The Ultrex QUEST comes from the factory with the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly set inboard for a Port installation. The recommendation for correct indexing of the trolling motor is to have the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly, which attaches the Foot Pedal to the Mount, pointing inboard. If the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly is outboard, please see the article "Rotate the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly for a Starboard Mount for the Ultrex QUEST (2023-present)." Use the following instructions to index the motor if the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly is already pointing inboard. The following indexing instructions will align the trolling motor correctly and provide the best motor performance.
Note: These steps are only for the Ultrex Quest motors. These steps DO NOT apply to the Ultrex motors that do not have a QUEST motor. Click here for instructions indexing the Ultrex with a brushed motor.
Determining the Ultrex QUEST is indexed correctly
Once installed, the trolling motor is indexed correctly when:
- The motor is deployed.
- The trolling motor Control Head and Lower Unit are parallel to the centerline or keel of the boat.
- The top of the Foot Pedal is parallel to the deck of the boat.
Indexing the Ultrex for a Port Installation
- Turn the Power Switch on the Foot Pedal "on" and steer the motor so that the Control Head is parallel to the Keel of the boat. Do this by steering the motor with the Foot Pedal, turning the motor with the remote, or manually turning the Control Head of the motor.
- Leave the Control Head in the desired alignment and turn the power to the Foot Pedal "off". Then disconnect the power by removing the power cables from the battery or turning "off" the breaker if equipped.
- With the Control Head positioned parallel with the keel or centerline of the boat, the top of the Foot Pedal will likely not be parallel with the Boat Deck. The following instructions will correct the top position of the Foot Pedal.
- The adjustment to the Foot Pedal is made by repositioning internal parts located where the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly, Coil Cord, and Steering Module join. The Coil Cord Cover secures the Coil Cord in place with four screws at the end of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly and the top of the Steering Module.
- Two of the screws on the Starboard side of the Coil Cord Cover each hold a C-shaped Clip in place. The Clips retain any Ethernet or Sonar cables present. Locate the four screws holding the Coil Cord Cover in place. Using a #2 Phillips Screwdriver, remove the four Screws and the two Clips from the Coil Cord Cover and set them aside for reassembly later.
- Once the two Clips and four screws are free, lift the Coil Cord Cover up and away from the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly.
- Set the Coil Cord Cover aside for reassembly later.
- Locate the eight screws holding the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly Cover. Remove the screws using a #2 Phillips Screwdriver. Set the screws aside.
- Remove the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly Cover by lifting it straight up. Lift the Coil Cord Assembly to the side to remove the cover if necessary.
- Find the two wire connections inside the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. One has a white Clip and the other has a black Clip. The Clips for both connections are located between the Steering Cables and are contained behind the Cable Anchor. The folded wires fit in this space, and the stacked Clips sit on each other.
- The wires from the Wrap Drum will be resting on a Post in the middle of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. Lift the wires so they are free from the Assembly. Lift the wires so they are free from the straight from the Wrap Drum to the Cable Sleeve that is cable tied in place on the Coil Cord.
- Disconnect both Clips.
- The black and white Clip wires from the Cable Sleeve on the Coil Cord need to be free of the Cable Anchor and out of the way to access the three Cable Anchor Screws that hold the Cable Anchor to the Steering Module. The wires that come out of the Wrap Drum must be free of obstructions to faciltate lifting the Wrap Drum later in the installation.
- On the Foot Pedal, locate the Cable Tension Screw under the base of the Toe End of the Foot Pedal.
- The Cable Tension Screw holds tension on the Steering Cables. Use a #3 Phillips Screwdriver to loosen this screw. Turning the screw approximately eight rotations counterclockwise should provide enough slack in the cables to adjust. Keep track of the number of screw rotations so it can be re-tightened accordingly later.
- Loosen the Cable Tension Screw just enough so that the Steering Cables can be pinched together between the Cable Anchor and Wrap Drum.
- Once the Steering Cables are loose, take a #2 Phillips Screwdriver and remove the three Cable Anchor Screws that hold the Cable Anchor in place on the Steering Module. Set the screws aside.
- With the three screws holding the Cable Anchor removed, the Cable Anchor and bottom of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly can move freely around the Cable Spline Gear. The Wrap Drum sits on the Cable Spline Gear.
- Once the Cable Tension Screw on the Foot Pedal is loosened, use a Flat-blade Screwdriver to pry the Wrap Drum straight off the Cable Gear. Lift until the Wrap Drum is free of the Cable Spline Gear.
