Minnkota control panel shot? Is that right?

[Captain Caveman]

My Minnkota Powerdrive 40 is about two years old. Last fall it started working intermittantly. I pulled the foot pedal apart but it was clean as a whistle, no corrosion.

I just took it to a Minnkota service center. The guy tested the pedal and said that it was fine. Without even looking at the motor yet, he said that it was the control panel (I think?) inside the motor unit. He told me that if you store Minnkotas in sub-zero weather like I do in the garage for the winter, it will kill this controller. It's a $60 part plus labor.

Has anyone else heard of this situation? I was prepared to buy one of those wireless co-pilots to replace my footpedal, but now it seems as if something different is broken.

Do these panels really fry in the cold?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Minnkota control panel shot? Is that right?

It is highly unlikely storing the motor in an unheated gargage did any damage unless there is water in the motor. While he may be right about the control board being bad, it did not go bad from the cold, especially if it was acting up last summer.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Minnkota control panel shot? Is that right?

Agreed. It's sat outside for at least two winters, so it could have happened the previous one.

He did tell me that the board would be covered under warranty if I still had the receipt, but that's rather unlikely.

The guy made it sound like this is a common problem with Minnkotas. Either way, if he replaces it and it doesn't solve the problem then he'll have to eat the cost on his dime.