Minn Kota trolling motor help

[N Florida Mike]

I’ve tried several times to figure this out and just can’t. I’ve had many TMs, mostly minnkotas and have never had this issue before so ... The gear box head keeps coming off... I’ve taken the pin out and reversed the head a few times , and when you put the pin back in and tighten the nut, it would be secure and not come off.

Now, I do the same thing and the head is still loose and comes off, sometimes when I’m trying to turn especially. It sometimes comes off and I go around in circles until I can fit it back on. It seems like maybe there’s something missing that was holding it on but I did it before and don’t remember anything different...
Im swallowing what little bit of pride I have left and need y’all’s help. It’s probably some little thing that’ll make me look stupid, but I don’t care at this point...

 

[Tim Kelly]

Sounds very odd. If the bolt's going through the hole in the shaft and the shaft looks OK there's not much that could go wrong. Get someone else to have a look at it. Sometimes fresh eyes can spot an obvious mistake.

[N Florida Mike]

Thanks Tim. The hole in the shaft is more of a slot thats open to the top. I can’t see how it ever held it in place unless there was something there before that fell out and I didn’t notice it . Wish I could find the handbook with the parts diagram.

 

[Tim Kelly]

https://www.fish307.com/minn-kota-endura-c2-30-parts-2015/

 

Search minn kota schematic.

 

[N Florida Mike]

Hey , I appreciate that! Will look at it after I go fishing!

[N Florida Mike]

Finally took it to the trolling motor shop because I couldn’t tell - it looked like maybe the end of the shaft had a piece that had come off. He said SOMEONE had broke the shaft near the top below the pin hole and had filed it down to make it look normal.

I have 3 suspects, but I know they won’t admit it.  

So I used JB weld and reattached it. It’s that , or get a new one . When it breaks down next time, I will.
I should have known.?

[Tim Kelly]

You couldn't drill another pair of holes in the shaft a bit further down and cut he shaft down a hair to make it all fit?

[N Florida Mike]

? . I don’t see why not,  except that I don’t know if the cables would have enough room though. There isn’t much room with the full length- they nearly fill up the shaft already, and there’s only a little slack lengthwise.  I guess I could cut them and reattach them.  Still a great idea to try if this fails. Planning to test it this afternoon. I can always chisel off the JB weld if it doesn’t hold or if I need to work on the gear box.It runs almost like brand new- It still pushes my JB very well.