Windlass Troubleshooting

[Letterkenny]

My windlass (quick aleph from 2021 I believe) has stopped working and I am unsure why. I had lithium installed since the last time I used it. It requires the engine to be running to work. When running the engine, nothing happens when I use the remote. I have attached a photo of my wiring setup for the controller. It currently shows power coming in from the batteries but not outbound. There is that ETA relay that isn’t defined in any manual that I suspect to be the issue. Is this what is telling the windlass that the engine is on?

Where this gets more frustrating for me is that my boat is still covered by warranty. The dealer said that the lithium guys cut the wires to the engine start panel. The lithium guys said everything looks fine and they can troubleshoot it but it isn’t from their work. My gut says that they are right and my dealer is lying (for the record, he said they had it working up and down, called it a thruster at one point, and then said they cut the wires. A talking contradiction) but I’d just like to use my windlass. Any ideas of what to check next?

[cram]

When did the windlass stop working? After the lithium install? Then I suspect someone missed a wire...

What is your vessel manufacturer? On Beneteau/Jeanneau, the windlass relay is usually activated by a wire on the alternator. Did your alternator get replaced? Was an external regulator installed?

Anyway, unless it's a charter boat, I'd disable the feature of engine has to be running. It's a 5 minute job to bypass it at the relay.

Try to repost the photo....

If your lithium guys cut any wires to the start panel I'd get my money back and get the vessel inspected....

Wiring diagrams are pretty good on modern boats, all the wire codes are printed on each wire so finding both ends of the relay activation wire should only take a fee minutes.

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by cram

When did the windlass stop working? After the lithium install? Then I suspect someone missed a wire...

What is your vessel manufacturer? On Beneteau/Jeanneau, the windlass relay is usually activated by a wire on the alternator. Did your alternator get replaced? Was an external regulator installed?

Anyway, unless it's a charter boat, I'd disable the feature of engine has to be running. It's a 5 minute job to bypass it at the relay.

Try to repost the photo....

If your lithium guys cut any wires to the start panel I'd get my money back and get the vessel inspected....

Wiring diagrams are pretty good on modern boats, all the wire codes are printed on each wire so finding both ends of the relay activation wire should only take a fee minutes.

You got it right. It is a Jeanneau 349 and I’m the original owner. Got a hold of the contractor that my dealer uses and he gave me the lowdown that they disconnected or cut a wire at the alternator and that’s why it wasn’t working (to install a bamlar 618 regulator).

Im trying to reattach the photo, hopefully it sticks this time. The manual doesn’t have anything on the piece labeled “ETA” in there. I’m assuming that’s the relay for the alternator to turn on the windlass. Any ideas how it would work to require that? I like manuals but the ones I haven’t aren’t very sufficient.

[cram]

Hard to tell which wire goes where from that picture.

From memory, G1 goes between the alternator and the windlass relay. Go to your alternator and look for a loose wire labelled G1. Then call whoever installed your regulator and have them finish the job if the wire is loose....

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by cram

Hard to tell which wire goes where from that picture.

From memory, G1 goes between the alternator and the windlass relay. Go to your alternator and look for a loose wire labelled G1. Then call whoever installed your regulator and have them finish the job if the wire is loose....

That company has been such a pain with rework im going to have my other guy just fix it since he knows what’s wrong.

[cram]

If it was my boat, I'd bypass the relay and just rely on the 12V breaker. There are times when the engine isn't running and you may want to use the windlass in a hurry...

[Letterkenny]

Originally Posted by cram

If it was my boat, I'd bypass the relay and just rely on the 12V breaker. There are times when the engine isn't running and you may want to use the windlass in a hurry...

For some reason Quick has it as needing it on in the manual but I presume that’s liability driven. My bank went from 160ah of AGM to 400ah of lithium so should easily be able to handle it with the right voltages.