[Sentoa] Side Power thruster maintenance

[camrpm163 at aol.com]

I discovered just like Jim Moore that removing the motor every few years and with compressed air blowing the dust out keeps it operating well. You should also drain some fluid from the prop drive until it comes out clean and than top off the reservoir in side the boat with the proper type oil. These two things should keep your bow thruster ship shape.

Richard Maresca
CARISMA   32-144
Whitestone,NY


-----Original Message-----
From: Seasalt007 at aol.com
To: sentoa at lists.samurai.com
Sent: Tue, Oct 27, 2009 9:15 pm
Subject: Re: [Sentoa] Side Power thruster maintenance



Had the same loss of performance and kicking of thermal breaker. The tech discovered a loose ground wire from the battery to the thruster. He removed the thruster motor and took it to an electric shop to check the brushes. Mine were fine. Loose wire was totally the blame for problem.
 
Ron Carter
Sedona 42-19
Punta Gorda
 

In a message dated 10/27/2009 7:09:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tugs4me at comcast.net writes:

Fellow tuggers,

About a year ago we ran a thread on bow thruster performance issues.  My Side Power thruster acted "sluggish" and weak, displaying all the signs of a weak battery.  I attributed it to poor recharging of the bow battery and ultimately I replaced the battery though I couldn't establish the real culprit.  Since then the performance has dropped steadily and finally precipitously, failing to run more than 4-5 seconds at about 30%power.  I just adapted to not using it.  My main concern was that electrolysis might have damaged the internal parts of the lower leg causing it to not turn freely.  The cure for that will melt a Platinum Card.  My diver's regular reports indicated the zincs were holding up well but that didn't eliminate uncertainty.

I spoke to a tech at Imtra who suggested there might be a problem with dirty brushes on the DC motor.  A quick inspection showed small black spots on the hull 360 degrees around the unit suggesting carbon thrown out by the rotation of the armature which supported the tech's hypothesis.  Removal of the motor (by a tech) was simple as it is held in place by 4 socket head capscrews (metric) and after blowing out the dust and spraying cleaning solvent on the commutator the thruster now works like new.  The coupling receiver on the upper leg turned freely indicating that all is well internally.

Found a new item for the "spares" locker.  There is an interesting device coupling the motor to the upper leg of the thruster; a semi-rigid, rubberlike cylindrical "cage" and it requires just a little "jiggling" to bring the two receivers into alignment with the coupling cylinder.  Best done down in the thruster compartment, not an easy position to assume so I'd recommend it be done by someone small and flexible.  Otherwise this is about as easy a project as you'll find if you can persuade your wife to wrestle the mattress out of the forward stateroom.  I couldn't.  Best to get it out of the area as the carbon seems to smear everywhere around the bunk as you remove and handle the motor.

Jim Moore
RILEY 37085




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