Quick Antares windlass - motor running slow

[dunedin]

We have a Quick Antares anchor windlass, with 1000W 12V motor. It is 10 years old, unused extensively but also checked services annually in recent years.
The bearings have worn and been replaced once. But now the motor is acting strangely. When press button, the motor often starts going very slowly. After 5 seconds or so usually stops sulking and runs at normal speed. But worried that getting worse and will pack up altogether.
It isn’t due to excess load (eg trying to pull the boat) - it most often happens when starting lowering with no weight on motor. Also happens sometimes starting to lift.
It’s not the control button - as same using wireless remote.

Any suggestions?

 

[Clancy Moped]

Check your belt drive tension, if it slips this can happen, I take you have your main engine on when using the windlass.

 

[roaringgirl]

Solenoid? It's usually easy to take them apart and clean up the contacts.

 

[Rappey]

Does it have brushes ?

 

[dunedin]

Check your belt drive tension, if it slips this can happen, I take you have your main engine on when using the windlass.

Thanks. Which belt drive? Not aware there is any on the windlass.
Yes general practice is engine on before lifting anchor. But if mean low voltage it isn’t that - as slow start is under light load, and then suddenly decides to speed up, and then pulls strongly when needed. Also happens same with engine off when testing.

 

[dunedin]

Solenoid? It's usually easy to take them apart and clean up the contacts.

Thanks. Would that give this effect? Sounds a possibility - need to go find the solenoid!

 

[dunedin]

Does it have brushes ?

Thanks. I have heard that brushes can be an issue with a windlass, but refrained from suggesting on the original post to avoid perhaps leading us down a false trail.
Do all motors not have brushes? Any idea how to find out, or indeed to strip the motor?

 

[Clancy Moped]

Thanks. Which belt drive? Not aware there is any on the windlass.
Yes general practice is engine on before lifting anchor. But if mean low voltage it isn’t that - as slow start is under light load, and then suddenly decides to speed up, and then pulls strongly when needed. Also happens same with the engine off when testing.

From your main engine to the alternator, if it slips then that could be the problem. You should have about a fingers worth of slack on pull at the most.

 

[dunedin]

From your main engine to the alternator, if it slips then that could be the problem. You should have about a fingers worth of slack on pull at the most.

Thanks, it’s definitely not a battery voltage or alternator issue.
Very familiar with the dynamo/alternator belt slip issue from back in the day with Minis etc

 

[penfold]

Thanks. I have heard that brushes can be an issue with a windlass, but refrained from suggesting on the original post to avoid perhaps leading us down a false trail.
Do all motors not have brushes? Any idea how to find out, or indeed to strip the motor?

Increasingly motors do not have brushes, but brushed motors do have simplicity in their favour. When was the last time the windlass was stripped and the gearbox cleaned and lubricated?

 

[dunedin]

Increasingly motors do not have brushes, but brushed motors do have simplicity in their favour.
When was the last time the windlass was stripped and the gearbox cleaned and lubricated?

Any idea how one could find out whether this type of windlass has brushes?

Re servicing / stripping, this spring I believe

 

[suzy_q]

Any idea how one could find out whether this type of windlass has brushes?

Re servicing / stripping, this spring I believe

Dismantle the motor. If it has brushes they will be on springs to keep them engaged with rotor winding contacts. It's worth checking for carbon dust and cleaning this out or the motor if and replace brushes if badly worn

 

[penfold]

Unlikely to be a brushless motor; if it's wired directly to the 12v supply it is very likely a brushed motor as brushless need an electronic controller and at the size needed for a windlass the controller would have a heatsink or more likely be mounted inside a finned aluminium casing.

 

[awol]

My Quick windlass definitely has brushes. Unfortunately(?) the motor is shrouded in a plastic casing which means the quick tap with a hammer or whatever isn't neccessatily a good guide but if it is accessible you can try and see if it gives an instant speed increase.

 

[dunedin]

My Quick windlass definitely has brushes. Unfortunately(?) the motor is shrouded in a plastic casing which means the quick tap with a hammer or whatever isn't neccessatily a good guide but if it is accessible you can try and see if it gives an instant speed increase.

I love it - classic High Impact Technology (HIT) ;-)

 

[dunedin]

Unlikely to be a brushless motor; if it's wired directly to the 12v supply it is very likely a brushed motor as brushless need an electronic controller and at the size needed for a windlass the controller would have a heatsink or more likely be mounted inside a finned aluminium casing.

Thanks - and Suzy_q. Does sound like brushes are worth exploring as an issue/solution