12/24 volt trolling motor problems

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
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My 12/24 volt trolling motor will only work in 12 volts. When I switch it to 24 volts it kind of wiggles like it wants to start but cannot ge enough juice. I have 4 wires going to batteries. Any help would be appreciated.
 

seabob4

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Jun 10, 2008
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1,603
Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Are you sure you have the batts wired in series (24V) and not just in parallel (12V)? With a 12/24, the batts have to be wired in series to provide 24VDC, in 12V mode the motor is using hot and ground off 1 batt to give it 12VDC...
 

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
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Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Well, correct me if I am wrong but if mine has 4 wires, I just hook it up like parallel because the switch on the foot pedal does the series parallel change?
 

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
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Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Another odd thing is that if i flip it from off to 24 ove and over again while holding the button down it starts to warm up, but when i switch it to 12 volts it turns faster than 24. Could it be wired backwards where 12 is actually 24
 

seabob4

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Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

I think what you are trying to say is that one set of leads goes to pos and neg of 1 batt to give you 12V, the other set goes to positive of 1 batt, neg to the other batt to give you 24V. You still need to have the batts wired in series (24V) to have the 24V function available to you. A switch in the base of the TM is not going to turn a 12V bank into 24...
 

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
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Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Well that's how i wish my wires were. I have two reds and two blacks. One red says batt1 one black says batt1. The other red says batt2 and other black says batt2.
 

Silvertip

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Sep 22, 2003
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28,758
Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Are you sure you have the batts wired in series (24V) and not just in parallel (12V)? With a 12/24, the batts have to be wired in series to provide 24VDC, in 12V mode the motor is using hot and ground off 1 batt to give it 12VDC...

Even Cabelas only gets it half right and referring the OP to that site does him no good whatsoever. Why? Because he has a FOUR wire system, not a THREE wire system which you are indicating as how his system should be wired. The unknown here is what's at the FRONT end of the boat. If there is a 12/24/RUN/CHARGE switch wiring to that panel can also play into this. If there is no switch panel at the bow, AND there is a FOUR terminal receptacle then the switch on the motor does the 12/24 switching and actually places the batteries in parallel for 12 volt operation. A three wire system cannot do that so only one battery is used. So until we know where those four wires go to up front all we can do is guess. Then we also need to ask if the motor has three or four wires going to the plug.
Did I mention that I hate these systems -- and apparently others did too as you don't see them any longer.
 

seabob4

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Jun 10, 2008
Messages
1,603
Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

OK, answer me this. How can you have 2 batts wired in parallel (12V) converted to 24V via a switch? Oh, I see. 1 lead from the switch to pos off batt 1. One lead from the switch to neg off batt 2. The second and third leads to neg on batt 1, pos on batt 2, and combined in the switch. That would give 24V. Move the switch to 12V, and only the first lead, and the second or third lead is used, the pos and neg of batt 1, for 12V.

Chuck that system!!!

And silvertip, you ought to learn some manners. We don't come on here to degrade, we come on here to help. For you to tell me that my info "does the OP no good whatsoever?" Dude, lighten up Francis!!
 

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
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Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Thanks for the replies. Ok My foot pedal has a 12 off 24 switch. Plug has 4 receptacles.
 

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
Messages
7
Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Four wires to plug and 4 wires to
Batteries
 

geemgee

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Apr 26, 2013
Messages
7
Re: 12/24 volt trolling motor problems

Any ideas on what my problem might be? Thanks for any replies.
 
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