Troubleshooting Maxwell 1200 12v Windlass

[SV Simple Life]

Good morning,
I need to order parts quickly, 'cos I've got a crew member joining me in Central America in a few days.....so please help me to identify what, if anything, I need.

My windlass stopped dropping chain last night. It will still pull up, thankfully.
Here's what I've tested so far:

- reversed wiring to hand-held wired controller. When reversed, it will drop anchor, but not raise it.

- I found a corroded conductor joining the socket for the remote. All cleaned up, no improvement or change.

- Visually examined solenoid connections - bone dry location, absolutely no sign of corrosion there.

- No 'clicking' sounds when I try to use it.

Does this mean:

- Solenoids are both ok, in that I guess one is devoted to DOWN, the other to UP ?

- Wired remote is ok, as both switches work.

What next? I think it looks like a wiring fault, so I'll spend some time checking all of that out.

Appreciate any input!

Thanks,
Eamonn

[Captain Bill]

The reversing solenoid in my 1200 is a single unit, but it would appear that yours is working fine. Do you have foot switches and do they work? My guess is that you have a bad wire between your remote and the reversing solenoid specifically the down side, which I think is what you are suspecting.

[JOHNMARDALL]

Hello Eamonn,


Please contact Maxwell windlass guru Will Vrooman at wvrooman@vetus.com. He will diagnose the problem and recommend a solution.


All the best
John Mardall
Vetus Maxwell Boat Equipment