Northwest Fishing Reports

Got a free 30 # thrust trolling motor from a guy that says the battery cable gets really hot when in use. Any idea why this is occuring? Any suggestions? Thanks.

does it turn at all?

Could be a short.

or;

Too much load in motor causing heat - bad brushes, connection corroded.

Bad connection in head causing heat.

Diodes/components going bad.

Check for corrosion, and bad connections, and check the brushes and condition of armiture.

Oh ya, where is the heat, at the battery, or at the head?

Check the connections at both ends of the cable to be sure they are connected good to the cable, as they can get corroded under the insulation and under the furrel/tube of the connector too.

First culprit to check is a loose or corroded connection somewhere. That'll heat the wire up really quick, especially at full power. Once those all check out start going down the list that Amx posted.

The connectors from the battery cable to the inside oe the motor are a little corroded. How should I clean them? I think I found the problem otherwise.

Take it apart, wire brush, then sandpaper. Get them nice and shiny.

And once you do that and get the connection nice and tight. Spray a little anti-corrosion spray (available at Shucks or Napa) on them to prevent them from corroding again. Good luck.

thanks.

Take a look at the two alligator clamps that go on to the battery. One has broken strands in it. Remove it and clamp it back on to a full batch of copper strands.

That's where your problem is. I had the same one on a motor of my own.

Thanks. Wire is pretty fried. Finding zipwire on whidbey is impossible. Gonna go to home depot this weekend and see if they got it or at least 8 guage wire.

if you not scared take the top of the motor off too....while you have clamps and heavy 6 gauge at the batt. inside at the 5 pos switch is usually a cheap female spade terminal and loose