MotorGuide Trolling Motor Unresponsive

[CI-200Bantam]

Evening ladies and gents,

 

Preface: If this has been answered before, my bad. Tried finding similar cases with the search feature, couldn't.

 

My dad and I have been using the quarantine time to get all the maintenance stuff done on our boat+trailer we haven't gotten around to yet, including getting the bow-mounted MotorGuide TM running (again). So far, the motor is completely unresponsive. We know so far:

- TM is getting power - current tester on the unit reads "fair" - enough power to run the unit in the past

- New battery in the controller

- Leads are newly cleaned

 

And that's it. Poked around in the circuit board of the controller with a voltmeter, got back about 3v, the same as the battery kicked when out of the controller so I think the controller circuit board is working. Maybe.

 

Some questions to start this if anyone can help:

- Is there a way to definitively test if the receiver in the TM and/or the transmitter in the wireless controller is working? Since the motor is wholly unresponsive, my gut tells me its one of the two.

- Where is the circuit board in the TM located? We think its in the lower unit - worth popping it off and seeing if anything in there's fried?

- Can wireless TM's be modified to be wired? Getting pretty sick of chasing these gremlins down every year

 

Motor information:

- Motorguide W55 wireless (foot-pedal controller); runs off 12v battery

- Model number of motor: 970100030

- Bout 7-8 years old now, pretty heavily used (fresh and salt, but mostly freshwater); was bought new

 

Any advice would be really appreciated. Really not trying to drop a couple hundred bucks on a new trolling motor at the moment.

[Scott F]

Before I did any other troubleshooting on the motor, I’d hook it up to a different battery that you know for sure is fully charged.

[Jig Man]

The mother board should be in the head.

[12poundbass]

If you find that it’s the circuit board let me know. I used to have a W45 and I have a circuit board, maybe they’re the same. 

[WRB]

Have you inspected the motor and checked the brushes? A tolling motor is a electric motor that requires current to the brushes to spin the armature shaft.

Tom

 

[CI-200Bantam]

Did hook it up to a new, still no reaction though. Thank you for that advice @Scott F

 

We popped the head open a couple days ago, no motherboard to be found. Only 2 wires (1 red, 1 black), which I suppose run electric power to the motor @Jig Man

 

Will do @bassaholic thank you very much for the offer!!

 

Have not check the brushes nor inspected the motor Tom. I've got a couple final exams to finish tomorrow but I think that'll be our next step. Do you know if there are any useful YouTube videos on how to go about the disassembly by chance @WRB ? Electronics are not our thing and a video would certainly help lol

[CI-200Bantam]

Sorry to revive this a bit, but to close it out, there's no circuit board in the head. Apparently it sits in the part of the motor that sits in the water. Dad and I are just gonna replace the damned thing. If we open that housing where the propeller is I kinda doubt we'll be able to re-seal it again so we're just gonna upgrade.

 

Thanks for the advice and help!