Voltage in windlass housing

[simmo35]

Hi all,

In the context of trying to track down some stray current issues I have discovered that my windlass housing becomes live when operating. With the multimeter -ve to DC -ve (12v house battery bus bar), and the multimeter +ve to the windlass housing, I get 0.2-0.6v with the windlass at rest, and 7-9v with the windlass in (unloaded to lightly loaded) use. When I run a cable from a nearby DC -ve source (fuse panel) to the windlass housing, the voltage reading jumps around a bit but stays under 0.5V.

The windlass is a Cayman 88. I tried removing the rear cover to see if I could access some wiring terminals but without further dismantling as far as I could tell the cables run directly into the motor, and I saw no sign of terminals at all - these images show this (https://www.svb24.com/en/lofrans-spa...88-1000-w.html). One temporary solution I considered was to run a grounding cable from the housing to the windlass's own ground cable, but without access to a terminal I can't see how I could do this without cutting the wire, and/or if this is even a good idea in the first place.

I'm wondering what are the possible causes of this, what further testing I can do to narrow down what the likely cause is, and if anyone knows the Cayman 88 wiring well who can advise on what my options might be.

I've tried to be thorough in providing the necessary information but please ask if I've omitted some crucial points. I've looked through the manuals, tried YouTube, Google etc, but these haven't shed much light.

Thanks.

[MerMike]

Check the wiring and breaker for a short circuit. If nothing turns up, have the motor tested by a competent shop.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, simmo.

Do you have the manual?
Lofrans’ CAYMAN 88 - TIGRES - FALKON
INSTRUCTION MANUAL c/w Wiring Diagrams
https://www.p2marine.com/documents/l...kon-manual.pdf

[simmo35]

Thanks, yes I do. Is there something obvious that I should have noticed?

[coopec43]

Hi Simmo
I can't advise at all but Comment # 51 on the following thread sounds similar.

Whew! That was close!
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-196268-4.html

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by coopec43

Hi Simmo
I can't advise at all but Comment # 51 on the following thread sounds similar.

Whew! That was close!
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-196268-4.html

Simmo
Obviously that link is not relevant?

[simmo35]

Thanks, I did have a close read of that post, and it is somewhat related. However, it seems they got lucky with the source of the leakage being a bad connection on the negative cable, which was then easily fixed. I'm pretty sure my problem is in the motor itself, but I know little (this experience is teaching me though) of the inner workings of DC motors to get myself further into it. Thanks for your input and for following up though, much appreciated.

[simmo35]

In the end I took the motor out and to a repair place that works with DC motors. He found that the armature was the source of the leak, and determined that he was not able to fix it. However, even though the voltage was 8-9V, there was little current, so he recommended it was safe to continue using and just band-aid the problem by running a grounding wire from the motor chassis to the motor's own DC negative terminal to provide a ground path. I've now done this and the housing voltage reads at 0.6v while the motor is running. As stated in my original post, the wires run directly into the motor, so to get the motor out and to the repair shop I had to cut the cables close to the motor. To reconnect I fitted wire lugs and a powerpost for each of the 3 wires, which gave me a connection point for the grounding wire.