Trolling motor keeps conking out

[tacklejunkie]

 It’s an 85 pound thrust Minnkota and trolls fine as long as the dial is set at four or less. Turn it up to eight or 10, quits.

 

The batteries are not that old and it was fully charged before I took it out. Would this be a foot pedal issue or something else?

[Pat K]

Does it stop running completely for 15 to 20 minutes? If it does it could be a self resetting breaker that isn't a high enough amperage for the motor or it's wearing out and trips to easily.

[Wanderer]

Check all your wiring connections to the batteries but yeah, sounds like an internal overload issue.

 

My transom mount was doing that some a couple weeks ago but even after opening the head and looking for a burned wire, the only problem I found was the battery connection was just a little bit loose.  No problems since tightening.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Wanderer

[tacklejunkie]

 I did check all the connections and make sure they were tight and they were.  It turns off right away and then after a few minutes it will start up again and troll just fine until I dial up the speed. I’ll probably end up bringing it in to have a Minnkota authorized mechanic to take a look at it because I’m stumped

 

In the past, there was a box that had a trip lever and I could push that back in place and not have any further issues but that’s not moved.

[BobT]

  On 5/15/2020 at 6:18 PM, tacklejunkie said:

 I did check all the connections and make sure they were tight and they were.  It turns off right away and then after a few minutes it will start up again and troll just fine until I dial up the speed. I’ll probably end up bringing it in to have a Minnkota authorized mechanic to take a look at it because I’m stumped

 

In the past, there was a box that had a trip lever and I could push that back in place and not have any further issues but that’s not moved.

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As Pat K eluded to, it kind of sounds like a tripping circuit breaker. If that is what is happening there could be a couple issues. Assuming the breaker is functioning correctly, the motor could be drawing too much current causing it to trip. That could be a motor issue or motor wiring issue. If the circuit breaker is getting tired, it could be failing prematurely. This could be a circuit breaker issue. 

[Pat K]

  On 5/15/2020 at 6:18 PM, tacklejunkie said:

 

In the past, there was a box that had a trip lever and I could push that back in place and not have any further issues but that’s not moved.

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That "box that had a trip lever" is your breaker. They do wear out and like Bob T said it could be a wiring issue in the motor or just a tired breaker.

[tacklejunkie]

Well you guys are right. That trip lever was sticking and it was just getting old. Should be getting my boat back on Tuesday and I’m back in business

 

Thanks to all who replied

[tacklejunkie]

OK I’m still having problems with it. They replace the breaker but for some reason it doesn’t last. It draws down power within two hours

 

 They check the trolling motor itself when I brought it in and they it was nothing wrong or at least they couldn’t find anything wrong 

 

Short of buying a whole new trolling motor I’m stumped

[tacklejunkie]

I took the batteries to NAPA to have them tested and the batteries test fine. 

[delcecchi]

  On 6/8/2020 at 2:19 AM, tacklejunkie said:

I took the batteries to NAPA to have them tested and the batteries test fine. 

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Suspicious of the test.  Probably checking cranking amps not "reserve capacity".

 

Other possibility is that for some reason they are  not getting charged all the way.  Got another charger that you could try?  

How old are the batteries?

[tacklejunkie]

Batteries are from 2016

 

I have two trickle chargers so I hooked those up to both batteries and let charge overnight and still ran out after 2 hours

 

It starts out running perfect but after a couple hours, the power is greatly reduced 

I noticed that all four bars will show full charge. I will run it for about a minute at 10 setting, press the tester on the motor itself, and it will show three bars

Edited June 8, 2020 by tacklejunkie

[tacklejunkie]

When I brought the Minnkota in, the mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong with the unit or wiring

[tacklejunkie]

I will add that the NAPA guy commented that there was slight bulging on the sides of each battery and that I should bring them indoors each winter.

 

Also, nothing else is connected to the battery. Just the motor. All accessories like the Fish finder, radio, ect are connected to the starting motor

 

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by tacklejunkie

[Wanderer]

  On 6/8/2020 at 2:42 AM, tacklejunkie said:

When I brought the Minnkota in, the mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong with the unit or wiring

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Open up the lower unit of the TM if you haven’t already.  I had similar problems with one and found the wires in the lower unit were melted together.

 

The seals can go bad and let water in too.

 

I tried buying a new replacement but they sent a 5 speed even after I double/triple asked to make sure it was for a variable speed motor.  Hard to find for the age.  Minn Kota wasn’t carrying them anymore and this particular dealer bout out the new old stock.  Never fixed it before I sold the boat.  It was pretty much time to replace it.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Wanderer

[tacklejunkie]

 All the wiring and internal parts checked out fine. Last year, I had the same issue with my cranking battery. I was on the lake trolling and I went to go start my motor,  and it wouldn’t start. I have the radio and everything else  connected to that battery. Thinking it was a fluke, I charged it,  went fishing again, it started so I turned it off, fished for a while, went to turn the key and dead.  I replaced the battery and haven’t had a problem with that motor since 

 

 The trolling motor is acting as if the battery is bad But it checked out fine at the auto parts store. I’m tempted to replace the battery regardless and see if maybe that was the problem

[tacklejunkie]

I went out to check it before work plugged it in, and three bars light up on the trolling motor. I have a battery analyzer and one battery reads 80% and the other 60%. I know there’s not much to trolling motors for them to go wrong but I’m  really really at a loss.

