Windlass motor stuck on up

[hoppy]

Over the years, every now and then my windlass would get stuck in up mode. Sometimes this would result in a very violent arrival of the anchor and other times the chain would bunch up and jam the windlass, either way I would have to make a mad dash for the breaker switch.

Normally it would fix itself either immediately when I switch the breaker on or after a few attempts. I have always assumed it was a result of perhaps a short in one of the two windlass cable connectors in the anchor locker or perhaps the wireless..

Today it jammed on yet again, luckily the chain jammed the windlass with the anchor just breaking the surface, so after switching off the breaker I hauled the anchor in.

This time no mater what I tried, the windlass would not go back to normal, so I headed to a well protected shallow bay a few miles away that also had a good chandlery a short dingy ride away.

After disconnecting the wires of each remote and retrying, the windlass stayed on. Eventually I remove the wires from the controller box and it still stayed on.

So I removed the controller box and pulled it apart.

Looking inside I could see some burn marks and that it looks likely that the problem was metal plates "welding" against each other. 

After one failed reassembly when it was totally dead, the second attempt fixed the problem, so now I don't need to hand haul up the chain tomorrow

If the weather clears in the morning (rain and lightening now) I will take the dingy to buy a replacement controller as I don't trust the one I have.

[hoppy]

Ohh yeah, the first photo shows what I think caused my problem and the second is the pin that goes inside the solenoid that presses the plate up to make a connection.

[ianpowolny]

Hoppy, is that the black control box under the forward bulk? It has 3 connections? If so we used a set of car jump leads to override the solenoid and then replaced the controller. There was a new model of controller used now.

[hoppy]

Sept 11, 2014 18:53:25 GMT ianpowolny said:

Hoppy, is that the black control box under the forward bulk? It has 3 connections? If so we used a set of car jump leads to override the solenoid and then replaced the controller. There was a new model of controller used now.

Yes, that's it...

I guess you can also take the power cable off and put it against the up or down cable to control the windlass.Not so good for me being solo though.

It was interesting to pull a part just to see how they work.

[hoppy]

What still confuses me is what the box below the controller is for?

The fuses seem to be only associated with a couple of wires and I think some wires were windlass related and others for nav lights

[ianpowolny]

Do you have the Jeannesu line diagrams for your boat? They sent them all to me and from that I can work out what most parts are and do. There are about 25 to 35 pages.

[hoppy]

I went to shore this morning and found a new Quick controller that matched what I needed. It was very simple to swap them over except that I needed to drill new mounting holes. Hopefully now I have seen the end of the stuck on the up problem :-)

[aussieodyssey]

Hoppy

They use the same thing on the electric sheet winches.

Greg

[hoppy]

Sept 12, 2014 15:13:55 GMT aussieodyssey said:

Hoppy

They use the same thing on the electric sheet winches.

Greg

Makes sense....

It has reminded me how 15 years ago I was about to head on a long motorcycle tour and my bike starter motor got stuck on turning over until I cut the power. The problem was caused by a stuck solenoid which was eventually solved by hitting the unit to free it. Thankfully on the 6,000km the problem never repeated itself

[jez]

Maybe worth checking the state of the carbon brushes and commutator on the windlass motor if the contactor has been arcing enough to weld.
The gray box may be a battery voltage monitor that inhibits use if the voltage is low.
Jez

[dnickj]

Sept 11, 2014 21:45:28 GMT hoppy said:

What still confuses me is what the box below the controller is for?

The fuses seem to be only associated with a couple of wires and I think some wires were windlass related and others for nav lights

View Attachment

Hi

the white box is a voltage sensor/relay that stops the windlass being used without the engine running there is a jumper wire (top right) that is connected on yours that allows running with engine off - normally this should be left disconnected.
on mine i introduced a stitch and lengthened the jumper to allow easier operation
one point to note is the windlass is driven from the engine starter battery !!

regards
Nick

[hoppy]

Oct 1, 2014 19:52:56 GMT dnickj said:

Sept 11, 2014 21:45:28 GMT hoppy said:

What still confuses me is what the box below the controller is for?

The fuses seem to be only associated with a couple of wires and I think some wires were windlass related and others for nav lights

View Attachment

Hi

the white box is a voltage sensor/relay that stops the windlass being used without the engine running there is a jumper wire (top right) that is connected on yours that allows running with engine off - normally this should be left disconnected.
on mine i introduced a stitch and lengthened the jumper to allow easier operation
one point to note is the windlass is driven from the engine starter battery !!

regards
Nick

Thanks, that's good to know