Very Strange Issue with my Motorguide Tour

[tr17]

Hey guys,
I've got a Motorguide Tour that's got some sort of new problem that I cannot even begin to diagnose. Recently whenever I take my boat out, the trolling motor will work normally for a little while, anywhere from 30 minutes to like 3 hours, and then the problem begins . The problem is that when I engage the button, the motor will not respond and refuse to run. Sometimes if I hold the button down long enough (15-20 second), the motor starts to run, and sometimes it will start normally when I push down the button, but sometimes not at all. It seems almost random as to how it responds to me engaging the button. Once I get it running, it will run consistently and not cut out until I release the button, at which point it will go back to not starting or taking forever to start. I've reconnected all the wire connections that I could reach both on the exterior and interior of the boat. Once I bypassed the plug for the motor and just wired it right in, but that did not fix the problem. I purchased a new switch and installed it when the problem started on a recent day, but that also did nothing. Whenever I bring my boat home after a day of the motor not working correctly, it seems to work find in my driveway. I don't even know where to begin here, so any help anybody can provide is much appreciated. Thanks so much.

[Chisco]

At first blush, sounds like a bad/corroded connection. I'd check my batteries for corrosion first and foremost. Then make sure all battery connections are tight and wires properly seated in connectors. Move to trolling motor breaker next and make sure it's not corroded or faulty. If you've by-passed the plug already, then check all the connections at trolling motor foot. Intermittent problems are the hardest to diagnose.

[STRETCH1]

Very simple one here. You have either a bad set of brushes or a bad commutator. You hit the bad spot and it don't work. Next time you go fishing grab a stick with you. When it dies then just hit the prop with your stick, I bet the motor will then take off and run fine until it finds that bad spot again

[billnorman1]

You describe an intermittent problem. The cause could be anywhere from the brushes to the battery. The battery is the most accessable place to start. Current limiters are cheap, you could replace yours while you are inspecting the connections and work from there to the motor. If you took some voltage measurements when it is malfunctioning there could be better guessing.