Windlass Doesn't Operate -Battery Arrangement

dread

When I toggle my windlass switch to down or up, nothing happens, no sound, and the house battery gauge goes from just under 14 to just above zero or so. Simpson-Lawrence Sprint 600. The switch is next to the helm. Behind the helm chair is a stand-alone heavy duty circuit breaker with a red button. (Seadog line or something like that)? The breaker does not trip when I toggle the switch, but I think it has in the past. Any ideas about what's wrong?

The boat has twin 90's and twin starter batteries and a house battery. I wanted to attach pictures of the battery switch arrangement, but I don't know how to upload photos on this forum (or anywhere else). The house battery switch sits between two VSR Voltage Sensitive Relay Modules. Below those three are two switches "port start" and "stbd start" separated by an "emerg parallel" switch. The switches are red oblongs that are turned to show a green v or a red v. Should the "emerg parallel" be left on or only turned on in a real "emerg?"

thataway · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 7:56 pm Post subject:

Just of the top of my head, it sounds like a failed battery--which cannot handle the load. If the windlass was stalled or jammed, then the breaker would trip.

Try combining both of the starting batteries, engines running and see if the windlass works with those two batteries.

Ask the moderators for an album.

Captains Cat · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:02 pm Post subject:

Sounds like dirty (corroded) contacts somewhere. Start at the house battery, take each red wire off and clean them thoroughly with Emory cloth, work your way toward the windlass. Then repeat with the black ( ground wire) which should go through a bus bar near the stern. You shouldn't need to use the emerg parallel switch, that's normally used for a situation when one start battery gets too low and you can't get an engine started.

Keep us posted! It's usually a bad ground! Cry

Charlie

thataway · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:05 pm Post subject:

Just of the top of my head, it sounds like a failed battery--which cannot handle the load. If the windlass was stalled or jammed, then the breaker would trip.

Try combining both of the starting batteries, engines running and see if the windlass works with those two batteries.

Ask the moderators for an album.

dread · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 11:07 pm Post subject: Reply to Bob Thataway

If the engines are running and the starting batteries are in emergency parallel, how does that help if the windlass is connected to the house battery?

dread · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 11:17 pm Post subject: Windlass

If the starting batteries are in parallel and the windlass still doesn't work, what batteries need to be replaced. All of the voltage meters seem to indicate they are fine.

KickerDRB · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:52 am Post subject:

I would get out a volt meter and start checking the switch, breaker and leads. Make sure everything is getting power. Also check the windlass for free movement. In my old Sprit 600, the gear box locked up (the grease turned to peanut butter), the motor was full of seawater. But it would never trip a breaker.

Captains Cat · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:50 am Post subject:

Had similar problem on my first TC. I didn't have a relay in the system for the windlass and the up/down switch was corroded inside. Replaced it once and it worked for awhile and then intermittently and then not at all. Added a relay to handle the heavy current (much like a solenoid on a car starter) and it worked fine ever after! There is a diagram in one of the forums, I'll look for it.

OK, HERE'S THE THREAD which includes my saga and the diagram for the solenoid I installed. Some folks apparently never have problems, some are intermittent and some have them crap out entirely, which sounds like the problem you may be having. You can try taking that up/down switch out, I did several times, cleaned contacts and reinstalled. It would work for awhile, intermittently at other times and then fail. Full current is running through that little switch and sometimes really futzes things up! Just my 2c worth. Let us know what you end up doing.

KICKER DRB SAID "
I would get out a volt meter and start checking the switch, breaker and leads. Make sure everything is getting power. Also check the windlass for free movement. In my old Sprit 600, the gear box locked up (the grease turned to peanut butter), the motor was full of seawater. But it would never trip a breaker."

But, "getting power" (voltage), is not the same as "passing current" if the switch won't carry the load.

Charlie

dread · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 8:36 am Post subject: Windlass

If the problem is the switch, wouldn't toggling it have no impact on the volt meter? In my case, it definitely registers a change on the volt meter.

Will-C

Maybe the windless is jammed or the windless's motor is locked. I myself would try using a set of jumper cables and a known good battery and jump power directly to the windless. Manually turn the windless to pull out some rode so the direction it runs in won't matter when you test. This will also let you know if the sucker is jammed. If the windless runs you have a starting point. If it does not you have an answer the windless is toast and needs to be rebuilt. If the windless does run you will to work backwards till you find the problem. Make sure you have safety glasses and gloves on when you do the jumper cable routine.
D.D.

dread · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:21 pm Post subject: Windlass

Got a new house battery (cabin electronics were weird this morning and the volt meter at the helm said zero). Went out salmon fishing. Flicked the windlass toggle switch and the house battery meter went to zero and all of the interior electronics stopped working. Engines still running, but no chart/fishfinder, no water pressure, etc. Heading back in. Portable volt meter says the new battery is fine. Ideas?

Wandering Sagebrush · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:32 pm Post subject: Re: Windlass

Tug · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:44 pm Post subject:

Is there a fuse somewhere along the line? Tug

Opps...I see that someone already mentioned that!

starcrafttom · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 6:06 pm Post subject:

you have a bad ground some where. A cable is like a water hose. You have 12 gallons of water ( volts) at the opening of the hose (switch) until you turn on the spray nozzle. Then the volume of water goes to near zero because the water ( voltage) can not supply the hose with enough water ( voltage). Most likely because you have a blockage or kink in the hose ( bad connection or build up of crust on a connector some where in the circuit. )

I had this problem while installing my new refrigerator. Drove me nuts. I have 12.8 volts at the switch until I turned on the switch and it would drop to 2.4. A brand new connector I had just bought was covered on the inside with a white film or crust that you could barely see. Replaced the ring connector and it works great.

You have a bad ground or the motor is shot.

dread · Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:27 pm Post subject: Windlass

Latest installment: fished for a couple of hours at low trolling speed -- only one salmon -- with all electronics off, except the radio which seemed to be sort of half off half on. Then increased speed and headed back into SF Bay. In a couple of minutes the electronics came back on and the volt meter for the new house battery showed normal voltage. Worked all the way back to Berkeley. Handheld volt meter indicates that power is getting to the switch, so the problem is in the switch, the wires running from the switch to the windlass or in the windlass itself. Two suggestions that crew made (one a Ph.D. in non-electrical engineering) is inadequate grounding of the negative buss bar or a burned out windlass motor. All other suggestions highly welcome!