Help with GM Windlass in Ft Pierce, Fl

[thoward]

I am in need of help of troubleshooting a GM windlass. I press the foot switches and nothing happens in electrical area below. I have a feeling this is beyond my skills so is there anyone you know of in the area who can work on these?

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

check your fueses if both are inop. on mine the down button only was out and it maid no noise at all I ordered a new switch and installed...

 

[Freebird]

Hey GoozBoy,

I'm sure glad to hear you fixed that windlass! I don't think I'm up to retrieving that all chain rode of yours again!

 

[Pascal]

it really depends on the setup. assuming it's like mine :

The first thing to check is that you are getting power to the relay box, at the bow. that's a big cable coming in from the batteries. someone could have turned off the battery switch to the windlass.

check the foot switch and see if you have power coming in to the switches. if you do, disconnect the wires to the down switch and put them together.. windlass shoudl run. if it does, it's the switch. if not then it's probably going to be one of the relays in the electrical box at the bow or the windlass itself.

when pressing the switch, or bypassing it, check if you get power at the windlass terminals.

also...
-do you have a switch at the helm, does it work ?
-check for fuses or circuit breakers

 

[Will]

thoward,

If the windlass doesn't work in either the up or down mode, you most likely have a problem with your power source. Check your main battery switch and look for a breaker or fuse as previously suggested. Mine has a breaker on the control unit mounted in the chain locker. The breaker can easily be tripped when weighing anchor. If your windlass works in only one direction either up or down, you may have bad relay contacts (inside the control box) or a problem with the motor. Burnt relay contacts are not unusual especially on the relay used to weigh anchor. Replacing main switches, circuit breakers and relays are pretty straight forward.

Good luck

Will

 

[captainwjm]

It might be as simple as bad contacts; had a similiar problem - cleaned battery terminals and sprayed WD-40 on all contacts in the anchor locker and on the windlass - and it worked fine.

But, then again, simple and boat usually aren't in the same sentence!

 

[SKYCHENEY]

If you open the contol box there should be a little tubular fuse that protects the switch circuit only. This is not the fuse to the input power. That is in your engine room if it is like mine. Get a multimeter and check for power on each side of that little fuse.

 

[thoward]

I need to pull the blueprint. I have some power up there but I have not been able to figure if it is at the right places. To make matters worse the PO dinked around in there. Thanks for the help. If you do not here from me Monday please send help as it likely I am slowly cooking at 32v.

 

[Ross Macdonald]

The 60 hatt chain locker should have a breaker box inside and to the right of the stbd door to the chain locker in the fwd stateroom. The breaker itself is on the outboard side of the box. Up for on and down for off. You have to reach around to get to it. If the breaker is on and there's still no power, take off the cover of the box and check the fuse in there. If the windlass is overloaded, it can blow the fuse. Had the same problem and needed a fuse. I now keep a spare taped on the front of the box.

 

[thoward]

Just a follow up on the fix.....The main fuse was not there(removed by PO?), replaced that and still nothing. Metered all wires and all was good ? Got a jumper and jumped switches. Ended up with 2 bad switches as well. If it is not one thing it is THREE.