Dang it! my Merc motor mechanic didn't know jack about trolling motors!

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SPOONMINNOW

Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Messages
142
Location
Walden, NY
The foot pedal on my Motor Guide bow mount tm was getting stiffer and stiffer to depress. I almost had to stand on it to get it to turn in either direction. So I called my mechanic who is a whiz when it comes to Merch engines - even the motor as old as the one on my bass boat. I described the problem and he said the cable housed with the power cord was binding up and I'd have to buy a new motor. It sells for $607 on Amazon and I ordered one.
But just to be sure I couldn't fix the problem, I put the motor down over the bow and hand depressed the pedal. No go! But then I noticed something about the shaft that connected the housing above and the motor below: there were two parts. The plastic clamp that controls height was the same or that controls turning; both had individual hose clamps.

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As a last ditch effort I figured why not loosen the bottom hose clamp? IT WORKED!!!! The pedal turns like a charm. I got an instant refund from Amazon seeing as how the order was only 6 hours old. A trolling motor that turns with ease is very important when trying to hold boat position in a 20mph wind!
I left a message on my mechanics voice mail about the fix - no response.

BTW,
my truck started having intermittent starting problems and my buddy said it was time to get a new truck. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AT MY AGE. At my age I'll be dead before the warranty ran out!
I considered a new alternator but wanted to wait considering the age of the truck (2005). I just happened to go to a tire place for new m/s tires and described the starting problem. He tested the battery and found it no good, changed it and now no more starting problem. Well worth the $109 I paid for it and sealed at that!
So much for buying a new truck or used one with possible problems down the road.
 
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