Minn Kota Trolling motor wont turn

[CatriderF7]

I just bought a boat with a minn kota trolling motor, the thrust works but it will not turn left or right. Im thinking its not the pedal because I can hold the charge indicator button on the base and it says fully charged, but if i tap the pedal left or right the charge light instantly drops down to "Good". To me that means the pedal is making contact and drawing power.

 

[gm280]

I am assuming this is a wireless foot control trolling motor since you didn't provide any model type. If so, maybe the head unit isn't responding to the foot commands? Need more info.

 

[CatriderF7]

This is an older bow mount, foot control unit with the wired pedal

 

[gm280]

Have you owned it all the time, or just bought it from some one? If you owned it the entire time, did it just start doing this? If so then maybe there is a corroded connection between the foot section and the head unit. Maybe time to open the foot section up for a look see. If you see any questionable connection, resolder it and see what happens. If that doesn't fix anything, open teh head unit and do the same. Usually if it has been working a just stops, it is usually a wire issue. Pop up a few picture for us to see what you are dealing with. Can offer more precise ideas then.

 

[CatriderF7]

This was on a boat that I recently bought. Has been sitting outside for the past 7 years with the trolling motor on it. (Whole boat was only $500) I picked up another powerdrive to throw on there for now and I will get the old one off and take it apart. Ill attach the one pic i have of it for now lol

 

[chris.olson]

There is a circuit board in the pedal and another one in the motor itself. If it has the flat pin plug (prior to the V2 - just the standard PowerDrive) instead of the round one those boards are no longer available. From your photo I can't tell if it's the one with the white head on it, which were 55lb thrust PowerDrive V1 with the notched collar that slides down the tube and engages with the steering unit.

It is possible to change to the newer style board in the original PowerDrive's, but it also requires the newer V2 foot pedal. In the end the cost of it is more than picking up a good used PowerDrive V2, for which parts are readily available.

Northland Marine in Three Lakes, WI is the largest dealer and service center in the world for MinnKota. If you contact them they can likely help you out with either good used parts for an older motor, or advice on whether or not your vintage is worth fixing. You'll need the serial and model numbers off the tag on the unit for them to help you out, and that's normally located on the bottom of the head unit.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Imagine that a guy buys a used boat and the trolling motor doesn't work. Seems far too common.

 

[chris.olson]

Imagine that a guy buys a used boat and the trolling motor doesn't work. Seems far too common.

Most times they are easily repaired. The biggest issue is availability of parts for original PowerDrive's, as they changed the design when they went to the i-Pilot compatible models. And the i-Pilot became the new "have to have it" thing.

 

[DeepCMark58A]

I have bought a few boats that came with a trolling motor that did not work and they were older units not worth repairing.

 

[chris.olson]

Sometimes that may be the case, especially if you want a more modern unit with GPS guidance built into it and your older unit can't be retro-fitted for that. But in all fairness to the Minn Kota motors, they are quite tough, a good supply of parts available for them, and they are most times worth fixing. The exception would be if the control board goes out in an older PowerDrive, or the control board in the wired foot pedal goes bad, as those are no longer available. Updating it to the newer board to add i-Pilot to it is quite expensive (around $800 bucks). You can install a new PowerDrive 55 with i-Pilot and wireless handheld remote for about $1,200.