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Author Topic: FINALLY FIXED!  (Read 5031 times)

Baitbucket

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FINALLY FIXED!
« on: May 02, 2021, 05:38 PM »
Many here know the saga of my trolling motor issues ive had since in got my 2000$ Minn Kota. Ive had their service center replace the Armature, Circuit Board, Power wire, etc.. Most of it I had to pay for as they only have a 1 year warranty.

Today i said FOOK IT! And decided i was going to fix it myself, even if it rendered it useless and i had to get something new.

The issues i faced, since the day i got it, was that the power would cut out to the prop. The head would turn like it was trying to navigate, but the prop wouldnt turn on. Well.. I got it fixed now. See the video for details..

PS.. Im pretty much a Minn Kota pro repair man now if anyone has issues, please feel free to ask lol..




zwiggles

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2021, 06:29 PM »
Good on you for sharing it out! Hopefully it works out for you, and saves someone else come headaches down the road.

stripernut

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2021, 08:19 PM »
Clearly damaged during manufacturing and their service people, charged you to work on it and did not fix it... I look forward to the day Garmin works out any bugs there trolling motors might have and drop the price...
Congrats!

Jethro

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #3 on: May 03, 2021, 07:42 AM »
Poor quality control for sure! What can you expect for $2 grand :o Pretty concerning with how much electrical is involved with these things.

Hopefully it'll give you years of trouble free service now. I have to change out a drive gear I stripped in my trolling motor and I am not looking forward to it.

taxid

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2021, 07:51 AM »
Sometimes you just have to fix it yourself! Been there done that!  Did that recently with a dishwasher after having a service guy out to fix it and didn't fix it.

Thanks for sharing! If I have an issue I know where to look!

I bought a Terrova with spot lock a year ago and haven't even mounted it on the boat yet!
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

taxid

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2021, 07:57 AM »
Clearly damaged during manufacturing and their service people, charged you to work on it and did not fix it... I look forward to the day Garmin works out any bugs there trolling motors might have and drop the price...
Congrats!

I wonder why the wires were damaged there? Maybe a sharp bend from how the unit was packed in the box?
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

lowaccord66

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2021, 08:15 AM »
I've owned 2 ipilot units used zero issues.  Both 2014 models.  One riptide and one terrova.  Glad to see you figured it out Will.

Baitbucket

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2021, 02:54 PM »
Pretty concerning with how much electrical is involved with these things.


There are quite a few skinny wires like these throughout the whole motor.

I wonder why the wires were damaged there? Maybe a sharp bend from how the unit was packed in the box?

The iPilot Link head was an Add-on that Cabellas had done for these series of motors. Who did the work and installed them, who knows...


I've owned 2 ipilot units used zero issues.  Both 2014 models.  One riptide and one terrova.  Glad to see you figured it out Will.

Heres hoping Minn Kota makes it right...

rgfixit

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2021, 05:34 PM »
That’s some really good troubleshooting. Kudos from an old electrician.

Rg
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

stripernut

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2021, 10:39 PM »
From what I saw and the video, it is clear to me that when they snapped on the Anti-interference High-Frequency Ferrite Core Choke Clip they damaged the wires. Looks like they are/did try to use one that is too small.

lowaccord66

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #10 on: May 04, 2021, 09:57 AM »
Was a good video.  Will how hard is it to remove the head in its entirety?  I need to replace my collar it's cracked but have been limping along because my smooth brain can't start to figure out how to remove it.

Baitbucket

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #11 on: May 04, 2021, 02:40 PM »
Was a good video.  Will how hard is it to remove the head in its entirety?  I need to replace my collar it's cracked but have been limping along because my smooth brain can't start to figure out how to remove it.

The bottom half of the head is held on by two screws that attach it to the shaft. The upper part is just 4 small screws that screw in through the bottom of the lower half of the head. The wires unplug pretty easy and feed thru the lower half.




lowaccord66

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #12 on: May 04, 2021, 05:05 PM »
Thanks brother!  Appreciate that.

Baitbucket

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2021, 08:30 AM »
Still no word from Minn Kota.. Not surprised tho..

Update:
They told me it was out of warranty and there was nothing they could do, and offered me a free hat and t-shirt from my troubles....

Like i would want to advertise their products after all this...

ICEHOLE

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Re: FINALLY FIXED!
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2021, 09:58 AM »
i work in service industry so i am always getting asked to get things covered when the very cut and warranty has expires by time or miles so i am curious...
did you send them the video you posted in this forum with the commentary?
when i first watched your video, i cringed a little bit when you said  something along the lines of "hopefully i can send this out to minkota and they can figure something out but probably not"
companies will bend at times, but if you give them bad publicity (whether deserved or not) they are not going to help you..
when i reach out to companies i let them know i am reaching out before posting to forums/social media to look for a resolution, and i have found most companies are eager to correct the issue and steer you towards posting a positive experience with the company
just my thoughts...
kudos on the diy at least. beats having a paperweight and thousands less in the bank account!
Trout, LMB, SMB, BullHeads, Lakers, Pike, Carp

 



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