Well, a while back I posted about my trolling motor issues in Canada. 3 weeks ago I placed my order with BPS for a 70 or 71# thrust motorguide for $740 with a built in transducer and 50" shaft. The person taking the order said that there was a typo in the catalog and this motor didn't have the transducer. It didn't surprise me because it was only $5 more than the one w/o the ducer and 45" shaft. I talked the my wife and decided to go the extra money and get the 71# with a 45" shaft and the ducer for $820. One of the deciding factors was that it had a Gator spring mount instead of the 20.8 standard type mount. Well the motor was on B/O. So I told them to send me the original motor that didn't have the ducer. We're sorry, that one is on B/O also. OK give me the one with the built in transducer, and I'll wait the 3 weeks for it to come in.
I finally got it and installed it Friday night. It had the standard 20.8 mount, another catalog typo. I turned the switch on and hit the foot button.........nothing. I checked to make sure I had power at the switches, 24 volts everywhere. I'm an electrician, and I checked everything I could without taking it apart. I know sometimes you can read voltage thru a bad connection but you won't have the amperage to make something work. I took a short piece of #8 stranded wire and jumped accross the connections on the plug. I definatly had amperage. :wacko: I re-installed the old motor and put the prop from the new motor on it so I could finally fish last weekend. (the prop for my old motor was melted)
The next morning I called BPS and talked to them. A replacement motor could be ordered but they didn't have any in stock and none were even on order. I asked about upgrading me to the next motor up. (82# thrust with the ducer and spring mount $980) she said she couldn't do it but would send a return shipping lable for the bad motor and have someone in customer service contact me.
I went out to hook up the boat, looked at the bad motor still laying on the deck. I still needed to put the front panel back on but, I took the motor leads and touched them to the 24 v connections on the plug....ZOOM it starts running. I did the same thing the night before and nothing. The only thing I can think of that I did was rotate the shaft when I turned it to see the size of the shear pin hole. I put the new motor back on and used it all weekend. It ran fine ....except for the noise coming from the lower unit. It made that Wop Wop Wop sound you hear when a helicopter is coming toward you from a long way off.
Customer service e-mailed be and they are going to upgrade me to the next motor for a very small additional cost. A very good deal and outcome for the time lost and aggrivation. Luckily I can't fish this weekend so the extra time won't be a factor.
Gene
I finally got it and installed it Friday night. It had the standard 20.8 mount, another catalog typo. I turned the switch on and hit the foot button.........nothing. I checked to make sure I had power at the switches, 24 volts everywhere. I'm an electrician, and I checked everything I could without taking it apart. I know sometimes you can read voltage thru a bad connection but you won't have the amperage to make something work. I took a short piece of #8 stranded wire and jumped accross the connections on the plug. I definatly had amperage. :wacko: I re-installed the old motor and put the prop from the new motor on it so I could finally fish last weekend. (the prop for my old motor was melted)
The next morning I called BPS and talked to them. A replacement motor could be ordered but they didn't have any in stock and none were even on order. I asked about upgrading me to the next motor up. (82# thrust with the ducer and spring mount $980) she said she couldn't do it but would send a return shipping lable for the bad motor and have someone in customer service contact me.
I went out to hook up the boat, looked at the bad motor still laying on the deck. I still needed to put the front panel back on but, I took the motor leads and touched them to the 24 v connections on the plug....ZOOM it starts running. I did the same thing the night before and nothing. The only thing I can think of that I did was rotate the shaft when I turned it to see the size of the shear pin hole. I put the new motor back on and used it all weekend. It ran fine ....except for the noise coming from the lower unit. It made that Wop Wop Wop sound you hear when a helicopter is coming toward you from a long way off.
Customer service e-mailed be and they are going to upgrade me to the next motor for a very small additional cost. A very good deal and outcome for the time lost and aggrivation. Luckily I can't fish this weekend so the extra time won't be a factor.
Gene
