardier than that none of mine have ever went bad. So my overkill caution does pay off as far as transducers anyway.


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Accidentally dropped my Marcum transducer last year just a foot off the shanty seat. Killed it right there. I'm more careful now. Always thought they were indestructible after having first flasher a long time.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Yeah I guess I never realized how fragile they actually were, I can't think of anytime I have dropped it but I know a coue times when a big fish was on the line it came flying out of the hole pretty fast! Lol and I did do a lot of hole hopping and just kind of let it dangle while I walked, that won't happen any more. I hoping my repair can get me thru the rest of this season and maybe once it starts to warm up I can find a replacement ducer on sale somewhere.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

So just an update. I took the vex out tonight and tried it out. Worked just like it used to. The fish on the other hand not so much 1 white bass in two and a half hrs. Tons of lookers but no takers. Oh well fronts prolly got them shut down. At least the vex is operational!!


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## Eliminator (Aug 26, 2006)

I just recieved my ice-ducer today in the mail for a new set-up. i'm looking at how I can incorporate a stainless steel cable or string, something to take the strain off the cable itself because it does appear to be a fragile blind connection at the trasducer, good thing is there is a hole through the ducer to incorporate a hang attachment system of some sort, it's a lowrance. i'l post some pics of what I end up with.


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