How to connect to a Marine Engine with TEXA
Learning how to navigate through the TEXA software can be frustrating at times, as any software can be. In this brief how-to, I will show you how to connect to an engine with the TEXA software while maneuvering through the important tabs and information a mechanic will need to diagnose problems.
I selected this engine because it has one easy connector and it’s clear to see where to connect.
The engine is a 2002 Yamaha 200 Horsepower, as you can see we used the AM06 (Yamaha/Selva engines) cable which connects to the AM01 from the TXB or TXT, which ever you are using. The TXT is the communication box used for multiple engine type software (Truck, OHW, Bike, Marine), the TXB is the communication box used for Bike/Marine software. Don’t fall asleep! We haven’t got into the good stuff yet.
This connector was on the starboard side. Yamaha usually puts these connectors towards the front of the engine either on the front or on the sides. This is the same cable you would use on the PWCs with Yamaha engines.
Picking the Engine
When you open TEXA you can pick the type of engine, model, and horsepower that they have listed.
Select the engine in Liters, this is usually on a sticker on the engine under the cowling. Typically, it is on the flywheel cover but could be found on the air box cover or on the motor mount, depending on the manufacturer.
Sometimes if that engine is not listed as far as the serial number goes, you can run it under a different listed serial number or newer selection. This will usually work on Mercury Engines where the serial number is listed under the engine selection. Yamaha is the easier to choose from because they give you the model and horsepower.
Choosing the Cable
If you select the film strip tab on the right of the start tab, TEXA gives you the cable selections and a movie clip on where to find it on the engine.
The first page that comes up with the software is the Fault Codes.
If we had codes, they would be marked in RED for current, Yellow for recorded, or Green for historical. When clearing the codes, depending on the manufacturer they may clear or store for a short time.
Reading the Different Tabs
Most of the time I will go to the Parameters page and see what the software is reading on the engine.
Depending on the engine, we will get a different number of parameters. This one has 10 listed but it can go up into the hundreds if you were hooked up to a diesel engine. If you select the funnel at the bottom left corner, you can pick what parameters you only want to see instead of seeing all of them. The user can also double click on that parameter to see the interactive graph.
The Status Tab will typically give you the switches status.
The ECU Tab will give you ECU information. Depending on the software and engine selection there could be more listed.
Some engines may have the same ECU Mapping because the manufacturer will use the same ECU for several years.
Performing Tests and Activations
We performed a couple of tests on this engine. You will find them under the Activations tab.
Under this section you may find the Engine History and the RPM History. The software will allow you to print these out to have on record or give to the customer.
Oil Pump Test
Test on Injector 3
Finding the Technical Documentation
Some engines will have more than others depending on how developed the software is on that engine. If you can’t find them on that engine, you could also find them on similar engines. This engine did not have some of this info in the software, so I had to pull from the demo unit to show what can be offered.
Under the Self-diagnostic sheets, you can find a key on the acronyms.
Nominal value sheets will give you troubleshooting and information on specific components.
Vehicle sheets will give you for instance the directions on how to reset the maintenance service schedule.
And of course, the wiring diagrams will show you the components of that system and where to find them on the schematics.
If you move the cursor over the component, you can click that component and click on the image to get a look of what that component looks like. The picture below is of the Main Relay.
The software allows you to see the interactive wiring path with a double click of that wire. The path begins to show the direction with dotted red lines shown below.
This picture is of the Foot Position Potentiometer.
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