711c Will No Longer Track Straight

[seaveepete]

Installed my 711c / PG700 autopilot setup with TZT2 MFD's a few years ago. Twin outboards on a 29 SeaVee. Initially the AP worked great and when engaged it would do the "wiggle" thing for a few seconds to "learn" and then track straight and true whether steering to a waypoint or just holding a course line. Over the last year or so it's gotten to where I no longer use it because it never really stops the side to side motion when engaged.
Has anyone else seen this? Do I need to reset everything and recalibrate the unit? The steering system is purged of air and there is no "slop" in the helm. Also, when I hit the manual steering buttons on the AP control unit the engines move immediately with no hesitation. I've also made sure there is no metal near the PG700 while underway.

I'm planning to reset/recalibrate the system before my next trip but just curious if anyone has seen their 711c get out of whack like this.

 

[Deep Blue]

seaveepete,

Yes I would re-do all your Autopilot setups, including recalibrating the compass. I had a gentleman that was having this same issue a few years ago, and once he cleared all the settings, and reset the autopilot, it solved all the issues that the autopilot was experiencing.

- Deep Blue

 

[seaveepete]

Quick update - I did the rudder test / calibration then also recalibrated the compass by doing the circles. AP is working much better now and I don't see the wandering behavior.