- While holding the Wrap Drum just above the Cable Spline Gear, and maintaining tension on the Steering Cables, carefully rotate the Wrap Drum right or left until the top of the Foot Pedal is parallel with the deck of the boat. The proper position of the Wrap Drum will locate the Drum Anchors for each Steering Cable equidistant from the mid-line of the Cable Anchor, where it is secured to the Steering Module.
- Once the Foot Pedal is at the desired position, align the Wrap Drum with the nearest tooth on the splined shaft of the Cable Spline Gear. Press the Wrap Drum securely, so it is seated on top of the gear. At this point, the head of the motor should be parallel with the Boat Keel, and the top of the Foot Pedal should be parallel with the Boat Deck.
- Take the three Cable Anchor Screws that hold the Cable Anchor to the Steering Module and replace them using a #2 Phillips Screwdriver. The screws should pass through the Cable Anchor and the bottom of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly and into the Steering Module. Tighten the Cable Anchor Screws to 30 in-lbs.
- Once the screws are in place, return to the Foot Pedal.
- Using a #3 Phillips Screwdriver, tighten the Cable Tension Screw located at the base of the Toe End of the Foot Pedal to 10 - 12 in-lbs until the Steering Cables are under tension, or re-tighten the Cable Tension Screw the same number of turns it was loosened to at the beginning of the process.
- The wires from the Steering Module go through the center of the Cable Spline Gear and the Wrap Drum. The mated connection to these wires enters the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly from the Coil Cord. Match the wire with the white Clip with the corresponding wire with the white Clip and press the connection together.
- Do the same for the wires with the black Clip.
- With the Clips secured, guide the wires from the Wrap Drum straight and position them towards the Coil Cord away from the Wrap Drum.
- To cleanly place the wires inside the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly, start with the wire with the white Clip. Place the wire with the white Clip in the groove of the Post on the Cable Anchor. Then gently guide the wire past the "V" groove of the Cable Anchor.
- Take the white Clips and gently bend the wires so that the slack in the wires forms a loose "S" shape. Guide it to the side of the Cable Anchor where the Steering Cables are coated with a black sleeve away from the Wrap Drum. Place the white Clip and the "S" shaped wire between the black sleeve on the Cables.
- Repeat the process for the wire with the black Clip. Shape the wire with the black Clip into a small loop rather than an "S" shape.
- Ensure the wires are seated and will not be pinched or kinked when the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly Cover is replaced.
- Take the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly Cover and rotate it so that the rounded end is over the Wrap Drum. Place the cover on the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly.
- Take the screws and place one in each of the eight Mounting Holes with recessed embossing. Use a #2 Phillips Screwdriver and tighten to 13 in-lbs.
- The Coil Cord Assembly is covered by a Sleeve that joins the wires and cables that exit the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly and extends to the Foot Pedal. The Sleeve is secured with a Cable Tie, which joins with the Coil Cord.
- Adjust the Coil Cord so that the Sleeve with the Cable Tie sits into the bottom recess of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. To do this, rotate the main part of the Coil Cord Assembly by the Molded Block. The Molded Block is rectangular in shape and should be rotated so that the word "UP" molded into the block is facing upward. Press the Molded Block into the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly Cover until seated.
- The Molded Block of the Coil Cord Assembly should be seated, and the Cable Tie and Sleeve should be secured in the recess at the bottom of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. Take the Coil Cord Cover and replace it on the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly and Molded Block. The stepped design of the Cover fits around the back of the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. Be sure that the Coil Cord exits the assembly and that the Sleeve and Cable tie below it are in place. The wires and Sleeve should be captured but not pinched between the Cover and Sleeve.
- Take the four screws and two Clips that were removed at the beginning of the installation and replace them. The Clips should be installed with the two screws on the starboard side of the motor for a standard installation. When installing the Clips, they should be rotated so that the opening is downward toward the Boat Deck. Replace the two screws that hold the Clips first so that they first go through the Coil Cord Cover and into the Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. Use a #2 Phillips Screwdriver. If present, capture the Sonar or Ethernet Cables into the Clips when they are reinstalled.
- The screws that do not hold Clips on the Port-side of the Mount can be installed directly into the Coil Cord Cover and Pedal Control Sleeve Assembly. Tighten all four screws to 13 in-lbs.
