Side-Power bowthruster shot?

[gfuller]

Hey guys,

So I was coming back to the dock and my bow-thruster randomly crapped out on me. Just another expensive component to add to the list....

So the controls work and I can hear the solenoid clicking but it does not fully engage. When I hold the button down it will run slowly but literally not move any water. Grease is good, etc... no loose connections. I'm not sure what model it is but I have found some replacements on www.imtra.com. From what I recall it may be a 45 or 55lb thrust but I'm not sure. Should I bother cleaning the terminals and hooking them back up and maybe replacing the brushes? it is just turning really really slow and the last time I tried it, not at all. We have a fishing trip coming up a week from today and I've been so frustrated with this boat. Has anyone experienced this before? does anyone have this bow-thruster?

Ugh.. thanks for your help again. I've never had to dish out so much $$ in one season of boat ownership.

[thomaslong]

First thing to do is to check your batteries. I am just finishing a bow thruster issue, and it all started with my nearly seven-year-old batteries.

[gfuller]

He Thomas,

So what is the specs other than 12v when not on the charger?

[JackK]

Things to look at -
(1) Batteries - make sure you are fully charged
(2) Terminals on the thruster - A little corrosion on the terminals can cause the connection to be lousy
(3) WIres - look for any broken wires on the control cable coming from the helm to the bow.
(4) if all else fails, the brushes on the thruster motor may have bitten the dust.

I had an issue with mine at one point and it was simply dirty contacts where the wires attach to the thruster motor. That would be my first place to look.

Jack

[gfuller]

Thanks, Jack!

I will completely remove the wires from the terminals, brush them up and try it again.

BTW - your former boat looks great out there and is slaying some BFT!

[thomaslong]

The main problem with my 1995 Vetus 23A turned out to be the brushes. They were supposed to be 25mm and had worn down to 12mm after more than 20 years of use. My batteries were definitely low and needed replacement after nearly seven years, which contributed to the problem. I was lucky to find replacement brushes on this forum from Capt. Max, who sold me a new set for half price. I also found an electrical shop here in New Orleans that installed the new brushes, reassembled the motor, bench tested it, repainted the body, all for $100. I finished the installation this morning, and the thruster works like new. And with a new set of AGMs, I won't have to worry about AC power.

[gfuller]

Wow - that sounds awesome Thomas..... I'm wondering if I can order those brushes asap just to have them. Is it OK to pull the thurster while the boat is in the water? I know in theory it should be but I just don't want anything dropping down and letting water in... I'm not really sure if the seal is made by the motor being bolted to the mounting plate or something?
I think the brushes for mine are around $125 but I still need to determine the model# of my side-power. Congrats on getting that fixed and for so cheap..

[Russell]

For Vetus thrusters I recommend before spending any money check the brushes to see if they need cleaning. The brushes are very long but they create a lot of dust plus some corrosion can occur that prevents them from making contact with the armature. You can access them on the top of the motor by removing a shield. Clean the metal carrier and make sure the springs that push the brushes in are not broken. If not cleaned regularly the brushes stick in the groove and make poor or no contact with the armature. On mine the thruster would run for a few seconds and stop because the brushes were pushed away from the armature. Waiting a few seconds and it would operate again. After cleaning the thruster worked better than ever.
You can remove the whole motor in the water. The tunnel is sealed by the tailpiece and there is a coupler between motor and the tailpiece.

[gfuller]

This is excellent info! I did some testing today. It's definitely not the batteries. I was measuring about 13v at the main posts with the thruster on (not running) and then taking a reading off of the posts on the solenoid to the ground I was getting the same reading with NO draw. The voltage did not drop when engaging the thruster but there was current and the solenoid was working as it should. Is this still a symptom of bad brushes? it's literally doing nothing now. The whole unit is quite corroded, rusty and nasty. There is a cover on the top of of the thruster and you say the brushes are accessible from here? I see 4 large screws around the "can" of the thruster that I thought were the brushes but those are seized as well as the top. This is the thruster I have... I believe anyway.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boaters-Resale- ... Wj&vxp=mtr

Here is my thruster:

[Russell]

The brushes are inside that square grid shield that I believe comes off if you remove the spring. I would not take the long Phillip's head bolts out of the top because the motor comes apart and is a little tricky to get back together. I did that in my first attempt to remove the motor instead of the bolts at the bottom coupler. Once you remove the shield follow the small wires to the brushes. Pull the spring out of the way and the brushes will slide out.
From the looks of the motor it may need more than brushes and it is easy to remove the bolts on the coupler and pull the whole motor to take to a shop for reconditioning if necessary.

[gfuller]

Thanks Russ! I'm thinking I'll just replace it all together. Is this 24v or 12v? I see on the solenoid that it's 12v but that may just be the power to the solenoid itself. I'd assume it's 12v but I've overlooked things before!

[gfuller]

I went with 12v through Imtra. I know it will run off one battery so I'm hoping common sense is at play!

[Ben423]

I'm curious. There's no switch on either DC panel for the bow thruster and ours operates with the main DC switch off (as well as the engine off). The Vetus manual shows a fuse and circuit breaker between the battery and the unit. Can anyone tell me where Albin installed the fuse and breaker? Thanks!

[Sisu22]

Would like to know this as well - I have a 1994 with the 'old style' Vetus 1.5kw thruster. I can't find a secondary fuse for the thruster control panel, just the main one next to the motor (I also don't know how many amps this should be).

[gfuller]

Installed the 12v Thruster and it's incredible. It's the SE60. The boat went from barely moving to having the bow do 360s. I'm glad I just replaced it.


https://youtu.be/o88_ETUHvis