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My neighbor had an old Minn Kota Trolling Motor that is still in top-shape, there is just something wrong with it and it wont start. What is the most likely reason, some wiring in it or what? Just looking for ideas to troubleshoot first. I already have a trolling motor, i just decided to take it off his hands, it mihgt be a quick and cheap fix, ill let u guys know. Im guessing there is some worn out wiring. But thanks for any suggestions as to what is wrong with it.

Cole,
Along with being in this profession I've also been an electronic technician. The best thing to do is trace backwards.

If you have a volt and ohm meter this will be a great help.

Connect the wires to the battery. Now place the volt meter test leads on the inside where the wires connect to the switch. This will show if power is reaching the switch. If so, keep going after turning on the switch. Is there power past this point. If not, then you may have a bad switch. This can be tested with the ohm portion of the meter after disconnecting from the power. Place the test leads across the switch, after disconnecting the wires, and see if there is a zero reading as the switch is turned on. If so, then the switch is good, if not, then it is bad. This is your simple fix.

As for the worst case, you may have a diode, or the magnets have fallen out. There may also be some brush problems, depending on the model.

Also, is this a seperate speed unit, or is it variable speed. That can make a difference on the switch, and circuitry. With that in mind, any circuit boards can be a problem.

Hope some of this will help. I would try helping more, but without actually having the unit, this is difficult. If I think of anything more, I'll let you know.

Dan

Cole, hope Dan helped with your problem, he knows his stuff. I might suggest that the Rotor brushes have stuck from lack of use. Hook up the motor and manually give it a few spins. Be careful though. Sometimes the brushes just wear out and need to be replaced, I don't suggest you try that with this unit. I do it a lot with Mercury's, they are easy. If this unit has a set screw on the bottom of the motor head, take it out to see if fluid runs out, it may be dry on hydrolic fluid. Good luck, Johnnie

Cole- These two fellas have more experience between them than many bass clubs. They come highly recommended.
Thanks for posting. Be sure to tell your friends about Bassin'USA.