Looking for help trouble shooting my ultrex. I deployed it today at my first spot and couldn’t get the pedal to move. Prop spins just fine. I bluetoothed to my phone to use the app and the app couldn’t steer it either. Spotlock engages but disengages when it tries to turn like something is blocking the pedal. No sounds come from anywhere when trying to turn with the remote. The small black plug under the connection cover is plugged in. I can’t even turn the head by hand. Any ideas?
You have either a bad steering module or a bad control board or both. It is best to bring to an ASC.
Is it possible for someone slightly mechanically inclined to check these parts on their own? I am not the original owner and it’s definitely out of warranty.Originally Posted by Bradrodfish
Im editing this post to add some more info after taking some readings with a multimeter.
- Resistance at the steering connector plug going to steering motor reads 0.6 ohms. The fact that I get a reading tells me that I don’t have a broken wire at the steering motor like some have had. However, this reading is lower than what a buddy is getting at his same plug and lower than what was recorded in a YouTube video I watched. Not sure if this lower resistance is an indication of a bad motor or not.
- I have connectivity through both the white and black steering control wires with no resistance when measured from the connector plug to the control board under the pedal. This tells me that I don’t have a cut wire between my pedal and steering module.
- I measured voltage coming out of the control board at the white and black wires. I get 1 volt at rest, -1.7 volts when pressing the pedal toe down, 0.8v when pressing the pedal heel down. The pedal never moved since it’s stuck. I just applied decent pressure to it.
From all of this, I’m assuming my control board is the problem. Is there anything else I can check to help confirm this?
Last edited by dabassking; 03-17-2024 at 05:34 PM. Reason: Added some troubleshooting readings
If the amp draw from the steering exceeds about 1 to1.5 amps it may damage the control board. I do not know the exact spec for max draw, but I do know a good steering module under no load only pulls about .6 amps
Your control board is probably still ok with the indicated voltage you are seeing. The voltage will vari depending on how pressure is applied to the pedal.
Last edited by lpugh; 03-19-2024 at 01:01 PM.
Thank You Leon Pugh
Ok. Looks Like you know something about power. It is best to check the steering system with the remote. It will be much easier. You did say it does not steer in either direction with the foot pedal or the remote. If the remote works then it is the sensor board. If it does not then as I stated it could be either the CB or the steer module.
To check the steer Module you need a 12 volt supply + an amp meter to check the amp draw of the steer module. More than 3 amps and it is toast. The internal fuse in the control board is 3 amps. For checking the control board you need another steer module or a voltmeter which you have. the last Ultrex I worked on the board threw me off guard and it was not bad. It read right at 1.5 volts and I check it with another module and it worked with 1.5 volts. Most I run into are bad. The reason for the extra module it because it is exactly what the control board operates. If the CB is bad then it will not give any volt reading or it will be below 1.5 volt. I use a second module to ensure I don't change a part that is not bad. I do check the voltage to be sure. It is not rocket science as you know but it it is best to follow up check with additional check to make sure.
I hope this helps. Good luck. If you have any other questions let me know.
Last edited by Bradrodfish; 03-18-2024 at 05:13 AM.
Updating this post to add some more info and ask more questions. I connected the steering wires in the TM pedal directly to 12v and it steers but draws 4+ amps. So that tells me my steering motor is going bad because it’s drawing too many amps and if it’s drawing that many amps, it has likely fried the fuse in the control board. Sound right?
I also checked voltage coming out of the control board when trying to turn using my phone app instead of pushing the pedal like before. I get -0.77v one way and 0.9v the other. Since this voltage is lower than 1.5v, I’m thinking this more proof that I need a new control module. Does that sound right?
Hey just reading your thread dabassking mine just did the same thing yesterday. Same problem pedal won’t move in either direction spot lock won’t work either so you and i have the same problem taking mine in monday
Any word on your diagnosis? I’m replacing the steering motor and control board in mine this week. Hopefully that fixes it.
Updating this post with my solution. I replaced the steering motor and it still wouldn’t turn, so I replaced the control board and it seems to be working correctly now. Apparently my control board was bad even though I was getting some voltage out of the steering control wires.
Thank you very much to everyone that helped me troubleshoot this issue!
Very good. That is why I do not put faith in the meter check. Even though it reads voltage when you attempt to move the steer module. I use a second good known steer module.
It would really be nice if they would make these control panels more plug and play, with easier access and diagnostics. They seem to be such predictable failure points. That way we could just keep a spare, and pop it out and a new one in on the water.
They do make it easy to replace. I would not do this on the water. Just about everything on this motor is plug and play, but not to the extent that it should be done on the water.
I agree. It's a lot of little things to disconnect and keep track of, plus time in a tournament or the night before fixing it. It would be cool if the boards were encased in a cartridge that just slid onto a connector in a slot the way that accessories mount into a computer,or the way a printer tray locks in. Just thinking a little :)
So, you think self service is the way to go? Most people are not adept at troubleshooting. The ability to disassemble and reassemble without damage is another talent many do not have. There are people that can do these things. For warranty service I think qualified and trained folks should be doing it. After warrantee, if the company has these available for purchase we can decide if we can handle it. I do not think we should expect another part if we did something wrong to cause the issue. No matter how easy and fool proof the process, some will mess it up. If there is a mail in replacement or repair process that would be good. But not cheap! That is what we have already till the product reaches a point of no parts remain in stock.(a number of years) That is HB, HB/MK also has many repair centers,what do the others have? We are talking trolling motors here. Bob
Last edited by bobcoy; 04-22-2024 at 10:14 AM.
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
My experience is having to replace three of these board in the last 6 years out of warranty. For the same issue every time. I was just thinking of an easy way to address a known failure point. Do you call a tow truck to help you change a flat? Kind of the same thing.
You must be quite good with that repair. I don’t know what the frequency of that failure is across the world of Minn Kota trolling motors, but a fix to that problem seems as though there may be something else at play. Seems like MK would redesign or find a route cause for this failure of this magnitude.
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
I'm not good with it - that's my point. Having to bring it to a service center every time for the same problem, when they are only open during my work hours, is a major ordeal. I was just thinking of something more modular that would be easier to swap on the water. The guys who work on them everyday can do it in less than 30 minutes. I can't.
I was thinking along the lines of relating your situation to someone who should know why the same thing keeps failing.
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
Yea it's a good idea. I think there was one re design on one of the boards in 2017 or 18 but don't quote me. I had a bad run with them. They were all repaired at the service center, with me standing there. I still wouldn't do it on the water. Overall, they must have good luck with them, or they would change the design. I had two seperate 2016 models, and they both followed the same patterns of wear. So in my case, the failure points seemed pretty predictable. I'm hoping my new Quest will be long term reliable. It's already had a mometary switch failure, but the replacement had been awesome. Other than I can't hear the dang thing, so I forget when it's running lol.
For what’s it’s worth, if I had a spare control board on my boat, I could easily replace it on the water or pull the boat out and do it in the parking lot in less than an hour. You take some screws out, unplug some wires, then put everything back in reverse order. What you can’t do on the water is do all the troubleshooting necessary to determine the control board needs replacing. Thats the hard part. It could be done in a parking lot with the standard set of tools I carry.
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