Dead X5 Wheelpilot

waterdog · May 20, 2009, 10:25:38 PM

I have brand new installation of the X5 wheel pilot. I believe it's the same drive unit as the last generation of 4000. It has maybe ten hours of very lightly loaded use and now all I get is a grinding noise coming from the motor. Won't turn the wheel. I adjusted the cam, inspected internally. This is not a salt build up or cleaning issue. It is not a load issue - it won't run even after dismounting from the wheel. This appears to be a toy drive unit. Raymarine says send it in for repair. I am more inclined to rip it out and take the whole system back to West Marine. Are these drives generally reliable and I'm just a statisical outlier?

I'm inclined to reinstall my old 3000. It was much more ruggedly built.

Ken Juul · May 21, 2009, 05:10:57 AM

I'd call your local RM authorized repair center. It is still under warrenty so he should inspect (and maybe repair) it at no cost to you. I think it is basically the same drive that the 4000+ uses, lots of them still in service. Hopefully will get to try mine out this weekend, did the install last weekend.

waterdog · May 12, 2011, 08:08:57 PM

This unit was fixed under warranty a couple of years ago

It is now two months out of warranty and back in the repair shop. They called me today. The drive ring is broken. The plastic gears in the gearbox are broken. The motor is burned out. The casing is cracked. The repair will cost 300 dollars. An entirely new drive unit would be about 500.
The repair guy says by the time they complete the repairs I will have a new unit

Two ways to view it:

a. What a cheaply built unit that all the plastic bits would bust in two years
b. What a phenominal piece of engineering that they managed to get all of those low cost components to last through 5000 miles of ocean sailing, more than a lifetime for the vast bulk of customers, and still have the unit serviceable for a quarter of the aquisition cost of the system.

I guess I am pleased with the performance? Though a little upset that I didn't pull the unit last fall under warranty.

If you have recently bought a unit, register it with Raymarine and they will extend your warranty to 3years.

Stu Jackson · May 13, 2011, 07:01:34 PM

When I told Cory that you'd posted, she looked and said: "Hey, that's from May 2009!!!!"

OK, OK, 500 miles downwind is = to 1500 miles upwind, since it's easier to balance the boat going upwind.

So, sooooo, maybe the answer to the other post about autopilots is to simply CLEAN the darn thing?

Ya think???

Ken Krawford · May 14, 2011, 04:06:16 AM

Steve - if you used a credit card to purchase this unit, they may have extended your warranty by one year. I just had an out of warranty camera repaired ($225) that VISA Signature paid for. Might be worth a call.

Terry Forshier · May 14, 2011, 05:47:57 AM

my X5 is working fine but has a couple things I do not like. It is noisey for one and secondly it works all the time. My old 3000 would adjust back and forth a lot but I could set it so it sailed a more looses track and would "rest" some. Now this new one turns one way gets on track and then over compensates and turns back the other. My wake looks good, not a long curvey line but the settings to adjust do not seem to make much difference.
Other than that I have experienced no problems. It is the best upgrade I made. It is easy to turn on and no set up like the 3000. It allows me much more freedom to move around on the boat, adjust sails, get drinks go forward and just sit and watch the coast roll by. I do agree it seems fragile but so far no breakage here.

Ken Juul · May 14, 2011, 07:35:06 AM

Do you adjust the response? Every time it powers up it defaults to 5 (most sensitive). Push the "Disp" button on the control head 4 or 5 times until response shows. Use the -1 to adjust the response down. Depending on conditions 2 or 3 work well for me.

Terry Forshier · May 14, 2011, 08:24:07 AM

Thanks for the info. I will try that. I guess I did not know you had to adjust each time you power up. I am leaving on a 2 week trip up the coast next week so I will sure be happy if this works for me.
Terry

Wayne · May 14, 2011, 12:01:55 PM

I adjust my response to 3 each time and life is good. I sure wish it could be permanently set to 3, but despite what the manual says I haven't been able to get that setting to stick.

Terry Forshier · May 17, 2011, 01:21:29 PM

i went out and powered up the system. As instructed hit display until response came up, set the system. I see now how this works. Even at rest when i powered on the wheel tried to adjust from the wind and tide in the slip. Setting the adjustment calmed it sdown. Amazing i have been griping about this for a year and did not understand you had to adjust it every time. Thanks