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Minn Kota Edge 55 and Tach for outboard
My 5 year old trolling motor just started tripping the breaker today. Didn't matter what speed it was on. Cord from foot pedal to plug was warm. Unplugged it, terminals looked clean. Plugged it back in. I fished in some heavy rains a few days ago, maybe that has something to do with it. Any suggestions?
I have a 2009 merc 50 2 stroke, the tach worked when we left the launch, then stopped. After fishing for awhile, run to new spot tach worked, then failed again??
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#1 turn pedal over and check connections at speed control switch and the on/off button. Could have a shorted connection from the water or one that is loose. Water in switch or switches.
#2 check the connections on back of tach. Most gauge problems that are intermittent like that I have found to be loose connections or bad ground.
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Also pull the prop off the TM and check for line wrapped around the shaft. While you have it off you will see 2 screws that holds the motor together. Loosen the top one just a little then remove the bottom one. If any water comes out you have some bad seals letting water in. As for the tach the problem could be related to the TM especially if you don't have a dedicated battery for the TM. Check your charging circuit.
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
Crappie Wall Hanger II
check for fishing line behind prop and battery connection
remove cowling and inspect yellow wires on stb. side of engine where they attach to voltage regulator. They come from the factory bundled with a zip tie. Cut the tie and separate the wires. You will see signs that the wires have gotten hot.
I'd rather be fishing.
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No visible damage to yellow wires by regulator, no loose connections on back of tach. Oh well don't need it.
Found line on prop shaft, metal cap for front seal pulled out and loose battery connections. Just put batteries in it, guess I didn't get them tight enough.
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You still should check your charging system. The reason being is loose connections cause increased amp draw. This in turn can blow diode(s) in the rectifier/regulator. The rectifier works off 2 yellow wires coming from the stator. One of these wires (may have red stripe) is also the signal input to the tach. One of the diodes shorts and that kills the input to the tach. It won't hurt to run the motor like that but you won't be charging the battery. A quick check is check the voltage st the battery while idling. Slowing increase RPMs to no more than 2K RPMs. You should see an increase in voltge to 14-15 VDC.Originally Posted by Bassing_53
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
Crappie Wall Hanger II
What you are looking for in regards to the yellow wires are the bullet style connectors. The connectors tend to get hot and melt the transparent insulators. Which is why they do not need to be strapped together. If they've been hot, the connectors will have a black/burnt coloring. The gray wire coming out of the regulator is the signal wire for the tach. A quick twist of the connector will ensure a good connection. It's also possible that the power feed going to the tach has a loose connection. Good luck with it.
(Also as a side note, yellow/red stripe is the starter solenoid signal wire. Don't confuse it as part of the charge circuit.)
Last edited by sliderman; 08-23-2016 at 07:46 PM.
I'd rather be fishing.
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