Minnkota that cuts out

[EBass]

Hello,

My friend recently loaned me his used/beat up 50AT. It sat for about a year. Then we put it on my boat. Everything was fine until last night.

I had it on 5 which is the highest setting and it was moving along, then nothing. It cut out. I checked the connections on the battery. They are fine and new as they are one week old.

It rested for a min then worked again, but this time I had it on a lower setting (2) then bumped it up to 5 again and it cut out.

Then it worked, then it didn't and it worked and it didn't.

I guess it could still be other connectors and I will check on that. But my Q is, would a trolling motor that's going on a fritz act like this or just stop working?

Remember this is old 3-4 yrs and has been used and abused.

Thanks for any replies!!

[Fisher Dave]

Its sounds to me like there is a loose connection somewhere. If it is alligator clips, be sure the springs have good tension and there is no dirt or corosion at the terminals. I have gone along with trolling motors before and have them cut out.. usually at high settings, and find that the connections were failing in the end.

It could be a lose connection in the motor also. I would probably be a cheap fix a motor clinic in Bloomington, or fish electronics on central if you cant figure it out.

[can it be luck?]

Low battery juice? On high she cuts out, left to rest, starts up on lower setting but cuts out when turned up to high again. I'm no mechanic, but will all trolling motors run "slower" on low juice and on the high setting, or not at all?

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[Guest]

Yup... might just be because of low juice.

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-FNC

"get on the natch"

[Kingfisher]

We had a similar problem with ours, the dealer thought it would be the seal by the prop because of fish line winding, but it turned out to be the switch. Works fine now.

[EBass]

Hmm, you know it could be the battery. I did noticed that it wasn't fully charged after being on the charger all night. I'll also and check every connection.

I have added some distilled water to it about a month ago. The battery is two yrs old.

OK well you gave me ideas to check out. I need a volt-meter thing.

Thanks everyone.

[Surface Tension]

If cuts out instantly its a switch. If winds down to nothing its the battery.
I take it your using a deep cycle battery and not a cranking battery(car).
Most deep cycle chargers charge at of a rate of 15 amps max which it seldom every dose and tapper down to nothing as it reaches a full charge. So if you have a 115 amp hr battery and your charger averages 5 amps its going to take almost 24 hours to charge. This is just an example. Also take into account that your motor doesn't have Maximizer. Your lucky to get a few hours use at max (5) setting.
What you described is a dead battery bouncing back after a rest.

[Alphid]

The switch might be just blowing. I know that you are suppose to put a breaker from your batteries to your electronics on your boat for surges. Our breaks once in a while if I works it supper hard and a little bit later it will reset and work fine.

[Chris Haley]

Another possibility is the circut board is bad. If it runs a while and then just cuts out, that may be the culprit. I had this happen to me a few years back, and the circut board was it. It runs for a while and then as it starts to heat up it cuts out.

[Surface Tension]

Next time it cuts out feel the wires/connections from the battery all the way to the motor. Your looking for anything hot. Switchs are the on/off forward/reverse and speed control.

[Fisher Dave]

If your battery is getting low on juice your motor will not just *cut out*, it will slow down gradually as the battery loses voltage and goes dead.

Your switch on that motor (assuming its transom mount) is part of the speed control.. handle twist one way for reverse in various speeds, other way for forward in various speeds. If the wires have bad connection to this switch inside of the motor it can cause this problem, as it will cause the problem if the switch is bad. The brush's in the motor could also be shot.

I would highly recommend taking it to a service shop if you cant find an obvious problem. The repair would likely be very reasonable, far less than a new motor.

[EBass]

I was talking to my buddy about this also known as Tonka Boy. He said that the pins in the foot control could be dirty it's a 50AT bow mount cable driven foot control to be exact. (sorry if I wasn't clear)

On the pedal there's the on/off/constant switch. Then the button on the foot pad (on/off) and the speed control. It didn't work when I put it on constant or pushed on the on/off button on the foot pad.

Fisher Dave, where is that place in Bloomington? It's called Motor Clinic?

I will mess with it and take apart the foot control thing and clean it up. I will also feel the wires when it happens again.

If it's the circut board then it's going in the shop or going back to the owner. I still have another trolling motor that came with the boat.

Thanks for all the suggestions - you guys rock!

[This message has been edited by EBass (edited 09-08-2003).]

[Fisher Dave]

Bow mount.. my bad.

Most the time the problem is in the pedal on bow mounts. A split shot, rock, sand, corosion always seems to find its way to the exact worst spots.

Clean out the pedal assembly and you probably wont have the problem anymore. If not Motor Clinic is in Bloomington.. Its not too far from the old Gander Mountain on 82nd and Lyndale.. but I dont remember the street its on. Call information and they should have the number, either that or call Hayes Tackle plus and Larry should have the number.. they referred me to the origionaly. I have had motors in there 3 times and always had them back the next day, and never a huge bill. I would recommend anyone to them(with the exception of people I dont like).

[Surface Tension]

Foot pedal connection.

[EBass]

Is this an internal switch I assume? I don't have a fuse on my power line. It's a Minnkota battery deep cycle, the one for 80 bucks. It's old though.

It didn't wind down. It just stopped. I didn't have it on 5 the whole time only when I needed the extra umph.

But it also cut out when on 2, so I'm leaning towards this switch thing.

The wire is a 6 strand 6awg. Then goes to a power distribution (where the boat lights hook up) and had a the same wire for the ground to goes to a distribution ground that's screwed to the boat. The trolling motor wire we spliced into a plug and it was even sodered, and from the plug it goes to the power distribution. I believe that all my connections are fine. I haven't checked all of them, but I am pretty anal when it comes to wiring.

I think it's this switch thing cause it just started happening last night and my boat lights were fine. (no flickering)

[Dave]

I don't know what type of connections you're speaking of, but WD40 cleans electrical contacts pretty well; with maybe an added soft brush.

[EBass]

WD40 does that? OK, I have that at home. I tried sand paper and that sucked. I tried to unscrew the switch and that's rusted together. OK I'll give it one more shot.

[EBass]

Motor Clinic
200 W 88 St Bloomington, MN 54420
(952) 881-0898

I just spoke to them and I explained my issue. He thinks it could be the connections or something in the lower unit with the speed control.

I asked him how much would it cost to trouble shoot. He said $20.

That's not bad at all! Thanks for the hook up Fisher Dave.

[EBass]

I took off the bottom housing of the foot pedal and every single connection is corrored. It's pretty bad. This isn't my trolling motor by the way. I would have to cut and splice all new connections, and that may not even be the issue.

I may take it in or return it to the owner and put back the hand control bow mount that came with the boat. Sucks but when I need to move I need to move you know?

Motor Clinic in Bloomington - I'll check them out.

Thanks for all the replies.

[EBass]

Problem solved. Bad connection at the plug.

However, the steering is kinda sticking. What's a good lube for those cables?

[Chris Haley]

Graphite, get the powder lock kind and spray it it on the cable it will work it's way in.

[Fisher Dave]

Ebass..

stop at any ATV dealership and they should have cable lube... If it stands up to mud and water on an ATV it should last forever in a boat.

[EBass]

Thanks fellas - I'll look them up this weekend.