Lofrans Solenoid Problem . . . I Think ?

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by landonshaw

Just went out and got the "Lofran 12 volt" "for motor from 500 up 1700W". The only one in the store that was close. not much to pick from in Grenada. Not on your list of alternatives though. Part number 600018. Do you see a problem with this. It is lower than the current 700W and higher than the 1500W currrently on the boat.

Higher is good.
Up to 1700w will be fine. As long as the rating is above the windless motor. More is better.
I could not find the rating in watts for your windless, but given the size of your boat I would expect 1000w so the solenoid will be fine.

[noelex 77]

Glad its working

I agree with Dellmarry it would be worth cleaning the terminals.

Even better now you know how to bypass the solenoid. It is the most common failure. I just fixed the same problem on a friends boat and they spent the last 4 months pulling the anchor up by hand. Knowing how to bypass the solenoid is a trick worth knowing.

[Tellie]

I agree with Delmarry as well, but will take it a bit further. The electrical connections are terrible. 1) There should be proper heat shrink on the larger cables to prevent wicking. Not red electrical tape. There is already a lot of signs of corrosion on the surface terminals. I would just assume there is wicking occuring there and would replace the connectors and use heat shrink.
2) The three spade connectors are begging for corrosion and poor contact. Use good heat shrink spade connectors. 3) Lose the cheap white splice and again use a proper heat shrinkable butt splice. In fact I'd get rid of that type of fuse and get a good marine grade fuse holder that protects the fuse connectors from the corrosion seen seeping into the left end of the fuse holder pictured. Corrosion breeds resistance, resistance breeds hot spots and failure. 4) Never take for granted chafing of unsecured wires. The two red cables on the left look like they are leaving a bulk head and are not secured and the edges of the bulk head look like a great place for chafing.
There are places to certainly save money on any boat, but proper electrical connectors are not one of them. Not only will your boats electrical system be safer the connections will last a lot longer and give a lot more trouble free service that adds up to be far more valuble than saving a few dollars on cheapo connectors. Windlass relays are designed to be water resistant because this is one spot that is very common for salt water to track back on the cables from exposed windlasses. The cheap connectors make it a weak link.

[landonshaw]

Replaced with a new solenoid. Cleaned all of the terminals before changing. Also cleaned the connections to the windlass. Last year had a leak and it had gotten on the solenoid, though I had cleaned it, must not have. Leake is gone though. Thanks and the anchor goes up and down the easy way.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Tellie

I agree with Delmarry as well, but will take it a bit further. The electrical connections are terrible. 1) There should be proper heat shrink on the larger cables to prevent wicking. Not red electrical tape. There is already a lot of signs of corrosion on the surface terminals. I would just assume there is wicking occuring there and would replace the connectors and use heat shrink.
2) The three spade connectors are begging for corrosion and poor contact. Use good heat shrink spade connectors. 3) Lose the cheap white splice and again use a proper heat shrinkable butt splice. In fact I'd get rid of that type of fuse and get a good marine grade fuse holder that protects the fuse connectors from the corrosion seen seeping into the left end of the fuse holder pictured. Corrosion breeds resistance, resistance breeds hot spots and failure. 4) Never take for granted chafing of unsecured wires. The two red cables on the left look like they are leaving a bulk head and are not secured and the edges of the bulk head look like a great place for chafing.
There are places to certainly save money on any boat, but proper electrical connectors are not one of them. Not only will your boats electrical system be safer the connections will last a lot longer and give a lot more trouble free service that adds up to be far more valuble than saving a few dollars on cheapo connectors. Windlass relays are designed to be water resistant because this is one spot that is very common for salt water to track back on the cables from exposed windlasses. The cheap connectors make it a weak link.

I just thought a quick re-visit to this thread crossed with the thread below was worth posting. When it comes to your electrical system no point is too small or trivial.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ian-72808.html