Can My Metal Detector Be Fixed?

The Ace

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Jul 10, 2018
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Last year my friend lent me his old metal detector an Ace 150. The detector accidentally got dropped in water and now it constantly beeps even over ground I'm certain there is no metal. After it was dropped I removed the batteries and attempted to dry it out to no avail. This was last year and since then it has been sitting in my garage. Can I fix it myself or do you know of anyone I could take it to?

Thanks
 
Well, if it's been a year, then it's certainly dried out by now I'm sure.


I'd go through the basics...replace the batteries with brand new ones, disconnect then reconnect the coil, and do a factory reset (press and hold the power button for 10 seconds, or until you hear two beeps (I think it's two beeps, but 10 seconds should be plenty)
 
Does it beep during an “air test”? If so, it’s probably broken for sure. You could try opening it up and making sure there is no corrosion between the tracks on the cuircuit board. If there is, you can gently scrape the corrosion away with a tooth pick or pointed tool. A new Ace 150 goes for around $150, so taking it in for repair might not be worth it. Good luck.
 
I just replaced the batteries and tested it alongside one of my other detectors. It seems to be in full working order, no longer giving false beeps. Thanks for the suggestions!

Ace
 
I just replaced the batteries and tested it alongside one of my other detectors. It seems to be in full working order, no longer giving false beeps. Thanks for the suggestions!

Ace


That's great to hear. Now go out and find some silver and gold with it :)
 
Do a factory reset,,just turn it in and keep the on,off button pushed in till the machine beeps,,that should be done even if it's working now,just to put it back in factory fresh mode.
 
Your friend loaned it to you and then you accidentally dropped it in some water? I'm glad you got it fixed so you won't have to replace it.
 
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Your friend loaned it to you and then you accidentally dropped it in some water? I'm glad you go it fixed so you won't have to replace it.

This was my first thought too. Along with.... were you ever going to return it? Lol. That reminds me... I have a friend that I lent some tools to...
 
I just replaced the batteries and tested it alongside one of my other detectors. It seems to be in full working order, no longer giving false beeps. Thanks for the suggestions!

Ace

Some fool on YouTube was using an F2 and was out in knee deep water when he dropped it.
It was only in the water a second but that was enough to kill it.
A few days later he tried it and it started up fine, seemed to beep over targets ok so he thought everything was good.
Then he decided to test it against an Ace 250, film it and post it on YouTube.
Watching the vid it was obvious to anyone that ever used an F2 that the F2 was not working right...at all.
Way too much falsing, couldn't pick up any coins past two inches or so, super jumpy ID on the targets it could pick up.
The Ace came off looking great but the F2 came off looking like absolute junk.
I left a comment and asked if this was the one that took a swim just a few weeks before and he admitted it was, then I told him to send it in because there was something really wrong with this thing.
Also I told him that this whole video was deceptive since he never mentioned anywhere in that video that this was the the same F2 that took a bath just a few weeks before and anyone watching it will assume that the F2 actually worked that badly.
He still left that vid up for years.

Just because just turns on doesn't mean yours is working as well as it did before.
You would have to test it thoroughly against a known perfect working unit to see if it actually is working correctly and up to specs.
If a friend of mine borrowed a detector from me and drowned it I would expect nothing less than that friend paying to send it back to the factory and to at least have it checked out thoroughly and also pay to have it repaired if it needed to be.
Mistakes happen but adults take responsibility when they do.
You should tell the owner what happened when you do return it, be honest and see what they expect out of you.

I am sure this has happened before to others, those that return borrowed tools that had caused some major issues but never let on to the owner that anything happened hoping to get away scott free are not adults and are not friends.
 
I am sure this has happened before to others, those that return borrowed tools that had caused some major issues but never let on to the owner that anything happened hoping to get away scott free are not adults and are not friends.
I finally talked a frien into selling me his old fisher 1266 after he had retired from detecting. I had watched him pull out as many as ten Barbers in one day. He said he hadn't used it lately but a friend had borrowed it for a few days. I got it and took it home to find out that it didn't work. Some how his friend had melted one of the battery holders and I don't know what else. he hadn't told him about it. I ended up getting his ID Edge instead. Later he ended up giving me the 1266 since he didn't have a use for it. I had it fixed and it works fine now. If you borrow something and mess it up, tell them. They might know how to fix it or at least want it done right.
 
Some fool on YouTube was using an F2 and was out in knee deep water when he dropped it.
It was only in the water a second but that was enough to kill it.
A few days later he tried it and it started up fine, seemed to beep over targets ok so he thought everything was good.
Then he decided to test it against an Ace 250, film it and post it on YouTube.
Watching the vid it was obvious to anyone that ever used an F2 that the F2 was not working right...at all.
Way too much falsing, couldn't pick up any coins past two inches or so, super jumpy ID on the targets it could pick up.
The Ace came off looking great but the F2 came off looking like absolute junk.
I left a comment and asked if this was the one that took a swim just a few weeks before and he admitted it was, then I told him to send it in because there was something really wrong with this thing.
Also I told him that this whole video was deceptive since he never mentioned anywhere in that video that this was the the same F2 that took a bath just a few weeks before and anyone watching it will assume that the F2 actually worked that badly.
He still left that vid up for years.

Just because just turns on doesn't mean yours is working as well as it did before.
You would have to test it thoroughly against a known perfect working unit to see if it actually is working correctly and up to specs.
If a friend of mine borrowed a detector from me and drowned it I would expect nothing less than that friend paying to send it back to the factory and to at least have it checked out thoroughly and also pay to have it repaired if it needed to be.
Mistakes happen but adults take responsibility when they do.
You should tell the owner what happened when you do return it, be honest and see what they expect out of you.

I am sure this has happened before to others, those that return borrowed tools that had caused some major issues but never let on to the owner that anything happened hoping to get away scott free are not adults and are not friends.

Awww! The Ace woulda whooped the F2 any who!:laughing::laughing:
 
A Garrett Ace dropped in water is almost guaranteed dead. If it works as its supposed to after drying it out you not only got very lucky but it might qualify as a miracle :lol:

The cost of an ace 150 is right around $150. Garrett might just surprise me , but if its out of warranty , I doubt Garrett will be able to fix it for less than that all things included. Best thing to do would be to just buy a new one.
 
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