Bow thruster solenoid
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Paul Dowd and Sharon Brown
Hi all,
I have found some pretty badly corroded contacts in the bow thruster solenoid which I believe should explain why I had intermittent operation on one side. I would be interested to know id anyone has dismantled one of these to the point where all the contacts are accessible? I am reluctant to start prising things apart. Also, an clues as to where I can order a replacement from would be appreciated.
Cheers, Paul
Paul Dowd & Sharon Brown S/Y Ya Fohi, Amel 54 #98 skype: pauldowd
-- Cheers Paul Ya Fohi - Amel 54 #98 |
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Mohammad Shirloo
Hello Paul,
We had the exact same issue in 2021. One side would work and the other intermittently. I finally diagnosed the issue to the main solenoid and pulled for inspection. Here’s what I found. 25 Items
It was easy to pull apart. Ours had melted a contact almost completely. We use the bowthruster very sparingly and typically less than 5 second bursts. However, when the yacht was being looked after by a company in Turkey prior to our purchase, they would hold the bowthruster continuously while coming out of the dock, if there was a cross wind. I think this along with buildup of carbon dust over time, creates a layer of insulating dust at the contacts, leading to more resistance and heat. It appeared that it was mostly arching towards the end of the life of the solenoid. I did clean and reuse temporarily, until we located another solenoid. We purchased ours from a Sidepower dealer in Croatia for about 220 Euros each. I also got a spare. We have added the removal, inspection and cleanup of the solenoid to our maintenance routine.
Happy Sailing;
Mohammad and Aty B&B Kokomo AMEL 54 #099
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io>
On Behalf Of Paul Dowd and Sharon Brown via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 1:10 PM To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io Subject: [AmelYachtOwners] Bow thruster solenoid
Hi all,
I have found some pretty badly corroded contacts in the bow thruster solenoid which I believe should explain why I had intermittent operation on one side. I would be interested to know id anyone has dismantled one of these to the point where all the contacts are accessible? I am reluctant to start prising things apart. Also, an clues as to where I can order a replacement from would be appreciated.
Cheers, Paul
Paul Dowd & Sharon Brown S/Y Ya Fohi, Amel 54 #98 skype: pauldowd
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David Dickman
Hi Paul, I had issues with my bow thruster this summer working intermittently. Although the contacts were not the problem, I tore apart the solenoid and cleaned all the parts in the quest to isolate the problem. It is a fairly straightforward job to pull out the contacts, springs, and brackets, clean them and put it back together. You can test it working on the bench with a 24v battery from a cordless drill or similar device (not my idea, got it from Doug Smith). I have attached some pictures of before after and taking the pieces apart for you here. Happy to talk with you detail more by phone if you like. I was going to write this up and post it on my blog site: www.sailinggalini.com, and will do it in the next few days (thanks for the prodding!). I cleaned all of the springs and contacts with a steel toothbrush followed by 400 grit sandpaper moistened with corrosion X. I cleaned and lubricated all of the electrical surfaces, including the copper plates and all bolts. I also cleaned out all of the casing (plastic). I further replaced the wiring harness and the IPC controller box. All of these parts are available from Imtra Marine Products that handle and service the Sleipner (side power) thruster which is the one you have. Galini is A54 #100, so likely we have the same thruster, Model SidePower SP200 TCI or SP240 TCI. The model tag was worn down on the number part so not exactly sure, but most of the parts are the same for two. the guys at IMTRA were very helpful guiding me on which parts to buy. I don't think you can buy the contacts buy themselves (I asked) and had to buy the whole solenoid assembly, which I elected not to do. Just cleaned it instead. Hope that helps, happy to discuss further if desired. David Galini A54 #100 On Tue, Mar 21, 2023 at 3:09 PM Paul Dowd and Sharon Brown <paul.dowd@...> wrote:
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Doug Smith
Paul,
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You can buy a replacement solenoid in the US from Imtra In Massachusetts. They have them in stock and they are quick to ship items out. Not sure what part of the world you are in, but this is the one you want. Thanks, Doug Smith Amel 54-113, Aventura Deltaville VA, USA Dugsmith98@... On Mar 21, 2023, at 4:09 PM, Paul Dowd and Sharon Brown <paul.dowd@...> wrote:
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Hi Paul,
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I'm not sure where you are located, but the below is what we ordered in Greece for our A54#154. I originally refurbished the solenoid but needed to install a new one about a year or so later. I also replaced the Delay Relay. Best Regards
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Dean Gillies SV Stella *****, Amel 54-154 |
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Paul Dowd and Sharon Brown
Many thanks to all for your comprehensive replies and the very useful photos. I feel more confident now of carrying out an effective refurbishment. So far I have found using a Dremel with wire brush to be very effective in cleaning up the contacts.
Wrt Corrosion X, do I assume correctly that both the red and green variants have the same electrical properties? Do you recommend one over the other?
Cheers, Paul
Paul Dowd & Sharon Brown S/Y Ya Fohi, Amel 54 #98 skype: pauldowd
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> On Behalf Of Mohammad Shirloo
Sent: 21 March 2023 17:08 To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Bow thruster solenoid
Hello Paul,
We had the exact same issue in 2021. One side would work and the other intermittently. I finally diagnosed the issue to the main solenoid and pulled for inspection. Here’s what I found. 25 Items
It was easy to pull apart. Ours had melted a contact almost completely. We use the bowthruster very sparingly and typically less than 5 second bursts. However, when the yacht was being looked after by a company in Turkey prior to our purchase, they would hold the bowthruster continuously while coming out of the dock, if there was a cross wind. I think this along with buildup of carbon dust over time, creates a layer of insulating dust at the contacts, leading to more resistance and heat. It appeared that it was mostly arching towards the end of the life of the solenoid. I did clean and reuse temporarily, until we located another solenoid. We purchased ours from a Sidepower dealer in Croatia for about 220 Euros each. I also got a spare. We have added the removal, inspection and cleanup of the solenoid to our maintenance routine.
Happy Sailing;
Mohammad and Aty B&B Kokomo AMEL 54 #099
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> On Behalf Of Paul Dowd and Sharon Brown via groups.io
Hi all,
I have found some pretty badly corroded contacts in the bow thruster solenoid which I believe should explain why I had intermittent operation on one side. I would be interested to know id anyone has dismantled one of these to the point where all the contacts are accessible? I am reluctant to start prising things apart. Also, an clues as to where I can order a replacement from would be appreciated.
Cheers, Paul
Paul Dowd & Sharon Brown S/Y Ya Fohi, Amel 54 #98 skype: pauldowd
-- Cheers Paul Ya Fohi - Amel 54 #98 |
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