Everything ran great yesterday, but we had some strong wind gusts—up to 38 mph. The trolling motor kept randomly cutting out. I’d have to turn off Spot-Lock and wait a bit before it would finally respond to the button again. Any idea what could be causing this?
had no problems all day if I didn't use spot lock
Batteries or connections. Get both of them checked.
Is it just the spot lock that cuts off or the power to the entire trolling motor?Originally Posted by GoneFishingLTN
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a
thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
If you were running it continuously on high speed to fight the wind, it might have been over heating the motor and tripping the breaker.
Don't worry Ma'am....
I'm only here for the Bass.
Do you see any Error Codes on your remote under Diagnostics? These 2 are what you may see:
Error Code 2.1 (Over-current trip on lower unit/inverter): The inverter stops the motor.
Error Code 2.2 (Lower unit/inverter synchronization error): The inverter stops the motor.
High winds force the motor to draw more amps. If your batteries are weak, old, or not fully charged, voltage may drop below the required threshold, causing the motor to reset.
If you run lithiums, they can run your TM hotter as well. Especially if you need to lock it down in high winds.
I just learned this as my TM fried the control board from using 10 as the speed. 8 is the highest you should run.
Another thing, my lower unit magnets disintegrated without water intrusion. Oddest thing.
Been fishin' since I was 5 years old...Thanks Grandpa!
I would think if he tripped the breaker he would known it because he would’ve had to reset it. I’d like to know what the problem was in case I ever encounter it. is there a built-in overheating sensor in the motor that resets itself?
2022 Ranger RT 178
Mercury 75 HP
Minkota Ultrex
new batteries, didn't have to reset the breaker. didn't have any remote out to see error codes unfortunately
Could have automatic re-set circuit breaker. A lot of boats do.
Don't worry Ma'am....
I'm only here for the Bass.
If it never cuts out unless Spot Lock is engaged during high winds, I bet its a voltage or power load issue, or maybe GPS related confusion from being overworked.
High winds equate to higher motor load and current draw. Any poor connection might cause a momentary power loss or voltage sag.
Verify plug connections between motor and power source, inline fuses and breaker to make sure they are sealed tight and not corroded.
Spot-Lock uses a lot of power to continuously adjust position, especially in high winds. If your battery voltage dips too low, the motor might cut out or reboot temporarily.
I have seen even new batteries go bad.
Have you used a voltmeter or battery monitor to watch your voltage under load?
Have you updated the firmware via the Minn Kota app or Humminbird if it's linked?
I would also check the heading sensor is working properly and secured.
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