Just bought a 2022 C-32 and a week later the aft thruster will not engage. Only 80 hours on the boat. All I get is the rear thruster solenoid clicking with both the remote and helm controls. The 200A fuse is good, switched it with the bow fuse also. Both thruster battery switches are on. During the survey the front thruster felt stronger than the aft and both looked good on the sling. Bow thruster still works great. Is there a thermal switch or circuit breaker for each unit? I could not find any on the boat wiring diagram. Too cold here the PNW to jump in the water and check for jam.
Lewmar Thruster failure
- Thread starter Rude Coug
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gswearin
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That happened to me once ant turned out a bag of stuff I had down there shifted and popped off a wire. (Lesson learned)
SKing
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Put a meter on me motor leads at the thruster. See if you get 12 volts If not look at your electrical system going back from there. If you do have 12 volts before you condemn the motor (if you're familiar with DC motors) check that the brushes are not hung up in the brush holders. You have to snap the brushes to clean out the carbon dust. I had a thruster last summer that started to sound a little weak and then stop working and all I needed to do was take cover off the motor snap the brushes and everything was fine I took a vacuum cleaned out all the carbon dust and I'm still looking for spare set of brushes for the motor.
Thanks for all the input. I do have 13.3 volts going to the motor. Cutwater answered my call right away and helped with the basics. He told me to call Lewmar for more trouble shooting tips. It would appear at this time I have a bad motor or brushes, based on the symptoms.. Lewmar does not sell brushes, they do sell new motors. They will sent me the schematics for disassembly. The good news is the boat can stay in the water. I have the TT140 2.2kw 12v Gen 2 thruster as a reference for all those interested. Stand by for results.
SKing
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Snapping the brushes just means pulling them out slightly and releasing them. Each brush is pressed against the commutator (copper section) by a spring. As the brush wears the carbon (black dust, brushes are made of carbon) has to go somewhere and it tends to build up in the brush holder making the brush hang up and not contact the commutator. (No contact means no electricity)
Turn off the thruster battery power switch. Check for no voltage, take the cover off the top of the motor and you will see the brushes. Use a vacome to get rid of all the carbon dust. Make sure that the brushes move freely in their holder. PM me if you want more details.
Turn off the thruster battery power switch. Check for no voltage, take the cover off the top of the motor and you will see the brushes. Use a vacome to get rid of all the carbon dust. Make sure that the brushes move freely in their holder. PM me if you want more details.
Rocky Lou
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My replacement of the stern thruster was a disaster, however, that was largely due to bad advise from Lewmar Tech Support to my mechanic, a Lewmar dealer AND the fact that I was going from Gen. 1 to Gen. 2. Here's the thread that identifies the Gen. 2 P/N and discusses the IP 'waterproof' cover (see last post): https://www.tugnuts.com/threads/anyone-replace-lewmar-stern-thruster-lately.22672/#post-155812.
Lewmar used to sell brushes alone but discontinued, they may be available on eBay? Or: https://www.mauripro.com/products/l...Q7logEnyHWzBbtwAyl8xfqmVJaRKMkrSJm7mlHc&gQT=2
However, removal of the IP cover and unit, along with disassembly and cleaning up brush residue makes replacement likely a better way to go. Is there no talk of warranty, I read, "Lewmar thrusters typically come with a 3-year mechanical warranty for the thruster itself"?
Lewmar used to sell brushes alone but discontinued, they may be available on eBay? Or: https://www.mauripro.com/products/l...Q7logEnyHWzBbtwAyl8xfqmVJaRKMkrSJm7mlHc&gQT=2
However, removal of the IP cover and unit, along with disassembly and cleaning up brush residue makes replacement likely a better way to go. Is there no talk of warranty, I read, "Lewmar thrusters typically come with a 3-year mechanical warranty for the thruster itself"?
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I have been fighting the issue on my 32 C aft thruster also. Here is what I found so far. It is sold as an assembly and no brushes available - according to Lewmar. Price is $3700, ouch. I appear to have bad motor. Worked with their tech and did all the multimeter checks. I tried to pull the motor from the plastic housing, no luck. There replacement part is - 581113SPA. SPA means spare. Bow thruster works great. I will live without the aft for now. Bought the boat in Canada a month ago and it failed the first time I tried to use it. Surveyor was worthless.
Rocky Lou
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The P/N you quoted for the spare motor in the IP Case is correct and I've also showed what dealers pay. Hence, you may be able to order one online for much cheaper, e.g. Mauripro or another Lewmar dealer. Also note, Lewmar deliveries are astonishingly slow, they won't even allow you to pay for speedy freight.
I sent you a link from Mauripro that indicates they have brushes available for sale, but, I have no idea if that's accurate. We did not separate the motor from the plastic IP case as mine had cracked and the motor was toast. I expect it's possible.
If you read my thread, you'll see that I've done plenty of venting about the incompetence of Lewmar for several people.
Good luck!
Thanks for the help. It ends up that the motor for the aft thruster was bad. It was easy to pull and have it checked for a short. Lewmar tech support said the previous owner probably "cooked" it too many times. Hard to understand for a 2022 32C boat but makes sense when he delivered it to Cap Sante Marina. What a "cluster" docking the boat. After much research the real part number, for my boat, is LEW 590071. This is the correct unit for the aft thruster which is encased in a black plastic housing. The package came with extra module, wiring and transom mount. It is the same unit for some Ranger Tugs. Rocky Lou is correct about the Lewmar tech. Friendly but so wrong. So many variations on thrusters and locations. I ordered mine thru Fisheries Supply in Seattle and they were great. $2000 range. On the water for this season finally.
Rocky Lou
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Great that your stern works again. Overusing the thrusters is definitely not a good idea as they consume a lot of battery. My mechanic suggested that I turn on the generator when docking to avoid putting too much stress on the inverter charging. If the wind and currents are heavy and i have time, I do that.
Fisheries Supply is one of the good ones...they'll give you an earful if you get them talking about support from Lewmar. Lewmar lists my boatyard as a 'dealer' as well, but, they told me they are not and certainly do not have anyone factory trained. 590071 is yet another version of the 140TT motor and it looks similar to the 581113, however, when you search on the Lewmar site, it calls out a 'Ranger' product...nice that you didn't play list price either. You were fortunate not to have had to go from Gen. 1, like on my 2019 boat, to Gen. 2 since that was what caused us all the challenges.