Messed Up Trolling Motor

[FishinsMyLife]

My current motor is a Minn Kota that's not but a few years old. It's a 30lb thrust, and I want to say it's an Endura, but I'll have to check in the morning for sure. The past couple trips, it has been acting up. It acts like it has line wrapped up in it, but I've long since removed the propeller and cleaned it out. After a while, there's a grind/knocking and it "feels" like its struggling to turn before it slows and quits.

It sat unused for a while until recently. I hooked it up to a battery and it ran fine, all speeds, forward and reverse while not in the water. I figured (hoped) it had worked its problems out on its own (reasonable, right?). I put it on the boat and headed to the river the other day, and sure enough, it worked fine at first, but after a couple minutes, it started to sound/feel labored again, and eventually slowed down and jerked to a halt.

Maybe it has something to do with getting wet? A seal maybe? Anyone else had similar problems? Not sure what to do with the thing seeing as its not but 3 or 4 years old. I can't drop $100 for another low powered trolling motor right now, so I'm stuck motorless...

 

[redbug]

it sounds like you have a leak
I have heard of electrical problems working themselves out but have never seen it in person

 

[huntinfool]

As it is you have a motor that does not work and is not reliable. I'd suggest taking it apart. ( you have nothing to lose) I took apart three TM's here at my shop and rebuilt them all and now they all work. I found some schematics online and then just jumped in. (there are places where you could take it, but they could be expensive) You may have a bad seal or maybe have some sand in it.

When it stops working does it get hot? Are the cables hot?

 

[FishinsMyLife]

I had someone else tell me to see if it gets hot, too. I'll have to check when I get a chance.

 

[richg99]

Great suggestion re checking to see if it "gets hot" ..

You might also check the wiring to see if it "gets hot". If it is drawing too much current, the wiring is the lightest thing that you can hold in your hand and feel the heat. If you can find a friend with an ammeter...that would be best, of course. Rich

p.s. Since my memory is slipping, along with everything else...I often take digital photos of whatever I am tearing down...EVERY step of the process. That way, I can ( sometimes) put things back the way I found them. RG

 

[FishinsMyLife]

Ran it OUT of the water today and it was fine. I had it cranked up to 5th speed for 10 minutes straight and nothing was hot. It's looking like a seal or leak somewhere I guess. I'm going to look at it some more tonight if I have the time

 

[huntinfool]

https://www.trollingmotorparts.com/...oup=Home&SMID=186&SMSubID=55&nosearchprompt=1
Here is a link to a Minn Kota. It will give you the basic break down.
Take the prop off. Behind it you should find two hex head bolts. Take those out and the face should come off the case. There should be a seal on the face and the rear cone end. Make sure they are both good. You should also be able to tell if there is any sand in it or corrosion.
Running it with out the water means that it isn't under load. Have you checked also to make sure there is not any fishing line behind the prop?
Get a bucket of water and place the motor in it and run it in there and then see if it is getting hot or if the wires are getting hot.

 

[BaitCaster]

Bearing problem?

 

[FishinsMyLife]

Yeah, I've long since checked to make sure it wasn't line behind the prop. I just didn't have the balls to take it apart any further than that, but I figured I had nothing to lose.

There was some sand (and grease mixed..) and a little bit of corrosion back in the case..and by that I mean it was nasty looking :lol: I have it cleaned up as best as it's going to be now. The o-rings were beat up. I took them off and they were all kinds of stretched out. I'm going to see if I can find some new ones or just seal it all back up with silicon or something.

 

[huntinfool]

There are several places online to buy parts. Get the proper o-ring to seal this up. Silicone will probably fail after time. Here are a couple I just found, but there are several others.

https://warnersdock.com/Minnkota/
https://www.trollingmotorparts.com/
i have used the bottom one in the past and they did me right. I'd suggest calling them and then explain what you need, they should be able to take care of you.

 

[juggernoob]

It's most likely a leak. This happened to my 36lb Minn Kota this past fall. Worked fine out of the water, brought it out and the motor worked for a few minutes then died. Initially thought it was an issue with my battery, but I tried a different battery and it was the same thing. Finally took the thing apart and there was a leak somewhere, there was a little water inside the housing and a bit of rust, not sure if one of the seals had busted, or if water had gotten in from the top and down the shaft. Northland Marine has a kit that covers all the seals and replaces the Brush Kit, I also ended up replacing the armature assembly as well. The Minn Kota trolling motors are easy to work with, just watch out the center housing, it's big magnet and as soon as you tried to put everything back together the magnet kicks in and pulls the armature assembly in.

Minn Kota Brush Kit and seals
https://www.northlandmarine.com/MinnBushKit3.25.htm

The folks at Northland Marine were great. I initially tried to put together a kit and purchase the items from https://www.trollingmotorparts.com, but the prices I received via email didn't match the prices when I tried to call in my order, the person on the phone told me that "the person responsible for responding to emails is the owner and he's kinda out of the business now", aah okay then why is he replying to price quotes?