 

 

[Wanderer]

  On 6/8/2020 at 2:38 AM, tacklejunkie said:

Batteries are from 2016

 

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If you’re confident the wiring check was thorough and accurate, replacing 4 year old batteries isn’t a bad plan, especially if they’re lead/acid.  Also, if they are lead/acid, check your water levels in the cells and make sure they’re full.  I didn’t catch if you’ve already done that.  
 

I’ve switched to AGM batteries for trolling motors.  Less hassle and better performance.  BUT you have to charge them with an AGM charger or you’ll wreck them.

[Grainbelt]

Check to see if there is a thermal couple on the motor. They protect motors from overheating.

[bobbymalone]

  On 6/8/2020 at 2:38 AM, tacklejunkie said:

l run it for about a minute at 10 setting, press the tester on the motor itself, and it will show three bars

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Mine has always done that.  It really only shows 4  bars when it's connected to a charger.

 

Do you have a real voltmeter?  

 

This sounds like a battery issue 100%

[tacklejunkie]

 I had a chance to talk to the Minnkota mechanic and he said he went through everything and ran it ran it ran it ran it and it didn’t use up any battery on their system. 

 

So, I grabbed the old batteries that were four years old and brought them to NAPA for an exchange. The guy said he had the same issue with his trolling motor, the battery even checked out OK, but he decided to replace the battery and it fixed the problem. He also said with the batteries being four years old and kept outside in the winter will greatly shorten their lifespan

 

So I have two fresh batteries charging and we’ll see

 

I’m gonna have to get into a habit of bringing them inside in the winter

[tacklejunkie]

Any fix is minor it’s just that   it’s burning up fishing season. I’ve been using my outboard but I don’t want to use that too much

 

But like I said, I’ll fully charge them and it’ll  run perfect till about two hours later.

Edited June 8, 2020 by tacklejunkie

[tacklejunkie]

BTW, If it turns out that it was just a battery issue all along, I am going to engage some of the cruelest self flagellation in the history of mankind

[bobbymalone]

  On 6/8/2020 at 3:20 PM, tacklejunkie said:

 

I’m gonna have to get into a habit of bringing them inside in the winter

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It's a twice a year PITA but it's worth it.

 

Even a slightly bulging battery is a real good sign there are issues.  I'm kinda surprised the Napa guy didn't suggest a replace as soon as he noticed it. 

 

 

[tacklejunkie]

  On 6/8/2020 at 4:39 PM, bobbymalone said:

It's a twice a year PITA but it's worth it.

 

Even a slightly bulging battery is a real good sign there are issues.  I'm kinda surprised the Napa guy didn't suggest a replace as soon as he noticed it. 

 

 

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 The first  guy at NAPA who tested the battery mentioned the bulging but didn’t seem concerned. When I brought the batteries in today to exchange and get new ones that guy not only commented on the age but the bulging as an issue

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by tacklejunkie

[bobbymalone]

The imbalance between the batteries also points to a battery failure.  

 

I have  had one bulge on me when it drained out and froze.  It was totally toast and bulged like a balloon.  I believe they will vent gas, so bulging seems like it froze.  But 4 years is a pretty good lifespan.

 

I would put money down your issues are gone when you get these new batteries hooked up.

 

Also, not sure what sort of battery charger you have, but it's worth the investment in a quality smart charger that will adjust based on the charge state.  They aren't too expensive and worth every penny 

 

 

  On 6/8/2020 at 6:24 PM, tacklejunkie said:

 

 The first  guy at NAPA who tested the battery mentioned the bulging but didn’t seem concerned. When I brought the batteries in today to exchange and get new ones that guy not only commented on the age but the bulging. 

 

 

 

 

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Edited June 8, 2020 by bobbymalone

[Pat K]

Many years ago a co-worker at a big box store did his own battery storage test. When he bought a new set of batteries for his 24v trolling motor he labeled the batteries and stored battery A in the boat in my unheated pole shed. This is MN so it saw sub-zero temp regularly. Battery B was stored in the utility room of his town home. He prepared them for storage by removing all wires, topping off fluids and charging them then forget about them for the winter. Every spring he tested the batteries and the cold storage battery was always a few tenths of a volt higher than the warm storage battery. Both of them still had 85-90% of their charge.
He was a retired electrician and believed anyone who charged a battery inside of their house was a prime candidate for a Darwin award because of the explosive gasses that can result from charging the battery.
Battery B that was stored inside failed midway through its 6th season. Wynn worked part time and fished most of the rest of his time so they had heavy use. Battery A was moved to his ice house and lasted a couple more years.

His work experience was with AC but everything he had been taught about DC was that cold storage was better for a battery because it slowed down the chemical reaction so a battery with nothing connected to it would self discharge much slower. A fully charged battery doesn't freeze until -75F
Not a big enough sample to prove anything but I still find it interesting.