[carlcamera]

A problem with my map started about a week ago. The navigation system no longer updates the Ody's position as we drive.

2001 Ody EX
Stock Navigation System. No Mods

Symptoms:

• The navigation system boots up fine it seems but sometimes the initial placement of the vehicle on the map is incorrect by a few hundred yards.
• I am able to correct the location and compass direction on the map using the map's Correct Navigation feature
• Then when I drive off, the compass direction updates as I make turns but the red icon indicating the vehicle's position never moves -- or moves very rarely and never correctly.

Additional information:

• I seem to have good satellite reception. The world icon shows three lime green bars
• If I press the world icon as I'm driving to display current location, the values for latitude and longitude and the altitude are updating constantly, but the address associated with the current location remains constant.
• I've removed the DVD and put it back in
• We live in an urban area (Austin TX) that has been mapped since we bought the Ody 10 years ago and has worked flawlessly up until a week ago.
• I have updated the map DVD once (2003? 2004?) but never since

I would suspect a GPS sensor problem, but the lat/long are updating as we drive. I would then think it was a software problem but the software has not changed for several years. I plan to take it to the dealership this afternoon but was wondering if someone else has experienced this and what it cost to fix.

Thanks for any advice you have!

 

[William Wiles]

Try taking the DVD out and cleaning it. I just wash them with a little dishwashing liquid and rince under the tap. Also don't anything on the canter dash where the antenna is located. Any changes to the van around the time it started.

 

[carlcamera]

Hi and thanks, William.

I did remove the DVD and it looked clean but I'll try again. There's nothing on the dash but I appreciate the advice. Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

[carlcamera]

No changes but something I would like to note. We had the battery replaced about two months ago, and as we all know, when you disconnect the battery, you need to enter a code for your radio and a different code for your Navi.

Our radio code worked, but our Navi code didn't. :huh:

Again to be clear: the Navi code that has worked on this Navi unit for every time we disconnected this Navi unit (that has not been replaced) did not work. So I drove it to the dealership, they tried the code they had in their database (the same one I used and didn't work) and it didn't work.

So the service guys then looked at the back of the navi unit (with a mirror -quite clever) to get the Navi unit serial number. They then cross-referenced this with an unlock-navi-database in honda-land to get a new code that did unlock it. Why the orignal code didn't work is a mystery to me -- again the navi box has never been replaced.

The Navi worked fine since that last unlock up until just a week ago.

 

[scifan]

Try going into the Diag mode... and see if there are any errors (wander through the menu)...

Press and hold down the top 2 buttons (map & cancel) on the left side and then press and hold the top right button (menu)... (this method works on the 2005-2010 version not sure if it's the same on your version) that should kick you into the diagnostic menu where you can check system status, gps status, etc... see how many GPS satellites you're seeing... etc.

(and yes, you can get your serial # from there too)

 

[carlcamera]

Hi and thanks!

From another thread I found the sequence for 2001 Nav systems:

Press and hold down Menu, Map, Cancel in that order and hold for a few seconds to enter diagnostics.

All diagnostic tests show good/favorable results. GPS unit reports 7 (wow) sattelites and I even did a Force Download for new software and rebooted.

Oh -- and I washed the DVD and replaced it also.

Same problem is happening. No lat/long movement of map icon.

Thank you both for offering help today. I've called Howdy Honda and we'll be taking the Ody in for service this week. My current theory is that the temperatures in Tulsa last week (around 110 in the shade) may have cooked some electronic part.

 

[scifan]

This doesn't sound like a problem... however, I hope you're drying your disk by going straight from the center out... not in a circular motion...

There's another error that's related to having the unit not read the disk right... that's why mine was out for 4-5 weeks...

 

[carlcamera]

To bring this sad tale to a conclusion: I took the van to Howdy Honda -- and they shipped the entire nav unit to Navistar for diagnosis. The conclusion: I need a new/refurbished nav unit at a cost of $3000.

Now we all realize that the entire navigation system was a $2000 option back in 2001. Now in 2011 I'm told that replacing just the nav unit beneath the passenger seat will cost me $3000 because of the uniqueness and age of the system itself.

Conclusion: We now have an awesome LCD clock on our dash and use a $35 Navigation App on our smartphones for getting around town. :tongue: