No Power to Trolling Motor Diagnosis and Fix

Diagnosing a trolling motor that isn't getting power. This was a good exercise in following the power and narrowing down where an issue might be. We were lucky that it was such an apparent break in the wire, and that it was up in the bow where it was somewhat accessible. If you have a more complex system, the process is the same, but may take more time and testing to narrow in on a problem area. In addition, if you find a section of wire that's not conducting power, but no apparent damage, it's sometimes easier just to replace that section of wire. Wires can sometimes corrode and break inside of the insulation where it can't be seen.

I know my soldering isn't the best, but thus far it has been functional. I did want to highlight the importance of being able to get enough heat into the wires quickly enough to form a proper solder joint. The small soldering iron we had available the first day clearly wansn't up to the task.