A little smoke!!

[Mike Harris]

Ok so not to sound dumb, but Wed. was out on the lake and I got a whiff of something burning. I looked down and a little smoke was coming out of where the trolling motor plugs into the elect. socket. I pulled the plug out and one of the prongs had melted along with part of the elect. plug. So A) what went wrong and B) how do I fix it. Thanks.:wacko:

 

[ND Bass]

My guess is that if you pull the socked out you will find a short where the wires connect at the back of the socket. Should be a simple replacement but make sure things are tight when you replace.

 

[byron cooley]

What happens most of the time is the female half of the connector loosens up it's grip on the male half. The loose connection causes higher current draw - Current makes heat - heat melts plug - end of story. Replace the plug with a pair rated at a higher current, Don't cheap out on a connector Spend money on a good connector.

 

[Greg Meyer]

" the female half of the connector loosens up it's grip on the male half "... Bummer!

 

[Jim B]

Lol Greg.



This can also happen from corrosion in the plug itself. Byron's advice is good. Get a good quality plug and replace what you have.

 

[Bob Bourget2]

Water!! It's not good when it gets wet.....double bummer...LOL

 

[Derek Chance]

Byron is spot on here I think. happened to a buddy. He simplified things by soldering the trolling motor wires to the boat's trolling motor wires....