12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

[david950]

Hello there,

This is my first post, and I've done lots of searching, but just can't find my issue anywhere.

I have an old Skeeter with a MotorGuide trolling motor. I *had* a 12/24V charge switch up front, near the trolling motor plug, but the switch burned out. Not able to find a replacement, I decided to bypass the switch, as I had a 12/24V switch on my motor.

Finding the diagrams posted so often by SilverTip, I got everything wired up correctly, or so I thought. My first time on the water this season I found out that I have to use reverse to go forward, and vice versa. While this kind of works, it's sub-optimal and I'd like to get it fixed.

Now, since I *had* the 12/24V charge switch up front, I have four wires from the batteries up front - red, orange, and two blacks. I also have a 3 prong trolling motor socket/plug. I tied the two blacks together and wired them to the "center" leg, with red and orange on the others.

With a voltmeter, I get 24V across red/black, and 12V across orange/black.

How come my motor is running backwards? It didn't run backwards before the charge switch failed...

 

[travelingman1981]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

I am definitely not an expert but I would say you have hooked up two of the wires backwards, example, neg from motor going to positive from battery and positive from motor going to neg. from battery. This is just a guess, but I know if you hook up a 12v trolling motor that has 2 wires and hooks directly to battery backwards it will run opposite of how it is supposed to.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

Have you had the motor apart by any chance. If so, the plate the brushes were installed on can be installed 180 degrees from where it should be. Also, connecting the two blacks together means you do not have a correct connection. The original RUN/CHARGE switch did the series to parallel connection so the batteries could both be charged using a single 12 volt charger connected to the troller plug or one of the batteries. By connecting the two blacks them you cannot possibly have both 12 and 24 volts. By the way, the run/charge switch is nothing special. Go to Radio Shack and choose from about three styles. If the system is wired the way you say, measuring orange to black or red to black should both measure 12 volts. Your motor is not wired that way in that it uses only the red/black or orange/black for 24/12 volts respectively. The motor does not use orange and red at the same time. 24 volts requires a series connection of two batteries. 12 volts requires selection of just one of the batteries, or both of them in parallel. With the black from both batteries tied together you cannot achieve series connection.

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

Okay, SilverTip, you got me thinking. I thought I told the right story, but I'd forgotten I did some re-wiring (based on your diagrams) when bypassing the charge switch.

I pulled out the wires I couldn't see from the back of the socket and diagrammed what I have:

The grounds that were doubled up in my initial description were the "returns" off of my big foot floor switches.

No, I haven't had the motor apart.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

What does your "Big Foot" consist of? Is the switch you show the "go button" on the foot pedal or is that something you added? Next, are you sure the red wire from the batteries matches the red wire going to the troller when the connector is mated. Same for the orange and black. Otherwise, what you have is correct. You should measure 24 volts red/black and 12 volts orange/black. Keep in mind you will only run on one battery in the 12 volt mode whereas with the run/charge switch that feature probably switched the batteries from series to parallel so you ran on both batteries in the 12 volt mode.

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

My "Big Foot" switch is this:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...1_16071_225001000_225000000_225001000_225-1-0

It's a floor mounted momentary switch placed inline with the ground wire. My trolling motor is an old handle controlled one. While the switch may have been added, it was there when I bought the boat two years ago.

I do measure 12v across orange/black and 24v across red/black.

I did test that the red/orange at the front of the boat match with the batteries at the back of the boat when I originally made this modification but I will re-test this evening.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

I'm not talking about the bow wiring vs the battery wiring. I'm suggesting that the three wires in the trolling motor cable are not matched up with the wiring at the bow. Switches like yours are not normally wired into a ground circuit. In fact switches should never be installed in a ground circuit. It will work but it is not good practice. Do you have three wires in the cable from the trolling motor to the receptacle at the bow?

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

I opened the male plug from the trolling motor - the MARINCO plug that plugs in to the boat. There are three wires - red, white, and black. This three pronged plug plugs in to the female receptacle in the bow. The wires matchup thusly:

red > red (24V)
white > orange (12V)
black > black (GND)

My plug looks like this:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...1_23097_225001006_225000000_225001000_225-1-6

Keep in mind my trolling motor has a 12/24 switch on it (this is why, when not finding a replacement *charge* switch I elected to bypass it, as I wasn't losing functionality). This switch is working correctly. I can also disconnect either red or orange from the female side and "kill" that side of the motor's function (12 or 24).

I can only assume the switch is installed in the ground as that's the easiest way to interrupt the circuit, esp. with the two (12/24) "hot" wires. I didn't install them.

I appreciate your help and patience with this! I'm determined to get my trolling motor going the right direction!

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

I also opened the "head" of the trolling motor, which is a Motorguide Brute 567, if that helps.

Of the three wires that come in from the plug, red and white go to the "ends" (poles?) of the SPDT 12/24 switch. The black goes to the direction/speed switch. Another nearby black comes from that switch and goes to the "middle" (common?) of the SPDT 12/24 switch.

From the direction/speed switch, four wires go down to the motor.

The inside of the head is spotless, and doesn't appear to have been messed with (no obvious cuts/solders, etc) - everything appears as new, all matching connectors (spade type) and so on.

I can provide photos or drawings of anything you think would help.

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

I just found this at mikesreelrepair.com:

I immeidately ran outside, hoping B+ and B- (my two blacks) were switched, but they aren't. I printed this out and am headed out to the garage.

Sorry to turn this into a twitter style post...

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

I crossed my fingers, flipped B+ and B- at the switch in the head, and I'm good to go. Maybe the motor was repaired in a previous life, and then mis-wired at the old 4 way switch to compensate.

It's working now.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

Now I'm going to ask one more question that may seem rather "out there" but it has come up many times here. Is this motor by any chance a stern mount motor that has been mounted on the bow? If it is, the next question is which way does the prop point? Forward or toward the stern? Many folks try this and then find out that the tiller handle points forward. Just turning the handle toward you means the prop faces forward and thus would push the boat backwards when any forward speed is selected. If this is the conversion, the head must be removed and turned 180 degrees to have the prop face the rear. If this is not the issue and you have it fixed, go fishing!

 

[david950]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

Um, the propeller faces the rear - you would say it's at the rear of a bullet shaped housing that encloses the motor.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

OK -- if you have everything working then go fishing.

 

[PAF3511]

Re: 12/24 Trolling Motor running backwards

Had the same problem. Try the steps below. My magnet shell was upside down. turned it 180 degrees and now it works fine. Make sure if you take the lower unit apart you put new o rings on, or it will leak.


Motor runs backwards
Step 1. Polarity reversed to armature. Possible causes include:
A. Wired backwards
B. Brush plate in upside down
C. Magnet shell upside down (on 3 ?? or 3 5/8? motor assemblies the marking notch should be on the
bottom towards the skeg)