Stern thruster motor sounds

[ragman]

I am pretty sure I need to replace the shear pin on my stern thruster, R27. But, I may also have caused another issue.

When I briefly ran the motor to confirm that the pin was sheared, I accidentally reversed the toggle before allowing the motor to come to a complete stop. Now, when I engage the joystick all I hear is the sound of the relay/selenoid clicking. Did I damage something, or may this be a coincidence with something like a corroded connection be happening, too?

 

[Ralf H]

Hi Ragman,

Unfortunately the only way you will really know is to pull the motor and check. No big deal since you have to pull the motor for the new shear pin anyway. Also not sure if what happened was caused by what you did this time around, as usually when someone does that, it simply pops the shear pin. Once you have the motor off, check the shaft to see if it can be spun. It will give some resistance, but should not be seized. You can test the motor on a bench (or have someone do it for you). That will reveal if there are any issues with the motor. Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Ralf

 

[ragman]

Thanks for the reply, Ralf

Before I made my mistake, the prop did turn with the shaft ad I would expect even with the pin sheared due to friction alone, but not enough to overcome the resistance of the water.
So, I'm pretty sure the motor was ok before my mischief.

 

[knotflying]

There are a few reasons that can relate to your issue and as Ralf said removal will be necessary. check to make sure you have all good connections. Also check your fuse. The fuses develop fine cracks over time and can built up resistance. They look good but can be bad. If after you check connections and fuse you will need to check solenoid, relay and thermal fuse. This requires removal of the "explosion" protective cover once you remove the motor. Don't let sidepower tell you that you need to return the motor for service. Explain that the thruster is in a diesel ranger tug. The cover is to protect it from water intrusion not explosion in a gas environment.