Rinker 290 FV Horizon 600 Windlass stopped working - ideas?

jcc2823

Well as luck would have it (because we generally don't go out too many times without something breaking....) our windlass stopped working this weekend.  The rope got twisted and caught under the gear which caused the windlass to stop as it will normally if it gets in any sort of stress.  The circuit didn't trip.  Normally when i'm pulling the anchor up if it gets stressed it stops and I just back off of the it with the down switch then go back to raising it with the up switch.  This time after getting the rope untangled up or down don't work.  The motor never showed any signs of grinding or smoking, etc that would indicate that it burnt itself up.  When i try to use the switch up or down there's just nothing- no noise no nothing like it's not even getting power.  I read that often the solenoid will go out, but i can't find it in the anchor locker (of course I can't see much either except for the wires leading from the wiring harness up to the windlass motor box through the deck locker.  Do windlasses always  have a solenoid?  Where else would it be?  I can try to insert a phone camera through the tiny hole they give you for access (thanks Rinker, lol) under the mirror to look for it again, but I couldn't see or feel anything other than the wires up in there.

I thought about replacing the up/down switch on the dash or the circuit breaker, but I'm not sure that will do any good if it's indeed the solenoid.

Help!  :-)

Thanks!

reneechris14

Is there power coming in and out of the breaker? Can you turn buy hand?

Ian

In our 310 there were no solenoids, direct wired from the switch to the windlass with the high gauge cabling. When I replaced with the 1000 I put in the contactor behind the new breaker and switch which made new foot switches easy to parallel. Press and reset the overload a few times, maybe it has tripped a little, not enough to see the yellow tab but enough to break the contact.

jcc2823

Thanks for the suggestions guys. That helps me confirm there's probably no solenoid. The switch has the heavy gauge wires (same color and size as going to the windlass inside the anchor locker) so maybe it is just wired straight to the switch...

I've pressed the test button and pushed back in the little arm thing about a dozen times with no luck. 

So so on the windlass I loosened the nut and was about to turn the gear teeth that the rope and chain go through freely. I was not able to turn it though if I tightened the nut back down which I wouldn't think you would be able to do. It doesn't have free fall- just up or down. 

I wonder ifi if I should just order a switch and circuit breaker new and hope that fixes it. I'm not very good with a volt meter- I don't really know what to put to what etc...

thanks again for tge the thoughts and any future thoughts guys!

Handymans342

Replace the whole thing

Ian

If you can get o the connections set the VM to D.C. Volts - 2 parallel lines - and if not auto ranging, something that can take 13v - likely 50v. Put your leads across the wires at the connection and have a helper drive down. You should get 12v showing either -ve  or +ve. If so go the other way and the voltage will reverse. If you see that switch is fine and the windlass is not happy. No volts may be switch or breaker. 

Also, look in your battery switch housing, if I recall I have a "poppable" breaker there. See if one of the white buttons has popped. 

jcc2823

Thanks on my way down to boat now. 

jcc2823

icoultha you're a genius!  I forgot there were pop out breakers on the battery switch panel. Indeed the windlass 60 amp was popped. Pushed back in and good to go. 

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian

Excellent, glad I helped solve your problem. I had similar once before and only when I questioned "did I turn the batteries back on" and looked in there did I see one popped, forgot they are scattered in a few places.