Minn-Kota Trolling Motor Turning Problems

[ducksnbucks]

My dad, a friend, and I all have Minn-Kota trolling motors varying in years from 3-6 years old. All of them at one point or another have had the problem with not turning to the right. Turning to the left is never a problem but just this weekend mine acted up and will not turn to the right. Curious if anyone else had had an issue like this and what your solution was. Thanks for any help! D&B

[jentz]

Inside the box that the shaft goes through,There is a small white motor with gears,(its the motor to turn left and right)Either the motor drive slipped and the gear is stuck or the gear is in it limit right and the cogs dont align.

I repair many with the problem,and with the little motor froze up.some cleaning and oil there right back up and running.

[Jmeyers]

Had the same problem towards the end of last season and totally forgot about it when I went out this season, fighting river currents with a trolling motor that wont turn right is something you don't want to do...plus it's funny when people look over and wonder why you keep turning in a big circle!

I took my motor box apart to fix the wires and clean it out thinking this would fix it in a jiffy, turned out it didn't and the problem I was having was with my pedal. Not sure if this is the same for you and I hope it's not...I would recommend checking out the wires like jentz said to do before purchasing a new pedal. But if it comes to it, it's nice Minn Kota is located in MN I had my pedal to me the next day!

[ducksnbucks]

Thanks for the info Jentz, I will try that.

If it happens to be the pedal, Jmeyers did you have to buy a new one or did they replace it for you?

[kg2]

When I hear complaints of the older foot pedal steering contacts burning it usually is due to the servo motor in the drive housing that jentz was referring to. I would recommend wrapping the top of the servo motor with electrical tape to ensure that the solder joint cannot short against the inside of the drive housing case. If this happens it will take out the steering contacts in the older pedals (the pedal with the flat plug).

[OnAFly]

When I talked to an engineer at MinnKota a few years ago, he said they knew they had a problem with the switches in the older style pedals. They weren't rated for the current applied as I remember. They had that style pedal for a long time and never corrected it. I wasn't too impressed with them on that specific topic.

Not bashing them, other than this, they make a good product with plenty of R&D work going into what they make.

BTW - Ours had no problems turning, it was the thrust that went haywire at just the wrong times. It would turn on and off at will. Just think of having the thing turned to the right at full thrust and trying to tie a knot, then all of the sudden it turns on for no reason.

[Jmeyers]

I ended up having ot buy my pedal

[Genofish]

I had same problem and mine was the coiled cable that connects the head to the base. The wires inside the cable broke, cut off a few inches and rewired.

[fasternu]

Same problem here, tried a friend's pedal and it worked fine, so I bought myself a new one. 3 years trouble free!

[rosspj59]

Inside the box that the shaft goes through,There is a small white motor with gears,(its the motor to turn left and right)Either the motor drive slipped and the gear is stuck or the gear is in it limit right and the cogs dont align.

I repair many with the problem,and with the little motor froze up.some cleaning and oil there right back up and running.

Hey Jentz, I have a powerdrive that turns slowly to the left, but turns fast or normal to the right. Does that sound like a white motor with gear issue or foot pedal issue?

[Scott M]

My parents bought a boat to store at the family cabin and the foot pedal seems shot. The Minn Kota 55 won't turn in either direction but power/thrust is fine. I'm close to Mankato so I'm going to go that route. I guess I'll see if its cheaper to buy new or fix it.

[CaptainMusky]

Here is what you really should do. Scrap the foot pedal all together and go with a co-pilot. It will be a bit more money then replacing a pedal BUT, it will last you much longer. Those pedals are junk. I always have a spare with me, but never use mine. The circuit boards get so much trash in them and they just quit working. Sometimes cleaning them works, but IMO its not worth the hassel with Co-pilot as an option.

[BoxMN]

Here is what you really should do. Scrap the foot pedal all together and go with a co-pilot. It will be a bit more money then replacing a pedal BUT, it will last you much longer. Those pedals are junk. I always have a spare with me, but never use mine. The circuit boards get so much trash in them and they just quit working. Sometimes cleaning them works, but IMO its not worth the hassel with Co-pilot as an option.

+1. Our foot pedal has only been used to test it, and that was 2002 But we still keep it with, just in case.

[Scott M]

Hmmm, I will have to look into the co-pilot. I need to figure out the model first it looks like. Factory emailed back today and said it's $40 for service, plus parts costs on top.

[CaptainMusky]

The model should be stamped on the body of the power drive mechanism (the part where the shaft goes through). I believe it will be on the outside which would mean when mounted on the boat it would be on the "water" side of the housing.

[amateurfishing]

I would also highly recommend co pilot.....even look for one used online

[Ufatz]

Foot pedal has been in a plastic storage bag aboard the boat since the Co Pilot came out. It is the ONLY way to go. I've actually been through two of the "hockey-pucks" but the Co Pilot is SO much better than the foot junk.

[x1957x]

Ufatz, I agree, I bought the I-Pilot for my v-2 and is the best thing I have ever done!!

[BobT]

The problem with most foot pedals is the lack of maintenance. We put them on the floor of the boat where they are subjected to sand and grit and expect them to work when we need them even though we do nothing to help them keep clean.

Try taking it apart and cleaning it. I have been using mine for as long as I can remember and it has failed me only once. When I took it apart and cleaned it up and lubricated the slides it started to work again so this has become part of my spring ritual along with cleaning and lubricating my reels.

Going with the co-pilot is a nice option but as a solution to your problem is nothing more than a band-aid to the real issue. I installed a co-pilot this spring and must admit that now I will probably not find much use for the foot pedal anymore so it is a good investment in my opinion.

[Scott M]

Do the co-pilots run differently for different models? I have a 595, do I need to look for a certain pairing or is it generic?

[Mike Reginald]

My control would only turn in one direction. Turning the foot control upside down, where you can see the Teflon slide action, I used a screw driver to add more pressure in the direction not working. It then turned like it should So, I added some additional surface to the pressure point and it worked great. As I was in Canada, I used a strip of Tin foil. But when home I'll glue something.   Poor design and re-attaching the springs suck. tape to keep them in place when re-assembling. wrapped around the surface that contacts. work for two days, Had to redo. Also, when apart, make sure all contacts are clean.

[leech~~]

New Jersey Mike, welcome to the forum.  Thanks for the field fix ideas.