Unable to steer the TM–doesn’t respond to the hand held control (turn left, turn right, etc.). Everything else is working. It’s not the little pin behind the prop that sometimes shears in half. I suspect the drive housing may have taken out the steering circuit on the main control board? Thoughts? How much would this cost to be repaired? Is it “worth” fixing? Is it time for a 2nd mortgage so I can go to the PowerPole Move?
How are the batteries? Controller and boat?
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More electrical issues…
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I had that happen on a Minkotta on my Redfisher, back in 2015, it was the control board, it was a legacy Terrova before 2017 though, pretty easy to change if I recall.
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I posted a few times on our ex-site about my troubles with my Riptide.
Check your voltage at your batteries. If good, check the voltage at your trolling motor. Flaky connections cause the motor to be non-responsive. I would have this happen, then unplug and plug back in and everything was fine. That led me to know I needed to clean up the connections.
If that is good, replace the battery in the remote and bend up the metal tab inside the unit that holds the battery in place to make sure there is good contact. This is an easy one to do first, but you should double check voltage no matter what.
If your voltage is good and the remote still has issues, you could get another remote and give that a try before changing the board. They aren’t hard to do, and I would do that before shelling out that much for a new one.
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Thanks. Batteries are new. Tried both the main and backup remotes. Looks like it’s probably the steering motor. I dropped it off at Inshore Marine this afternoon and Bobby’s gonna check it. He says that water intrusion is the usual cause.
Same thing happened to the one on my Moc., it was the remote. New remote, problem fixed! Last year it stopped working, prop wouldn’t spin. Brought it to the marina for repairs. The armature was dirty. Mechanic said they should be serviced every couple hundred hours or so.
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Time for a MOVE👀
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I am not sure what year your Terrova is, but I looked at replacing the board on my Riptide and it was not much more to get an entire head with the upgraded board. Take a look at both if you go the rebuild route.
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Let me tell you about that…
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I guess identifying whether it is the motor itself or the remote.
So maybe try something like setting it up on a waypoint to identify whether the remote left and right controls went bad or the motor inside the steering mechanism isn’t working or if the mechanism is not engaging the shaft. I guess you have three parts the motor, the engagement and the remote.
If you don’t even hear the gears, turning in that part might be shot.
Just reread your post. I guess you’re saying everything‘s working but left and right is not so I would hypothesize with the post above that your remote just gave up.
Unless this is your sign to move to a power pole trolling motor
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David, the next time your Minn Kota isn’t working right… before you take it to a pro… Give Minn Kota a call. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the assistance they’ll provide over the phone - particularly if the problem is just your remote.
When the dust settles and your motor is repaired please post up what the problem was (and the cost to repair… ). My Terrova has been in hard service now for almost three or four years and so far - my only troubles have been the remotes..
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I have a MotorGuide and the same thing happened to me. It ended up being the steering box, or transmission as they call it. It somehow had gotten full of water despite being “sealed” as I was told. Mine was 2 months out of warranty and MG was no help. I replaced the transmission, and rebuilt the old one, just in case. It does make some noise, but works.
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I’m almost certain that’s the problem with my Terrova as well. They simply are not sealed very well to protect against water intrusion.
I have ordered parts on several occasions and replaced the steering housing, the board the lift assist. It’s not very difficult to make the replacements and there’s numerous videos that you can watch to do so. I ordered it through Lakeside Marine and they shipped it out immediately, and I received the parts within days. I would have nothing but good things to say about them.
Lakeside Marine and Service
602 E Comanche Ave
Shabbona, IL 60550
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My steering box was making noise and when it fried it took out my control board with it. It was totally worth fixing, I think I spent $400 and that was several years ago.
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edit. i almost lied. on the smaller remote without screen i had same issues from water intrusion. i had that issue multiple times on my raptors remote.
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