DIY shaft replacement on a Minnkota

[Hitman]

I'm a Do-it-myself kinda guy so I am looking for tips on replacing the composit shaft on a Minnkota 101 Maxpro TM. I split the top of the shaft this weekend at Clear Lake after hitting 2 giant waves back to back- my bad as I didn't strap the motor down!

I assume the shaft screws into the motor housing...anyone ever replace one?

Hitman

[MikeD]

not all the way, but have had everything apart to lube the bearings:

http://westernbass.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43725

hope it gets you close. it's a pretty easy job to get the shaft out, but I've never split the shaft from the motor. let us know how it goes

[MikeD]

ah, just read what I wrote in my DIY and it won't get you close enough

from memory:

remove the 4 screw from the underside of the head
take a razorblade and cut 1/2 the the black shrinkwrap from the lug connections on the wiring going down the shaft, only cut 1/2 so that when you put the connections back together you can reuse the shrink wrap to cover the lugs back up with a minimum of messy black electrical tape mess
loosen the lower bearing retainer as shown in my diy
slide the shaft up, it will expose 2 countersunk screws near the top bearing collar
remove the 2 screws
shaft should slide out

minnkota has parts explosions on their website, or you can call them and they will email/fax them to you. you'll need the model and serial number from the underside of the head when you call

good luck

[Hitman]

MikeD, I've got it all apart. I was not sure about how to remove the shaft from the motor housing. Any idea? A pipe wrench and some elbow grease?

[MikeD]

I wouldn't wrench on it before understanding how it was designed to come apart. if it was me I'd be on the phone with minnkota tech

[JLS (Jay Liu's Service)]

Hitman, to remove the shaft from the motor, you need to heat the area where the shaft goes into the motor (it is glued in with loctite) be careful not to get it to hot because you can melt the composite shaft and melt the threads inside the housing. You will need a pipe wrench or a special clamp to remove the shaft. Be sure to loctite (#271 Red) the shaft when installing it to the motor.

JLS (Jay Liu’s Service trolling motor repair)

[Smile_n_Jax]

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer.

Good luck, Hitster. Hope everything works out for ya.