Stern thruster inoperable

Irie308

Irie308

Well-Known Member
May 28, 2013
2,592
CT
Boat Info
2004 420 DB, GHS Hydraulic Lift
Garmin 8600/Garmin 1222 plus
AB Mares 10 VSX with 30 hp Tohatsu
Engines
Cummins 450C 8.3 L Turbocharged
Went to use my stern thruster this weekend and found it wasn’t working. Just a quick beep and then the green light flashes red. Canceled out the control pad as I swapped with the bow and it controlled the bow fine. Also checked the large in line fuse in the bilge and that was fine as well. Is there a solenoid I should be looking for?
 
Hey @Irie308 what thruster(s) do you have? And did you get this working?
 
SKybolt said:
Hey @Irie308 what thruster(s) do you have? And did you get this working?
Click to expand...
They are the 9512 (12Volt). Did some further digging and also called Vetus. I get a clicking sound at the unit (sounds like when you're car battery dies). More than likely the Solenoid is stuck open/close due to arcing per Vetus. I had battery issues recently and the solenoids do not like low voltage.
Edited: I've recently replaced batteries and I'm getting 13 volts at the thruster. Have also verified all fuses are good.
 
Last edited:
1) Debris in the thruster
2) Dead thruster batteries
3) Blown fuse
4) Bad solenoids
5) Bad thruster motor (everything else is cheap by comparison)
 
Irie308 said:
They are the 9512 (12Volt). Did some further digging and also called Vetus. I get a clicking sound at the unit (sounds like when you're car battery dies). More than likely the Solenoid is stuck open/close due to arcing per Vetus. I had battery issues recently and the solenoids do not like low voltage.
Edited: I've recently replaced batteries and I'm getting 13 volts at the thruster. Have also verified all fuses are good.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you will figure that out. Try a jumper cable to bypass solenoid to check if motor is good. Hope it's just #4 and not 5 of what @PlayDate posted. Good luck.
 
Mine did the same clicking sound when my batteries were toast.
 
Tim Fila said:
Mine did the same clicking sound when my batteries were toast.
Click to expand...
Did it damage the solenoid or did replacing the batteries fix the issue? I’ve replaced my batteries but just noticing this issue as the stern thruster doesn’t get much use. Planning to use jumper cables to test as stated above.
 
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Irie308 said:
... Planning to use jumper cables to test as stated above.
Click to expand...

Also while at the solenoid, use a jumper wire to engage the solenoid to hear if it is a firm snap or "lazy". But batteries can cause a lazy solenoid as well.
 
Were you running your generator or plugged in o shore power when you checked the voltage at the thruster? If you were you're getting the charger voltage not the battery voltage. The charger doesn't have enough amperage to power your thruster. Check the voltage at the thruster with those off.
 
bmac said:
Were you running your generator or plugged in o shore power when you checked the voltage at the thruster? If you were you're getting the charger voltage not the battery voltage. The charger doesn't have enough amperage to power your thruster. Check the voltage at the thruster with those off.
Click to expand...
Yes, on shore power. Will try without.
 
So I'm circling back to this after cleaning all my terminals and confirming I'm getting near 13.5 volts volts at all contact points. Have also replaced the solenoid at the advice of Vetus but still getting the clicking when I hit controls. After dissecting my old solenoid it looked perfectly fine. All parts were moving freely. I'm also not having any drops in voltage when I activate the thruster. (Note voltage readings are with charger off). Planning on giving Vetus a call tomorrow to see what else I should try but get the sense they are going to say its the motor. After dropping $600 on a solenoid rather exhaust all of my options before i start in on the motor. To me it still seems like a voltage issue but my readings are not confirming this. Planning on removing the brushes to inspect them but still not convinced its a motor issue. All of my searches find others with the issue but mostly comes back to a bad battery. Again batteries were replaced over the summer and they are charging and holding a charge even during the winter layup.
 
Irie308 said:
I'm also not having any drops in voltage when I activate the thruster.
Click to expand...
Is that at the power lug on the thruster? If you're getting full battery voltage there, check to make sure you don't have a bad ground off the motor. Power can't get in if it can't get out!
 
@Irie308 The motor armature could have a flat (dead) spot on it like a starter motor can. If you rotate the thruster blades a quarter turn and try and see if it starts working then. If it does, you might be able to find a rebuild house to look at the armature and see if there is a short or not. The stator part of the armature can short out. Also ohm out the motor ( + to - ) and ask Vetus what it should be, that could also verify a short or not.
 
Went back at it this am with jumper cables directly to the batteries from the terminals on the motor and it worked. So issue lies in the + or - cables. From looking at the cables I think the terminals may need to be redone due to corrosion.
 
Dean, you probably eliminated this but on my joystick the connector pulled out just a tad and stopped both of my thrusters. I would check all those I was getting the green light s but no thrusters. Just a thought
 
Thanks Joe, have confirmed controls, motor, batteries and reversing solenoid works thus far. I think the cause is low voltage and the cabling is the culprit.
 
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