Lofrans Kobra 1000W windlass motor gave up the ghost

[HeadedToTexas]

Or is heading that way. It's a circa 2007 unit and not in the best shape, though it's been in fresh water for the last several years. Last year it stopped lowering and would only raise. The control solenoids both click and it runs off the house bank, so voltage should not be an issue as it's fine everywhere I measure it. The ground and one of the positive terminal posts rotate without tightening. The Imtra guy says that likely means the soldered connections inside the case are broken and not making contact. That fits.

Would you guys recommend trying to have the motor rebuilt, or just buy a new one?

 

[BruceK]

How was it performing during the remaining retrieve function? If the motor is still performing well it could be control functions that need work, not motor. Maybe remove and send it to a Lofrans repair agent, I expect after inspection they`ll soon tell you if it needs a new one.

 

[Comodave]

Clicking doesn’t mean that it is actually supplying power. I had that happen with a solenoid on our anchor windlass.

 

[Iggy]

As Dave pointed out, the relay could be the problem. Are you getting voltage to it? I would change the lugs too. A bad connection is not going to help.

 

[Comodave]

If you do have to do new connections I like to use some copper conductive paste on high amperage connections.

 

[Iggy]

What about Dielectric Grease. Conductive grease makes me apprehensive to use it. If the motor case is grounded, it could short out.

​

 

[Nick F]

From your observations it sounds almost certain that the problem is inside the motor.

No matter what else you do, the whole winch should be re-bedded so that water no longer dribbles down the motor.

Remove the motor from the winch (easy to do) and take it to an old-fashioned starter repair shop. We still have a good one in Vancouver, thankfully. The shop will either fix it or you have to buy new.

Good luck!

 

[Comodave]

What about Dielectric Grease. Conductive grease makes me apprehensive to use it. If the motor case is grounded, it could short out.

​

The conductive paste goes on the bare wire end before you put it inside the connector and then crimp it. Then I put adhesive lined shrink tube over the end of the connector to seal out moisture. No way for the conductive paste to get out of the connection.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

Remove the motor from the winch (easy to do) and take it to an old-fashioned starter repair shop.

I finally got some real voltage data and it was exactly what I expected. 13.0 VDC between the ground pole and the positive pole when the respective solenoid was energized by the windlass switch. The motor did not run in either direction despite the good voltage. Not surprising given that the rotating contact posts include the ground post. Imtra says that those posts have soldered electrical connections inside the motor case that are certainly broken if the post rotates. That clearly explains the problem in my mind.

Where to go from there is also clear, though far from easy to do. I removed the two cap nuts on the top of the windlass assembly that secure motor in place and it did not budge. I grabbed the motor from below and tried to jiggle it free. It did not budge. Hitting it with a mallet seems wrong. Removing the 4 bolts mounting the windlass to the deck doesn't seem much easier, but I can get far better leverage on it from up top than I can from the anchor locker.

Nick, when you say removing the motor from the winch is easy to do, can you describe how you did it? Was your motor new or had it corroded in place for 17 years? I would love to know the trick!

 

[Nick F]

Hi there - my winch was old, but it is the horizontal type with a cover over the motor and the motor/winch housing connection was clean. I just undid the bolts on the motor flange and slid the motor off.

Also, I had the winch in my my workshop. Best to try to remove the winch from the boat first. May have to wiggle a paint scraper between winch and deck to cut the bedding compound.

I would try tapping the end of the motor (with a piece of wood between hammer and motor casing).

Good luck!

 

[C lectric]

Dielectric grease is NOT a conductive paste or grease. It IS NON CONDUCTIVE which is exactly why it is recommended so often to smear, not gobs, on an electrical connection. I have posted one link but there are lots of others.

Look up Dielectric greases.

Difference Between Dielectric Grease and Silicone Grease

Grease is a thick and oily substance usually used as a lubricant. As a true sample of grease, it must contain either oil and/or other lubricants usually mixed using a thickener, usually a soap so

www.differencebetween.net

 

[HeadedToTexas]

Being the vertical type, I’m guessing the recess on the underside of the windlass assembly where the motor mounts is lined with sealant essentially forming a permanent bond between the two components. Hoping the boat yard guys know tricks of the trade to get the two apart.