Ulterra Will not deploy

[Farmerj]

went to use the Ulterra and it wouldn't deploy. Kept giving me a "motor error".

I found the Minnkota Ulterra Troubleshooting file and started to read it the same time I called Minnkota Technical support. Glad I had them on the line while I was reading the trouble shooting portion.

https://www.minnkotamotors.com/sites...ting-guide.pdf




Anywho…

I suspected that something was causing it to bind. The troubleshooting talks about this and says to confirm it, you need to remove the right side motor ramp. Easy enough to do. But you need a phillips screw driver and also a 5/32" allen wrench. When you put the ramp back on, you have to be careful you don't pinch off and cut the wires to the hall effect switch under the ramp.

I had also noticed that every time I deployed the motor, it dropped a little bit immediately to the port (left) as it deployed. Not much, but just enough to catch my eye. That's not normal.

Kill the power to the motor, remove the right side motor ramp. twist the motor and re-install the motor ramp.

This resets the motor and it now deploys with no issues or dropping to the port side smooth and easy.

Functions flawless again.

[ThreeDogsDown]

Good stuff. Will keep (in the event I need it). I learned that Armor all is an acceptable lube on the shaft. Will do that today. Thanks man.

[Farmerj]

Yeah, finally an actual use for something I hate.

[andersaki]

I bought a 1 year old Ulterra last fall. I tried it out on the water so I knew that it worked. While working to mount it in the garage last winter my wife walked in and I said "hey honey, watch this" as I hit the deploy button. As soon as it started to move I realized that while deploying it was going to hit the winch stand. In my panic I stabbed buttons to make it stop, and finally just grabbed the top of the shaft and it stopped. So, my wife is looking at me, enjoying the show and wondering how I'm going to get out of the predicament. The Ulterra wouldn't stow no matter what I did. I finally called the tech at Minn Kota and he talked me through the same procedure that Farmerj described. Basically, what I had to do was to use the sensor to "fool" the Ulterra into stowing while it was still in the deploy mode. All was right the the world again.

andersaki

[KraTToR]

I have a '17 Ulterra 112 BT that was in the shop 4x this year with deployment issues. The final fix was a small board that included the trim encoder.
With that being said, the Ulterras are voltage sensitive so if your batteries are on their way out, the Ulterra will act up.






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Originally Posted by Farmerj

went to use the Ulterra and it wouldn't deploy. Kept giving me a "motor error".

I found the Minnkota Ulterra Troubleshooting file and started to read it the same time I called Minnkota Technical support. Glad I had them on the line while I was reading the trouble shooting portion.

https://www.minnkotamotors.com/sites...ting-guide.pdf




Anywho…

I suspected that something was causing it to bind. The troubleshooting talks about this and says to confirm it, you need to remove the right side motor ramp. Easy enough to do. But you need a phillips screw driver and also a 5/32" allen wrench. When you put the ramp back on, you have to be careful you don't pinch off and cut the wires to the hall effect switch under the ramp.

I had also noticed that every time I deployed the motor, it dropped a little bit immediately to the port (left) as it deployed. Not much, but just enough to catch my eye. That's not normal.

Kill the power to the motor, remove the right side motor ramp. twist the motor and re-install the motor ramp.

This resets the motor and it now deploys with no issues or dropping to the port side smooth and easy.

Functions flawless again.

[Farmerj]

Another thing pointed out was to use "armor-all" to wipe down the shaft.

I opted to use a silicone lube spray instead. Cheaper, straight silicone and more water resistance to washing off.

I knew that dirt or contaminants wasn't may issue as the boat, trolling motor and entire rig isn't even a month old yet and has only been in the water maybe 9 times.

Dirt or other contaminants may be built up on the composite shaft causing the shaft to stick or bind rather than slide smoothly through the steering housing. To correct this, thoroughly clean and wipe down the shaft with a silicone-rich, water-based spray such as Armor All or similar product. (Note: you may need to assist the motor deploy sequence by pushing out on the head of the motor while sending a deploy command prior to cleaning.)

[Bobby Winds]

I have found on my PD a good coat of PASTE WAX does wonders for about 3-4 times out... I keep a can of old Turtle Wax in the garage just for my boat needs.