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Alright, I have an 55AP and I've been through FOUR (4) foot controls. It seems that the left or right turning direction wears out. I rarely even use the trolling motor and I keep the boat garaged. I'm getting burned out on buying replacements and don't want to go to a remote. Short of buying a new TM, is anyone out there familiar with this problem and is there a fix???? I can't even get through one season with a new controller. This is getting old fast.
What is the model of your Trolling motor and have you contacted Minn Kota with this issue??
AP55PD or visa versa...PD55AP Yes, I've contacted Minn Kota about this, but there hasn't been enough time for an answer back. I also mentioned the auto pilot that wigs out which is a known issue but according to Minn Kota rep I spoke with last year about the AP, my battery was not sufficiently charged. A fully charged battery made no difference. After researching the steering problem, I'm not alone. It seems that to own one of these units, one will need to purchase a new foot control on a regular basis. Granted, my TM is about 5 years old and the newer models may not have this issue. I don't want to go to a hand held remote, but it might be the cheaper way to go to continue using my TM, otherwise, I guess I could just go around in circles.
That is why i switched to motor guide last year. The cable kept breaking. So for the motro guide has been flawless. I did step up to a 65 lb 24 volt when i changed. The minn kota i had was A 55 lb .
I got tired of the crap too. Made my own. Still working too. You want the drawing? I got kinda sofisticated with my stuff.
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z..._1292Small.jpg
Throw the pedal in the lake and hang on to the cord. Bob it up and down a couple times. Get some of the crap out of it. This sometimes helps. Dont leave it submerged. Or, hose it out good with the water hose without pressure nozzle.
Ok Tom, is this the picture of your pedal solution, or is this the antenna from the bad Lowrance antenna post? Answer is yes, I would like the drawing. I'm about to tear into one of my pedals and steal the steering wiring and come up with a left/center off/right switch to mount under my HDS8. The bestest foot control I had with that TM was the one that came with it. A most unfortunate thing happened one day while buzzing down the expressway and only discovered after I launched the boat. The pedal had blown out of the boat and when I found it, the only thing worth salvaging was the wire itself. I went fishing anyway, stripped back the insulation off the wires and started jumping them until I got a working combination. I had to tie two of them together in two places, figured out what the steering wires were and what the common wire was. I had no probs steering left and right jumping the wires, but I had no variable speed as I was stuck on high and it was higher than normal. Last year when I contacted Minn Kota about the Auto Pilot, I told the tech about what I had done to get the thing working by jumping the wires. He told me it was not possible and I laughed and politely asked him if he was a betting man. I still keep that old wire in the boat for emergencies.
So Tom, is there a spring loaded rheostat (knob) type switch that I could incorporate into my setup? I already know what color the steering wires are that feed the foot control.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Reaper
Let me get all the stuff and I will post it for everyone. This is a big issue with lots of folks.
YOU can steer with jumper wires .......
Me kin maker go left or right, yes, I kin stear. I just need the right type of switch, one that is momentary, left and right that springs to center when not in use.
If I had that type of switch, I can consider it problem solved.
you wanna steer with a toggle switch? I can make 1 toggle switch steer the boat.