Boats & Motors
Trolling motor loses power slowly
5/22/09 @ 9:12 AM
Trolling motor loses power slowly after 2 hrs of use. Even after a fresh charge on the battery. The depth finder is hooked to the deep cycle battery also. I just experienced the battery losing power completely, depth finder and trolling motor. I checked the fuses between the power and the troll and all looked good. I disconnected the screws on the battery post and reconnected. Everything was running ok after that. Just wondering if anyone has experienced the same problem.
Displaying 1 to 6 of 6 posts
You may want to check the lower unit housing gaskets. I have an old Minn Kota that would lose power oever an hour or two, like the battery was going bad, however when we found out that the gaskets on the lower unit of the motor were bad nad letting water slowly seep in, it would drain the battery pretty quick. Once we got new gaskets, it worked like a charm !!!
Unless you've got a short somewhere that's draining your power, yer lookin' fer a new battery. My batts are all good, and I can tell when mine start to get tired. After 3-5 hours of trolling, once you get to a certain point I gotta keep cranking up the power on my foot pedal. Once you gotta start doing that, you're on the downhill slide and you better find another source of power or pack it in for the day.
How old is the battery, sounds like it's time for a new one? Is it a deep cycle or cranking batt?
Do you have a voltage tester? You can get a cheap one at a local hardware store. If you do, what is the voltage prior to discharging anything for use right after charging. Check voltage after letting battery sit for some time without intentional discharge. Then test when you are experiencing low power.
If you are not reaching the mid to upper 12's on initial charge there is an issue. If you are discharging below 12volts early in usage there is an issue with the battery.
Tight Lines ---
Displaying 1 to 6 of 6 posts
