Lofrans Solenoid Problem . . . I Think ?

[landonshaw]

I went to raise the anchor with the electric windlass and nothing happened. I have a Lofran Airon electric windlass. I have power to the solenoid but looks like nothing after that. Written on the 3 terminal Lofran solenoid it says:
Lofran Control Box 12 Volts , For motors 700, 1000, 1200 W.
Here in Grenada I can get a Lofran Control Box 12 volt, 3M 500-1700W . I assume this will work. My question is will it?
Also, besides seeing that there is no power after the solenoid when depressing the up and down foot switches, is there anything else to check?

[noelex 77]

There are 3 and 4 pole solenoids for Lofrans winches and you need to replace it with the same one. Count the number of conections if that is same and the watt rating is the same or higher than your motor the solenoid will be fine.
It is easy to bypass the solenoid (its just a big switch) to check the anchor winch is OK or to raise the chain if it fails.

[landonshaw]

To bypass the solenoid, do you use a fairly heavy wire to complete the circuit of the wires going into the solenoid?

[landonshaw]

Or the old fashion way of using a screw driver to make the connection between the terminals?

[noelex 77]

The easy way is to turn the circuit breaker off. Take off the correct wire and put it on the correct pole to bypass the solenoid. They will be the same sized ring terminals. When you turn the CB on the anchor winch will power up continuously (or down depending on the wire) without pressing the winch remote or foot switch.

If you post a picture of the solenoid I will tell you which wire to swap.

(I am off for a fire and glass of wine on the beach so it will be a few hours before I can back to the laptop)

[landonshaw]

I will post a picture. Thanks for your help.

[ggray]

And then you can have the problem of a solenoid that doesn't disconnect when you release the button. That could be worse.
I installed a battery disconnect switch right by the windlass after this happened to us.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The easy way is to turn the circuit breaker off. Take off the correct wire and put it on the correct pole to bypass the solenoid. They will be the same sized ring terminals. When you turn the CB on the anchor winch will power up continuously (or down depending on the wire) without pressing the winch remote or foot switch.

If you post a picture of the solenoid I will tell you which wire to swap.

(I am off for a fire and glass of wine on the beach so it will be a few hours before I can back to the laptop)

Make sure nothing is on the gipsy when you do this.

[landonshaw]

Good suggestion. I will release the anchor chain before I experiment. Too often I am able to fix one problem, but in the process create a much bigger one. Thanks for the heads up.

[Tellie]

I would like to add that though these short cuts above could certainly work I would not recommend them except in an emergency. Taking advice about bypassing an electrical device should not be taken lightly. There is no explantaion of why the solenoid is not working or has failed it could be as easy as a bad solenoid or it could be a whole set of other problems. Boat cables carry a lot of amps, jury rigging anything can be a recipe for disaster. Dead shorts on a 12Volt line can cause fire starting temperatures on a cable in a matter of seconds. Remember a lot of people read these threads not just the OP.

[landonshaw]

I have posted the pictures of the solenoid. The two large brown wires in the back go to the windlass. The large red wire in the front left comes from the batteries. The small brown wire on the left terminal comes from one of the foot switches, The small blue wire on the right terminal comes from a foot switch. The small black wire on the center terminal goes to the windlass. There are two red wires that come from each of the foot switches that are tied together and then connected to the large front left terminal that is connected directly to the batteries

[GordMay]

Lofrans Control Boxes
• Two solenoids are enclosed inside a special sea water resistant container.
Part No. - Motors - Volts
409670 - 700W, 1000W, 1200W - 12v ☜ Yours
220339 - 1500 - 12v ☜ would work
409671 - 700W, 1000W, 1200W - 12v ☜ would work
187330 - 1500W - 24v
220340 - 2000W - 24v
105512 - 500W - 12v
414574 - 500W to 2500W - 24v

Applying +12VDC to M1 should drive the windlass “up”, and applying +12V to M2 should drive it down.
Motor Negative is connected directly to Battery.

[landonshaw]

Just went out and got the "Lofran 12 volt" "for motor from 500 up 1700W". The only one in the store that was close. not much to pick from in Grenada. Not on your list of alternatives though. Part number 600018. Do you see a problem with this. It is lower than the current 700W and higher than the 1500W currrently on the boat.

[landonshaw]

Bypassed the solenoid and had the pleasant sound of the windlass turning. Put in the new solenoid and all is working. Thank you for the help.

[delmarrey]

Recommendations:
I see a bit of corrosion on your terminals. It appears that there may have been some arching going on between the push-on terminals. This may have taken out your reversing switch.

You may want to spray them with WD-40 on occasion to dissipate the moisture. And the flat terminals I'd recommend replacing them with a fully covered connector. You can pack those with lithium grease which will also prevent corrosion.