CM 1.0 Power Pole Blade: goes down, won't go up.

[bbarthelt]

Hi all. Got a set of C-Monster 1.0 10ft blades. One of them goes down, acts completely normal. When I go to raise it, the pump just runs and runs (louder than when it goes down), but the pole does not come up. The fluid was changed and screens cleaned about 2 months ago. I checked fluid levels and they were normal. Hoping one of the expert here is familiar with this issue. I have a big tournament next weekend, so really hoping I can get this sorted out. Thanks in advance.

[Hydrilla Gear]

Typically when you deploy a Power Pole with no issue and then try to bring it up and the pump just runs and the pole does not move in the up direction this would be caused by debris in the pump assembly causing a valve to not seat properly. The fix would be to contact Power Pole support. Power Pole offers a set of replacement valves you can change yourself.


However,

When you say the pump is louder it depends on how much louder... There are 2 kinds of loud.. 1) Being fluid blow by in the valve from not seating properly. This noise is not that loud. 2) Louder kind of like a rattle/screeching noise if I were to try and explain it... This would indicate internal pump damage. The fix would be to send the pump back to Power Pole for service.

Either way contact Power Pole tech support 813-689-9932 to resolve this kind of issue quickest. Make sure to explain to them that you have a noise and not simply a pole that does not move in one direction. If possible maybe record it on your phone and definitely have your serial number handy. They will need that to process any kind of warranty.

[bbarthelt]

Thanks Hydrilla. The pump pitch and volume is what changes. It goes to a higher pitch, with about 25% more volume. I looked at it last night after making this power, and realized two things. First, the cap of the pump is cracked and not sealing. Do you think that could be an issue? I have already ordered a new cap, overnight shipping. And surprisingly, the fluid is very dirty already. I have been fishing a lot of tournaments this year...at least once a week if not twice. And some places, like last weekend on the Mississippi River, I've used them constantly. So I will pull the pumps today, clean them out, clean the filters, and replace the fluid. But I'm curious if you think the bad cap not sealing could be the issue, maybe letting air in. Thanks again.

[Hydrilla Gear]

Thanks Hydrilla. The pump pitch and volume is what changes. It goes to a higher pitch, with about 25% more volume. I looked at it last night after making this power, and realized two things. First, the cap of the pump is cracked and not sealing. Do you think that could be an issue? I have already ordered a new cap, overnight shipping. And surprisingly, the fluid is very dirty already. I have been fishing a lot of tournaments this year...at least once a week if not twice. And some places, like last weekend on the Mississippi River, I've used them constantly. So I will pull the pumps today, clean them out, clean the filters, and replace the fluid. But I'm curious if you think the bad cap not sealing could be the issue, maybe letting air in. Thanks again.

Negative.. The reservoir is not under psi where it would matter if the cap was cracked or damaged, not fully secure etc... Basically, you could have a cap fully removed from the reservoir. As long as your fluid is at the correct level the pump would flow properly.

When you put the new cap on do not over tighten it. All it needs is to be snug. If you over tighten the cap its simple going to crack over time.

As for the fluid changing color quickly. This is normal. You can put new, clean, fresh fluid in the pump and after a day on the water and using your Power Poles it will change color generally becoming darker. What you don't want to see is a change to a milky color or a change in consistency such as a watery look to it or chunky

[bbarthelt]

Thanks all. I cleaned the tanks, drained the lines, cleaned filter screens and replaced the fluid. Now they're working again, and the pump quieted down. Hopefully that's all it was, and I don't have a pump slowly failing. I guess I'm surprised I needed to do this again so soon, but I guess I've been using them a ton this year. I'd really love to upgrade to CM2.0 pumps and hoses...and will probably have to eventually...but yikes is that expensive.

[Hydrilla Gear]

99.9% of the time you can have the pump serviced rather than replace it. Very rarely does a pump assembly itself actually need to be replaced.

[bbarthelt]

Update on this for those that find this post in the future: It's looking like this is likely because my water-tight fuse housing wasn't water-tight. It was full of water, and corroding. I noticed the light would go red, and sometimes orange, when trying to get the pole to go up or down, I shared this with Power Pole tech support who suspected a power issue. Before tearing my pumps apart, I started with the fuse housings and found the water in that one. I replaced both of them with a higher quality one where the housing actually looks like it seals. The pole is now working again.

[Hydrilla Gear]

The symptoms you mentioned in your original post state none of the issues you mentioned in your last post.

What you mention in your first post would point to an internal pump issue.

What you failed to mention in your original post yet mention in your last would point to a voltage issue.

If you are getting enough water in the rear of your boat to fill a Power Pole fuse you may want to figure out how your getting so much moisture in the boat in order to avoid further issues. Nothing in a boat is 100% water tight. Water resistant ok. Water tight is pushing it.

[bbarthelt]

You're correct Hydrilla...and I think what I stated as the solution above ended up being a red herring. I'm just back from a tournament where the original problem returned... got stuck at the launch ramp coming in because I deployed the poles, and that one got stuck down again. So first I had the symptom that I first mentioned (pole would go down, then when trying to raise it back up, the motor runs, but switches to a louder/higher pitch, and the pole does not come up). Then it switched to a click with the orange (and sometimes red) light. And now after replacing the fuze housing, the original problem returned. And it is intermittent. It'll work once in a while, other times not. I suspect it's likely have a pump that is starting to fail. As for the moisture, I believe I was wrong about the moisture being water. After replacing the fuse housing, I inspected the old one closer before throwing it out. The moisture was slippery/oily. I cut open the fuze housing with a box cutter, and it appears to be hydraulic fluid. That might sound crazy, but I forgot to mention that when I tried to force the power pole back up (when this saga first started), one of the hydraulic tubes burst out of it's fitting and sprayed fluid all over my bilge. I've spoken to power pole support. They advised me to swap boards between the two pumps to see if it's a problem with a relay or other board component, and to inspect for corrosion in the motor. I'll tackle that in the next couple of days.

[bbarthelt]

Now the outcome is clear. I was performing the diagnostics recommended by power pole support...swapping the boards between the workign motor and non....and the motor siezed up completely. With the cap off I could hear it trying to go, and siezing. Same symptom, both boards. Tech support had me pull it out, and verify by trying to hand-turn the spindle....which would not budge. They were very helpful, and are sending me a new motor at half price. The power issues that happened intermittently were likely the failing motor drawing additional amperage as it was in its death throws.

[plbass]

Sounds like a good deal to me. Good customer service is hard to find these days.