Lofrans Airon Windlass on '94 3200

[Mongoose]

Hey, everyone!

I've been troubleshooting my windlass for some time now and just can't seem to get it to work. Here are the facts of the situation:
- Windlass works manually with crank handle
- New battery is fully charged
- Cables are 2 gauge from battery to foot switches
- Breaker closed and master switch on
- Foot switches not corroded
- No solenoid in this system; battery>>>foot switches>>>motor
- Motor disassembled and cleaned, including brushes; they seem to move freely
- Motor ohm checked for continuity and seems good
- Motor tested by itself directly to battery and it turns

However, when the motor is installed under the windlass in the chain locker, it won't work. Voltage to the brushes is good, but it doesn't even make a noise or a click when the switches are engaged. I'm at a loss. Any ideas?

'Goose

[mmwjr]

Can you remove the motor and try turning the gear it meshes with to see if the drum?

[Mongoose]

I had the gearbox off the drum, and it spun freely. It was also well-oiled.

[mmwjr]

My guess is the motor can’t provide enough torque to drive the gears. Had a similar issue with mine although it’s a different brand. In my case the brush housing was damaged. I bought a new motor and it works better then ever.

[shrew]

I'd be surprised such a high amp-drawing motor doesn't have solenoids. They didn't run 0 or 00 cable to the Up/Down switches did they? If not, then I'd expect to find a solenoid somewhere in the system.

Stuck brushes are just one common issue. On mine, the brushes were worn so far down that there was no more 'run-out' for the brush springs. This meant to the brushes couldn't keep constant, and decent pressure on the commutator. However, they moved just fine.

[Mongoose]

The Airon manual suggests that the motor is either 700 or 1000 watt, but I swear I saw that the motor on the 3200 was a 500 watt. That makes sense given the 50A fuse in the boat's wiring diagram vs the 70 & 100 amp fuses in the Airon manual, respectively. The wiring is 2 gauge, not 0 or 00, and runs all the way from the battery to the foot switches. The motor connects to the other side of the switches with 10(ish) gauge wire about 18" long.

There is no solenoid in the boat wiring diagram. There is also an installation diagram in the Airon manual that doesn't include a solenoid.

The brushes seemed long enough, and the springs seem to apply enough tension to keep them snug on the commutator. It ran on the bench, just not on the boat. I'll pull it off again and do some more troubleshooting this weekend. Who knows. Maybe I reinstalled it incorrectly or something.

[Mongoose]

I guess I need to post a follow-up to this saga. I pulled the motor off again and removed the cover. This time, as I was removing the brush, the wire pulled out from where it was crimped in. I reattached it securely and the motor worked again. Put it on the boat and I now have a working windlass. Took it out on July 4th weekend and sat around on the hook for a couple hours just to test it. Works perfect!