Is there any hope?

[1HappyHunter]

I figured there is no better place then here to ask this and I appreciate any feedback I can get as I’m sure I am not the first person who has had to deal with this but ....

Just recently returned from a hunt and realized my cord on the Excalibur’s Coil and headphone are both cracking pretty substantially. I clean and try to maintain this detector after every use.

My headphones have one crack as seen here


And here on each wrap of the coil cord it seems to have cracks





Any advice on what I can or should do or suggestions? Not sure how I didn’t notice it sooner but have to deal with it now. Thanks for the help in advance!

 

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[releventchair]

It begs for new cable.... The material is breaking down , and likely will continue to do so beyond patched/repaired areas.
Rinsing in fresh/clean water after use might help too.

I've not tried liquid electrical tape on a detector. (Almost gummy taking it out of the can with the brush, it dries much firmer).
I have had good success using it on coax cable for a boat transducer. And on some house wires bared by mice in a tight to reach spot.

 

[Blak bart]

Probably gonna have to send that baby in for repair....next your knobs will lock up or fall off....what your experiencing is one of the short comings of the excal. Mine did the same thing over time !! I'm sure you love that machine....its worth the time in the shop to get it fixed up !! Happy hunting happy hunter !!

 

[Sleepy]

Wow, I never knew this was a common occurrence with that detector. I would have thought that some chemical maybe being used for cleaning it caused it to break down over a period of time. I would definitely send it in for repair. Even if you could repair it now, the other areas will continue to chemically break down. That's unfortunate, but at least you caught it before it got worse. Good luck.

 

[OBN]

Sorry to see. It will need to be sent in ..and your looking at a 4 to 5 hundred dollar ....bill. If repaired make sure you keep them rinsed and lubed with something like McNett, or Trident, silicon sprays..often

Also 303 aerospace spray is excellent. You may want to have them check the O-rings also..Florida heat and saltwater, along with poor quality no doubt most of the reason..Good Luck..

 

[1HappyHunter]

Can I send it in even though it’s out of its warranty period? And are we talking about somewhere like a kellyco or does it go back to minelab? I take super good care of it so I was disappointed to see the damage... never thought about the silicone sprays makes complete sense 🤦🏼 ...may have to look at getting a nox or something as a spare while I wait lol or at least that’s what I’ll have to tell my wife. I have a sea hunter mark ii but hate digging all that trash and iron. Thanks for all the feedback greatly appreciated.

 

[Xraywolf]

Would think twice about a nox in the water, many reports of dead units after they are dunked.

I'd try some liquid rubber on the cord

 

[OBN]

Can I send it in even though it’s out of its warranty period? And are we talking about somewhere like a kellyco or does it go back to minelab? I take super good care of it so I was disappointed to see the damage... never thought about the silicone sprays makes complete sense 臘 ...may have to look at getting a nox or something as a spare while I wait lol or at least that’s what I’ll have to tell my wife. I have a sea hunter mark ii but hate digging all that trash and iron. Thanks for all the feedback greatly appreciated.

NO problem on sending into Minelab, My friend Keith runs the Factory repair center and will give very fast service. Just call the service number and they will set you up..

The machine will go to PA. The detector center where they will call you and give you a estimate..then all will go from there..most are out the door a few days later.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It helps if you give the excal a hot shower after each use, hot water washes off the salt far better than cold water and spray the cables at least once a month with a vegetable based silicone, it is a uv inhibitor. I use McNutt. To replace both the coil and headphones is about a $500 repair.

 

[lookindown]

Would think twice about a nox in the water, many reports of dead units after they are dunked.

I'd try some liquid rubber on the cord

The Nox are all drowning...I didn't know that...haven't been on here in awhile.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The Nox are all drowning...I didn't know that...haven't been on here in awhile.

Great your back, where you been hiding at?

 

[smokeythecat]

I would call Minelab to see how much it costs. I would not replace it with an Equinox, you have the better machine now.

 

[1HappyHunter]

I would call Minelab to see how much it costs. I would not replace it with an Equinox, you have the better machine now.

Didn’t want to replace it just needed a spare while they fix that one lol certainly more than I want to spend on a repair but going to have to fix it. Is it worth looking into upgrading headphones or anything or will they only replace original minelab parts?

 

[OBN]

Didn’t want to replace it just needed a spare while they fix that one lol certainly more than I want to spend on a repair but going to have to fix it. Is it worth looking into upgrading headphones or anything or will they only replace original minelab parts?

They can put GGA's on I'm sure..Grey Ghost Amphibians..just ask when they call from PA..

 

[cudamark]

If it were me looking at that repair, I would do one of two things. If I only used it for surf and not diving, I would use a liquid rubber coating.....like a tool dip.....and call it good....for a while anyway. The best repair (IMO) would be to go ahead and get a bigger coil, the pin point mod, and some better headphones. My buddy Tony Eisenhower does those sorts of mods and makes custom headphones for one. He'll install any coil you want and GGA's if you'd rather have those. Good Luck!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Kellyco used to do repairs, but that's been several years ago and their technician passed away unfortunately. I went down to Florida just to pick it up, met TH, Pat Cats, and GIB on that trip. GIB hasn't been back on here in years, Pray he's okay. They did the pin point mods for me.

And this thread tells me it's about danged time to smear those wires with silicon grease again.

 

[LawrencetheMDer]

Cord cracking is common on the Excals and I've had a similar experience with my battery cable, which I was successful at replacing. But now I'm afraid to put it in the water. But the coil wire is a different monster. Unfortunately, the outer cord disintegrating is a sign that the inner wires are (or will be) compromised (cracked) and will cause the Excal to fail. This happened to my Excal after about 7 yrs.