Trolling Motor Switch on Ranger

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Teri C.

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I had issues with my trolling motor not working yesterday.



Does the switch in the back of the boat that turns power to the trolling motor off and on

have a fuse in it? I assume it does because the boox says 50 amp on it. Why would they seal it? You can't open that little box and get to the fuse. I took the cables off of the box and bypassed the switch and the trolling motor worked fine. I put the cables box on and it worked fine when it didn't work before. I assume the connections were just loose.



In any case, I am going to buy a spare box in case it happens again.



Is this on/off switch necessary? In a pinch I can just by pass it.



This doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy right before a tournament.
 
Should be a breaker, not a fuse. Is there any little button (possibly red) on the box you can push in? Some of the models you have to open and flip the bar or push a teeny little tab to reset. It's so when your motor gets overloaded (heavy weeds, fishing line wrapped, etc.) the breaker pops allowing it to cool, then you just manually reset it. Take a look and holler back. (Or text/PM if you'd rather.) Good luck! ;)
 
No red button. There is just an Off/On switch that controls the power. I can't think of why this box would be the issue. Should I bother with a spare if it doesn't even have a fuse? Where is the fuse for the trolling motor anyway?
 
Can you snap a pic of the box and post or send it? You could have an inline fuse, but I would doubt it, particularly with a Ranger. A breaker that will trip and reset either manually or automatically is what you should have, I'm betting.
 
teri,

if my memory servs me dan is correct, this is most likely and automatic style breaker.

when it reaches a certin temp it trips,

after it is disconnected from the power source and cool it resets.or it could be a fuseable link. you can know for sure buy doing as dan requested.

but the bigger issue is why did it trip in the first place?

is there a short or a power draw between the breaker and your troling motor?

if you just keep reseting breakers or replacing fuseable links, you may never address the route problem.

good luck.
 
The trolling motor had not been used when I went to turn it on. I don't think it could have been hot and shut off. The trolling motor hadn't been run in several weeks. I understand if it had been running and then shut down. Wasn't the case. I am thinking the cable was loose because when I went to take it off, the screw was barely tight.



Although, now that I am thinking about it, I had the trolling motor worked on a few months ago because the main board burnt up. The wires instead the peddle were toast. It has run fine since though.
 
The cable loose explains a bunch. That's deep bad mojo on your TM! :eek: While you're at it, you should familiarize yourself with your breaker/fuse/thermal overload location. The last thing you want is to spend precious tourney time hunting for your breaker when a glob of hydrilla pops it. Re-inspect and make sure all your connections are tight and corrosion free from the battery, through the block, and to the backside of the plug on your bow panel, taking note of the breaker and it's location along the way. Wouldn't hurt to unscrew your TM plug and make sure your leads to the prongs are corrosion free and tight like the rest. Then, if you do have an issue, you can pull around to the support trailer and tell them you've checked everything inline, fix my TM. Good luck! ;)
 
I don't know for SURE it was a loose cable. That was my guess because it didn't work and then when I took the cables off the switch and by passed it, it worked. Then when I routed the cables back thru the switch, the trolling motor worked. If I blew a fuse or the switch was faulty, it wouldn't have worked when I hooked it all back up. I remember stating when I went to disconnect the cable, "this screw is not tight at all".



I still don't know where the fuse is unless it's in that switch box. But if in the box, I dont understand why the box is sealed. In my Nitro, there was a little box with a reset button and I had to swap the 40 amp to 50 amp when I went from 12v to 24v. I haven't found the fuse on the Ranger.

 
Terri could be the switch...Switches can be intermittent...work one time not work the next..I deal with that all the time in the mining industry..All switches have contacts

and it's as simple as it not making up one particular time to not run. Get a switch and change it..You tourney fish so I wouldnt have a second thought about changing a switch.
 
The box you mention very could be the breaker. A manual breaker like you had on your Nitro had the turkey timer that popped up when blown and was manually pushed down to reset. An automatic pops on overload then cools and resets itself. (Generally pretty quick.) That box you mention could very well be your automatic breaker. A visual ID should confirm it with a pic or if you can get close enough to read the mouse type printed on it. Good luck! ;)
 
Doesn't ever hurt to have a spare, but there is no "fuse" inside. When that breaker trips you'll snap the toggle back up (or down depending on installation) and your circuit will be alive again. That replaces the need for carrying fuses when they blow. Carling makes good marine grade breakers and a spare is always a very good idea to add to your boat box. Make sure your leads are bolted tight and dab some dielectric gel on the leads, nuts, bolts, washers for a corrosion (and worry) free connection. Good luck! ;)
 
Teri. Its a circuit breaker. Non servicable. They do go bad. I replaced mine last year because it was going bad. I actually replaced both of them.
 
Teri...there's a breaker for the "Master Power" and one for the TM. Usually they're on opposite sides of the rear compartment,..atleast that's where they were in my 520's!
 
ok, I know where that one is. I thought he was referring to another one somewhere.
 
Mini you have the same breakers on both side? I have different ones for the TM and then main power. BTW they changed the pweor deal with the breaker and the main power at the console in the Z's.
 
The main power breaker is different than the trolling motor breaker.
 
Yes they were the same breakers from the factory on both sides in the bilge. I replaced them with the same ones on both sides. 50amps ea.



Mac's Z20 had the same set up. One on each side of the bilge area. I put the same breakers that Mac's Z20 had in it on my 520.
 
Mine had one In the rear each on both sides..troll motor was on passenger side rear, driver side controled the rest..also rear comp...I do not remember any fuse for it...Mini & C11 have newer versions....Hope you win the tourn....Good Luck Lady....JR
 

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