Minn Kota 3a Fuse

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bradford2
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Minn Kota 3a Fuse

Post by bradford2 »

I've been having interference issues on my bow sonar which is connected to a Fortrex via the US2. I gather there is a 3a fuse in the head unit that could be blown. I was just wondering if anyone had seen this before and if it's just a regular blade, mini blade, or other type? Want to pick some up before heading out this weekend. Thanks!
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smitty55
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Re: Minn Kota 3a Fuse

Post by smitty55 »

Generally, if a fuse is blown then the circuit would be open and nothing would work. No power. Now I guess there is a slim possibility of a partially blown fuse that still has continuity but won't allow enough current flow. Or a loose/poor connection somewhere. Does the unit work in simulation mode? Do all the menu items still function as normal? If it's not a thru-hull like on a tinny it could be as simple as a film on the transducer, or, like a unit my sil had, the ducer was actually leaking somehow and when dry would work for a while but would eventually go crazy with noise all over the screen. He gooped up the cable connection and it didn't fix it.

Just throwing some things out there Brad in case its not a fuse. Good luck with it.

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Smitty

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bradford2
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Re: Minn Kota 3a Fuse

Post by bradford2 »

Got this sorted out over the weekend.

Smitty it's a fused ground wire that runs from the trolling motor to the cranking battery. So if the fuse were blown (it wasn't) the motor is no longer grounded and the potential for interference exists. I did find an issue though. That ground wire in the TM head was pinched inside a screw and damaged. I fixed this, and seems like all is good now.

Then, for whatever reason, I had no GPS for the first trip on the boat this weekend. The network was not getting power. Start of 2nd trip I dug out all the wiring, checked all connections, turned it on and it worked haha. I'm blaming the cold Saturday morning I guess lol.

Up next will be to find the leak in my boat. I believe it's my livewell pump - ran it over night Saturday (on the timer) and had a boat almost full of water on Sunday morning.

It's always something hahaha.
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smitty55
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Re: Minn Kota 3a Fuse

Post by smitty55 »

Good stuff Brad. Always feels good to find and fix electrical problems. Yea, a pinched wire can take a while to eventually cause a fault. Glad you found it.
That gps prob is a head scratcher I bet. Nothing like intermittent probs. After moving wires around and checking all connections hopefully it won't return.

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