pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

I have a newer minnkota trollling motor that just stopped working. it happened right after two things. One, i ran a manual bilge pump off of the same batter that runs the trolling motor. then the next morning my friend used the trolling motor to hoist himself up onto the boat as he was pushing it away from shore. So i'm wondering if either of those two things had something do do with it or what. The pedal makes the motor spin around all day long but the prop won't go anywhere. Sometimes you see a very slight start of a rotation like it's just starting to, but really it just moves 1-2 cm. It has a full charge to both batteries. any thoughts on this? is is possible for a fuse to be blown somewhere that would let the motor spin around but not let the prop spin? any help would help.. thanks!

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

There are no internal or external fuses except for the circuit breaker or fuse located at the positive terminal of the trolling motor battery. If that were open however, nothing would work. If your controller has been left out in the rain regularly you may be in need of a new one. However, disconnect and reconnect the controller cable several times to burnish the connector contacts. Again, leaviing this unit in the rain allows corrosion to build up on the connector contacts. The controller has a number of "membrane" type switches inside it. If the membrane is punctured, mosture again become the culprit for failure to operate.

Lastly, tell your friend this is a trolling motor, not a boarding ladder.

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

yeah i got mad at him, he's mad at me for getting mad at him saying it couldn't have anything to do with it. Is there a rod that goes down the shaft that could have gotten bent or something? The motor is in near new condition and the pedal has always been stored in my garage in a box with a vapor obsorber thing. It says it's a 24v system. you think if just one of the batteries was bad and the other good it could do this? thanks!

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

Ok so start doing some trouble shooting. Pull the prop off and check for fishing line or accumulation of other debri under the prop. with the prop off spin the shaft and check to see if its bent. I havr seen a shaft bent so the prop was rubbing inside the housing and would force it to not spin.

Regardless of what you think these motors can be stalled quite easily especially from a stop. They may produce 50-100lbs of thrust but they dont produce gobs and gobs of torque.

Besides cleaning contacts this would be where I'd start. The simple stuff.

Bill

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

If you have a 24 volt motor and one of the batteries is bad, the motor is getting nowhere the power it needs to run so yes -- that could be part of the problem. Have them load tested at any auto store.

Also remove the prop and check for fish line wound tightly around the shaft. That can stall a motor. Turn the prop by hand to see if the motor turns freely. YOu will feel slight jerkiness as you turn the prop but it should turn quite freely. If it seems to be binding, there is a motor problem.

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

Thanks for the comments. I took the whole thing apart. I ended up taking the power cord that goes into the board and unhooking it and rehooking it straight to the motor and it spins just fine. So i know it's not the motor or a bent housing or the wire running down the shaft. Also checked continuity in the wire coil and it's good running from the board to the top of the trolling motor and it's fine. so it's either the foot switch of the board as best i can figure. i'm going to borrow a foot switch tomorrow to see if that fixes the problem if not, then buy a new board...

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

If the foot control is bad, don't bother with a new board. The entire foot control is about $75 at Cabelas but check here on iBoats as well..

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

What was the problem? Mine is doing the exact same thing!

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

If you can wire the motor direct and the prop spins and the foot pedal will still turn the motor to steer, I'll bet money that it's the board. I've replaced the board on my Motorguide twice, the first time it was under warranty... the second time I wasn't so lucky $202 worth.

Check your warranty.

Re: pedal moves device but prop doesn't spin..

Splat said:

Regardless of what you think these motors can be stalled quite easily especially from a stop. They may produce 50-100lbs of thrust but they dont produce gobs and gobs of torque.

Bill

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This is absolutely untrue. NEVER try to hold a prop on a trolling motor to test its power. You will end up with stitches and perhaps some missing fingers. An electric motor develops maximum torque at stall and believe me, you can suffer severe lacerations.