I Need Help With My Trolling Motor!

[4x4Tracker]

Hi! I have a Motorguide 46 pound foot control trolling motor. The other day I was intermittently losing power. Jiggling the plug made it work the first coupe of times for a while - but by the third time, nothing worked.

The plug seems to be in good condition, it's not cracked or frayed. I had the battery checked and it's fine. I have power to the socket on the front of my boat. I took the covers off the trolling motor (except for the bottom end) and none of the wires are loose, frayed or burnt.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[gridjockey]

take your motor to the trolling motor doctor here 3720 Industry Avenue Suite 105
Lakewood CA 90712
800-944-9446

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks Gridjockey!

[kaneo]

check the foot pedal switch, sometimes the wire connection comes loose, if not it might be the switch itself, had the same problem on a 67 thrust m.g. good luck on the fix !

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks Kaneo. I was hoping to get some advice like this - there's plenty of shops around here who are happy to take my money to fix my problem! I didn't see and loose wires or obvious indications of a bad switch.

Any electronic wizards out there know how I can check a switch to see if it's functioning?

[GillyGreen]

When I was at clear lake, my buddies trolling motor took a dump also.. we tried to figure it out but never did, tried changing fuses, reset connections, everything.. he ended up fishing with me till he left.. We got power on a meter at the plug, but it still didnt work. He took it to the trolling motor doctors and they said nothing was wrong.. he took it home and hooked it up directly to the battery with cables and it worked.. he ended up replacing all of his wiring and it works fine now.. You might have a bad spot in the wiring from the battery to the motor/breaker/fuse that you cant see. Or maybe a bad breaker/fuse. Hope this helps.. My wires were a pain to pull when I rewired and installed my new trolling motor in Feb. Good luck and Tight Lines...

[plastics]

I know you said you have power to the socket, but one other thing to check is the connection from the power wires to the back of the socket. Make sure those are all clean and making good contact. The fact that it was trying to work when you jiggled the plug indicates to me that your problem is likely in that area.

If you need a 12/24 v, 45 pound motorguide to replace this one, I still have one available (see my post on this board) that i will just give you .... it's old though, probably a 1991 model. Works perfect.

Good luck!

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks all! I'll let you know if I can figure it out!

[basssturd]

could be bad brushes in the motor or brushes could be stuck do to melted brush housing check out iboats.com

[DockRat]

Jiggling the plug made it work the first coupe of times for a while - but by the third time, nothing worked.


Sounds like you found the problem if your jiggling the plug spot made it change.

Could be a corroded wire inside the ' Plug '

Describe the ' Plug ' to us. Got a pic.

DR

[Sparky70]

Row Row ur boat! :Rolls Eyes: :Rolls Eyes: :Rolls Eyes:

[Vulture]

Underneth the foot switch is a lil black or gray rubber cap that fits over the off n on switch. That may be worn out. The lil half round nub could be missing. This would cause it to turn off n on due to poor contact. The trolling motor doctor sells them for 39 cents. Maybe higher but not not by much. Try that first.

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks all! Been too busy busy to keep working on it - but now I'm on vacation and have the time!

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks for the tip Vulture! I checked the nub, although it's a little worn, it's still intact. I pressed the nub manually - no luck. I pulled the outlet on the front of the boat. All of the wires were tight and none were worn, frayed or burnt. The batteries are fully charged.

The trolling motor is only 5 years old and hasn't been used that much - less than 10 times a year.

I guess the next step is to take it to a repair shop...

[Vulture]

Try to replace the batteries with new ones or try to barrow a few from a friend. All you want to do is test the battery under full draw of the T motor. Buddy had the same problem even if he charged his batts all day. The batts had power but under full draw from the T motor is couldn’t hang. Pull the prop off and remove the 2 screws that hold the motor in. It should smell a lil burnt but not by much. Check the brushes inside. To replace the motor all you need a thin screwdriver to hold the brushes back as you insert the motor.

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks Vulture. I had a local, very reliable, battery shop check the batteries. They said they would love to sell me new ones, but these were fine. I couldn't have them tested under full draw because the TM wasn't working.

I'll try checking the motor...

[Vulture]

Try one more thing. Underneath the top cover of the TM there are 3 or 5 wires coming out of the shaft of the TM. Those wires are capped with crimped wire nuts. I would cut those off and recap them. Maybe just maybe one of those wires broke lose. Just trying to solve the problem.

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks - still working on it!

[Vulture]

Unscrew the plug and take it apart. There should be 3 screws holding the face of the plug and 2 holding the cable in the plug. Check those connections and to the same for the female end.
This may sound dumb but do you have a good, clean solid contact with the battery ?
Try replacing both male and femal plugs. That shold cost 60 bucks fromt the TM Doctor but you can also buy the same thing at Home Depot for less.
Get a light tester and check if your getting power to the femal plug then check for power to the male plug. With the foot switch pressed check for power by the switches. You would have to remove the bottom plate to expose the wires.
Pleas let me know if any of this works.

[4x4Tracker]

Got a voltage tester, going to try that this weekend. Thanks for all the advice!

[4x4Tracker]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. For those still interested - it was a loose wire in the male plug! Runs like a top now!

Thanks again...

[Vulture]

Now why didnt I think of that!