Minn Kota power drive problem

miichael18

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
161
ok guys and gals im having a problem with my minn kota power drive 40lb thrust trolling motor. it has the foot controller with 25 ft cord on it and adjustable speeds from 0 to 10. here is a pic of my pedal.

http://www.northlandmarine.com/images/MinnKotaPowerDriveFootPedalAssy.jpg

Now here is my problem. After leaving my boat sitting for winter i got it out uncovered it and was testing everything and checking things. with my trolling battery charged 100% when i turn on my foot pedal and start up the scale to adjust speed the prop does not move till it gets to around 6-7 then it starts moving very slow. maxed out at 10 it moves pretty good but i have no movement at all in prop from 0 to 7 where it use to spin on setting 1 and gradually got faster as i went up. i dont want to buy a $80 pedal to find out that my motor is messed up and iv tried to ask around to borrow or test another foot pedal but cant find one. what do you guys think? i tried cleaning the pedal good as it has dirt on the board but after good cleaning still has no speed from 0 to 7.

Thanks for any help.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,468
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

i tried cleaning the pedal good as it has dirt on the board but after good cleaning still has no speed from 0 to 7.

Ayuh,... Test it with a multimeter to see if the pedal is passing Power, or not...
 

tin

Seaman
Joined
Dec 23, 2010
Messages
74
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

Did you check the prop for fishing line or some other entaglement ?
 

miichael18

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
161
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

Did you check the prop for fishing line or some other entaglement ?

there is nothing around the prop. the trolling motor worked great last fall. havent had it on water since then and now its not working.
 

tin

Seaman
Joined
Dec 23, 2010
Messages
74
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

OK it was just a suggestion ...It happened to me that's all....
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

One more test. WARNING: Disconnect the power.
now turn the prop by hand to check for free rotation. You will feel a slight jerkiness as you turn the prop but it should still turn freely. If not, the bearings have tightened up. If it still turns freely, then the issue is very likely the control board in the foot pedal. This is a fairly common complaint with MinnKota foot pedals and the problem (especially with speed control) is that people are fairly "heavy footed" when adjusting the speed. Beneath that slider is a membrane that the slider moves over. This movement changes resistance on the control board that ultimately changes the motor speed. To much pressure screws up that membrane and the bad news is that you cannot repair it. I'm not guaranteeing that's the problem but I would rate my guess as pretty high on the list of possibilities. If you have a friend that has a NON-V2 pedal, use his to determine if there is a motor or pedal problem. Just so you know, the boards are nearly as expensive as the entire pedal. Your choices should therefore be obvious. As a last bit of advice, when you have finished using the motor for the day, store the pedal in a compartment out of the weather. Those membrane switches can be punctured which allows moisture between them and the circuit board paths beneath them. Again, be gentle with the pedal and it will last for years.
 

miichael18

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
161
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

when i spin the prop it spins fairly good i mean its got some tension i cant spin it with my hand and it keep turning but its not hard to spin.i let it run for a few minutes to see if it got better but it stays the same. i think the foot pedal is bad however i hate to speed 80-100 on a new one to find out its not the problem.
 

bassman284

Commander
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Messages
2,839
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

One more test. WARNING: Disconnect the power.
now turn the prop by hand to check for free rotation. You will feel a slight jerkiness as you turn the prop but it should still turn freely. If not, the bearings have tightened up. If it still turns freely, then the issue is very likely the control board in the foot pedal. This is a fairly common complaint with MinnKota foot pedals and the problem (especially with speed control) is that people are fairly "heavy footed" when adjusting the speed. Beneath that slider is a membrane that the slider moves over. This movement changes resistance on the control board that ultimately changes the motor speed. To much pressure screws up that membrane and the bad news is that you cannot repair it. I'm not guaranteeing that's the problem but I would rate my guess as pretty high on the list of possibilities. If you have a friend that has a NON-V2 pedal, use his to determine if there is a motor or pedal problem. Just so you know, the boards are nearly as expensive as the entire pedal. Your choices should therefore be obvious. As a last bit of advice, when you have finished using the motor for the day, store the pedal in a compartment out of the weather. Those membrane switches can be punctured which allows moisture between them and the circuit board paths beneath them. Again, be gentle with the pedal and it will last for years.

Yeah, I had to replace a 2 year old foot pedal last September. I took the old one apart and looked at the circuit board and it looked pretty gnarly in the 4-7 range that I normally use. With the new one, I now adjust the slider by hand instead of by foot. Pain in the back but I hope that makes it last a little longer.
 

miichael18

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
161
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

iv never used mine as a foot control iv always used it by hand trolling for crappie. i took mine apart and cleaned it up good but still nothing at lower speeds. the little slide piece on the board looks brand new. guess ill just have to find one somewhere and test it before i sink 100 in a new pedal
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

New pedals aren't $100. $75 is the going price last time I checked at Cabelas.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,468
Re: Minn Kota power drive problem

guess ill just have to find one somewhere and test it before i sink 100 in a new pedal

Ayuh,... So I take it you don't have a multimeter, 'n don't know how to use 1,..??

It's electrical, there for Testable....
 
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