Motorguide wireless motor problem

[01brothb]

I have a Motorguide wireless motor that will not rotate left and right. I have a hand held control and a foot control, but neither will turn the motor. The motor works fine and I can control the speed with either control. I changed both batteries in the controls but nothing changed. The steering motor failed a couple of times but started working again. The last three times on the lake the steering motor did not work, but the drive motor worked fine. I am not sure if steering motor and drive motor are the proper terms. The only response I get when trying to rotate the motor is one beep. Anyone had similar problems? Is there any tests I can perform to rule out the steering motor? I assume that there must be a control board. Any help would be appreciated

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Motorguide wireless motor problem

It sounds like there are intermittent connections in the motor. Intermittent connections are hard to find since you cannot find it if the device is currently working. A voltmeter is going to be your friend AFTER you do a thorough inspection.
1) If neither the hand-held unit or the foot pedal work, that should tell you the issue is in the motor -- not either of the controls.
2) I am not familiar with your motor but normally there are wires going into the head unit at the top of the shaft. Remove the cover and look for loose, damaged, disconnected or corroded wires.
3) Ensure the wiring at the battery(ies) is ok and that the battery(ies) is/are fully charged. If the batteries are older, have them load tested. Just because you put a charger on them does not mean they are good. A bad battery can measure 12.6 volts but when you put a load on it voltage drops significantly. That severe voltage drop may prevent the electronics from working correctly.
4) If things appear normal to this point, get a schematic for the unit and use the voltmeter to follow the "juice". When you lose it, you found the problem.