Any of the better fish finders are sealed with a dry nitrogen gas in them. If you open them up you lose the seal. Of course, the manufacturer repairs them all the time, but they will almost always replaced the seals when they do any work on their units and replace the dry nitrogen gas in addition to any other work needed. Since this is likely an off season for you, most West Marine stores will get you a cost of repair quote before proceeding from the manufacturer as a service to their customers. If you do not like the quote then don't do it. Do not worry if you did not buy the unit from West Marine, they need customers and it would not be good business sense to turn away a potential customer. There could be electrical shops that have the knowhow to work on these units but I do not know of any. If the seal is broken, and regular moist air gets in, the unit will seem to work fine for a while. Eventually, however, you will see moisture building up on the inside of your display. It could be a slow death, but the marine environment is a bitch on electronics. The rule of thumb I use is if it is going to cost you anything close to 1/2 the price of a new unit, go for the new unit. I know you are thinking that a connector at most (even with a ripoff charge) should only go about $20 bucks and be simple enough to install in less than an hour. You are going to be in for a surprise should you go with a quote and that is if they are still willing to repair an older model. Let the form know how you make out and if you can find someone who can repair it properly and at a reasonable cost. |