Windlass issue

[MLauman]

If you are checking voltage and have the two terminal motor, you will not test across M1 and M2. You should test from M1 to ground and M2 to ground. I believe (not sure) that M1 is the UP terminal so that is really the only one you have concern with. Make sure you find a good ground for the negative lead from your meter. Put your test leads M1 and ground and have someone activate the up operating switch. If there is no voltage then you definitely have a relay issue.

You seem to be assuming the windlass uses a chassis ground for power - it does not. Although your testing method would work (sort of), it would only test half of the circuit. The 2-terminal system works by reversing polarity at the solenoid and a proper test needs to check both positive and negative leads so that you are including both sides of the solenoid. Testing across M1 and M2 is the only way to do this at the solenoid.

If you have the 3 terminal motor, the 3rd terminal is simply a ground terminal - so that is where you place the negative lead from your volt meter.

True, but if you're testing at the solenoid you don't necessarily have access to the 3rd terminal as the negative line runs straight to the motor.

 

[MLauman]

Actually if you swap the leads coming from the motor to M1 and M2 the following will happen:

1. The windlass now goes up, but not down, UP solenoid contact burned out,

or

2. Windlass still will not go up, then the segment of the motor handling the up function is bad. This could be a broken terminal lug, bad connection somewhere etc.

or

3. Everything works - the connections were dirty on either M1 or M2

Exactly. If you can't run it down with a meter test then you should try this before pulling the windlass motor, etc. If the problem is a poor connection (or solenoid contact) then it might show good on a meter but not be passing enough current to engage the motor.

 

[Cincy Aquaholic]

Just a quick update . . . didn't really get a chance to mess with my anchor a whole lot this weekend - weather was too nice and we were rafted up such that I only used it once. But did find that some wiggling of the main power cable got it to work. It must be a connection/corrosion issue there. Going to pull the cables off and clean them. I wish I was a dentist because its a PITA to work in there!