If your foot pedal and the direction indicator do not line up, you may need to adjust the cable drum in the head of the motor. This applies to all cable steer motors except for the Ultrex.
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Align the Foot Pedal and Direction Indicator
Caution: Always wear safety glasses and gloves. Disconnect all power to the trolling motor before beginning any work or maintenance. Johnson Outdoors Inc. is not responsible for any damage due to improper rigging or installation. If you do not have the skills, experience and tools to perform the following maintenance and repairs, we recommend you seek the help of a Minn Kota Authorized Service Center.
This procedure centers the steering without changing the position of the control box and corrects a situation where the direction that the cables come out of the control box causes an issue.
Note: Having an assistant available to help support the motor at various times in this procedure is recommended.
Tools Needed
- Instructions for the control box cover installation specific to your motor
- a #2 Phillips screwdriver
- a #3 Phillips screwdriver
Figures 1 and 2 below label key parts of the motors. These parts will be referenced throughout these instructions. This procedure requires the motor to be in the deployed position (as shown below).
Cable Drum Alignment
- With an assistant supporting the lower unit; loosen the depth collar or hinge door until the control box rotates freely.
- If there isn't enough space between the control box and the depth collar for your #2 screwdriver, slide the motor up to make enough space (figure 3), then rotate the control box (figure #4) to the desired angle and tighten the depth collar/hinge door.
- If there isn't enough space between the control box and the depth collar for your #2 screwdriver, slide the motor up to make enough space (figure 3), then rotate the control box (figure #4) to the desired angle and tighten the depth collar/hinge door.
- Using the #2 Phillips screwdriver remove the four (4) or six (6) on 2012 and later Edge motors) that hold the control box cover in place (see figures 5 and 6).
- When all of the screws are removed the control box cover will lift straight off.
- Loosen the steering cable tension. The cables will need to be very loose to easily complete this procedure (15-20 turns). The steering cable tension screw is located below the cables where they exit the foot pedal (figure 7 and figure 8). This is a large headed Phillips screw; the #3 Phillips screwdriver should be used to avoid slipping and prevent damage to the screw head.
- With the control box cover removed (figure 9), cable tension loose, foot pedal level (figure 10) and a helper ready to rotate the lower unit so it is pointing straight ahead, parallel to the keel with the prop toward the stern of the boat, lift the cable drum off of the splined pinion as shown (figures 11 and 12), being careful to keep your fingers out of moving parts and not lift the white directional indicator gears.
- With the cable drum disengaged from the pinion have your assistant rotate the lower unit parallel to the keel of the boat. When the lower unit is parallel with the keel push the cable drum back down onto the splined pinion without moving the foot pedal from its level position.
- When the cable drum is properly positioned relative to the motor lower unit, the "level" or "flat" foot pedal position will always be the straight ahead position for the motor lower unit.
- To complete this procedure, tighten the steering cable tension screw so that there is no slack when steering and the lower unit begins to move as soon as the pedal is moved.
- Tighter settings will hold the heading with less steering input, but does make steering more difficult.
- Looser settings will need more steering input to hold the heading, but does make steering easier.
- Reinstall the control box cover and directional indicator using the instructions appropriate for your motor.
