Lofrans Marlin Windlass not working

[Danny Troy]

This just happened for the first time today. I pressed the windlass button on the instrument panel and the power light did not come on. I do hear the solenoid clicking in the engine compartment when I depress the button, so apparently power is reaching the solenoid. Of course the windlass up and down switches on the instrument panel, as well as on deck will not operate. Before I do some investigation with a voltmeter tomorrow I thought I might get some advice here. BTW, my boat is a 2003 Sea Ray 280 Sundancer.

 

[MiLoII]

Hi Danny. A couple things and I'm not familiar with your boat set up, but a couple things to check. On my 05 320 there is a circuit breaker (not the pop out breakers) on the forward wall of the engine room. That might be tripped and if so it has a little finger that pops out just flip it back up into body of breaker.
But considering you her the solenoid trying to energize the system but doesn't. I suspect that might be your issue. It a relatively inexpensive piece to replace but a clear PIA to change on my boat its behind the breaker box

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N8NYN...abc_YFPZK15TW9R01FMHG5C1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Danny Troy]

Hi Danny. A couple things and I'm not familiar with your boat set up, but a couple things to check. On my 05 320 there is a circuit breaker (not the pop out breakers) on the forward wall of the engine room. That might be tripped and if so it has a little finger that pops out just flip it back up into body of breaker.
But considering you her the solenoid trying to energize the system but doesn't. I suspect that might be your issue. It a relatively inexpensive piece to replace but a clear PIA to change on my boat its behind the breaker box

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N8NYN...abc_YFPZK15TW9R01FMHG5C1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I had checked that breaker and it wasn't tripped. I'm suspecting the relay. I'm wondering if the instrument panel indicator is energized after the relay (or solenoid) and that's why no light is showing. I'll check further tomorrow with a voltmeter. Also, there is a 5A fuse on the relay and it doesn't look tripped. I'll check that tomorrow also. I'll call the Imtra company Monday and see what their take is on it. They are importers of Lofran windlass's and I've bought from them before, and I heard their good with tech support.

 

[Danny Troy]

Did a little troubleshooting today and I wound up bypassing the relay. I ordered the relay you mentioned on Amazon and it looks like a direct replacement. The thing that has me scratching my head is that the green light on the panel soft-touch switch sometimes takes a few presses before it "takes" and remains on. Anyway, I at least have a working windlass. I don't think there will be an issue bypassing the relay. I always turn the batteries off when leaving the boat, so if it does draw some juice from the batteries with the relay bypassed, it shouldn't draw the batteries down.
BTW, my relay, although having two slots for fuses, only had one fuse in it. I wonder if adding the second fuse is recommended. It looks like the Amazon replacement relay comes with 2 fuses.

 

[hughespat57]

One fuse comes off the battery side for the energize control circuit

the other comes off the load side for a tell tale lamp to show it is energized
Likely you don’t have that

 

[Danny Troy]

I used the boat today and the green indicator light didn't come on at all. The helm up/down switches also didn't work. Luckily, the footswitches on the deck both worked. Hopefully the new relay will fix it, but in the interim I will have a working windlass using the footswitches.