Need longer shaft on MinnKota PD V2?

[Two Rivers]

Hello all. I've got an issue that the minn kota people are trying to figure out but no success so far.
Here's the issue. I bought a PowerDrive V2 motor used. The guy I bought it from said it was a 48" shaft. The shaft looked short when I was making the transaction and I didn't measure it. But. what he said made sense because I knew that minn kota only lists 48 & 54 inch shafts for that motor. Got it home and the shaft measures 36". According to the serial # (M346MK01373) the motor should be a 2012 50lb thrust with 54" shaft.
Can't explain it but it looks like the PO cut (shortened the shaft). After some research I find that jon boat users do this a lot. I can find posts about shortening the shaft but nothing about putting in a longer shaft? Can't contact PO.
I thought about selling it but the motor is pretty new and it seems to work well (out of the water). I got it for a good price $200 which included the quick release mount and 60 amp minn kota breaker.
I priced out a new shaft and seal kit and they're only around $35 total plus shipping.
I can't locate the brush wire leads that run from the control unit down to the lower unit? Minn kota is looking but has not yet come up with a part # for the brush wire leads?
Question: Can anyone source the brush lead wiring that goes from the control box to the lower unit (two wires)?
And, if no luck do you think I could just replace the wiring with what's available?
Anybody ever take one of these apart? I've had my transom mount Endura apart and was able to fix several problems.
I'm not afraid to take it apart to play with it. I've dropped much more than $200 on boat anchors before, but would appreciate any help or advise.
As always, thanks in advance for your consideration.
Rob

 

[kofkorn]

Hi Two Rivers,

You should post your location in your profile so people can help out better.

For your PD V2, If it was me, I probably wouldn't bother with a purchasing a new wiring harness. I would just splice in some wiring extensions myself using a nice set of waterproof butt splice connectors.

I actually went the other way with my PD motor. I had a 54" shaft that stuck up too far for my Tracker. I bought a new 48" shaft for use on the motor, but in the end, I decided to cut the shaft without removing it from the lower motor housing. I didn't need to worry about the wiring, as I was shortening instead.

So if you're interested, I would be willing to sell you my new, never used, 48" shaft for $25 plus shipping (with a 48" shaft, shipping might be significant). At the same time, I'll throw in 8 nice large waterproof gauge butt splice connectors for you. Just crimp them tight and use a heat gun or small torch to shrink them down. They have a really nice adhesive inside that will seal them right up.

When it comes to removing the old shaft, you'll need a lot of heat and something to clamp/hold the shaft tight. The shafts are held in place with red loc-tite which is only removable with heat.

Good luck and PM me if you are interested in the shaft.

 

[Two Rivers]

Thanks very much for your response. Good to talk with someone who's actually had one of these motors apart. Also, good suggestion to post my location (SW PA). Seems like a lot of people shortened their shaft but not too many make it longer.
I finally got hold of a really good tech at MinnKota and he was able to match up the brush wire leads for a 48" shaft. I ordered a 48" shaft, the brush wire leads and a new seal kit. Price was more than reasonable. Parts are on the way. If this works, I'll be glad I kept the motor.
Got some more questions if you've got a minute?
Did you take your lower unit apart?
Did you replace any seals?
If so any tips?
When you applied heat did you apply it to the shaft or the lower unit?
Does the upper control head come off easy?
thanks again.
Talk about a hybrid? My motor started life as a 54" shaft, was shortened to a 36" and then lengthened to a 48".
rob

 

[kofkorn]

I've been lucky enough not to have to take apart the lower section of the motor. I bought the new shaft with the intention of just swapping the new shorter one for the old one. Two things ended up changing my mind and I simply cut the old shaft instead:

1) The upper housing on top of the shaft comes off REALLY easily, and is just a simple screw and nut that are placed through a hole cross drilled in the shaft. Once I saw that the only thing holding the head on was the cross drilled screw, It was simple to cut the shaft to the length I wanted and drill a new hole.

2) The lower motor housing was NOT easy to get off. Now again, once I saw how simple it would be to re-drill a new hole after cutting the shaft, I didn't try separating the lower from the shaft very hard. I did apply a very small amount of heat but not enough to say that gave any significant effort.

To separate the shaft from the motor, you'll need to apply heat to the top portion of the motor housing. Focus it on the first 1 1/2 inches closest to the shaft, from all directions. If you are replacing the shaft, you won't need to worry about the heat damaging it. It will need a good amount of heat to breakdown the Loc-Tite. Once it's heated, you'll need to find some way to clamp the shaft to keep it from turning. Even after the Loc-Tite is heated, it will take a lot of force to separate the two.

If you use a little propane torch, it will work, but it will take a while. If you have a MAPP torch or acetylene torch, it will go much quicker.

Good Luck!

 

[malaki]

I cut my shaft down but not the wires. There was plenty of room in the shaft for the wires to fit in. I wouldn't use anything hotter than propane. You don't want to melt the aluminum.

 

[kofkorn]

Acetylene (Not Oxy-Acetylene) will take a VERY long time before melting aluminum. We're talking about a plumbers torch, not a cutting torch. The problem with heating aluminum is that it is a very good conductor of heat, so it dissipates very quickly. The motor housing is a solid chunk of aluminum. In order to get your temperature up, you need a lot of heat. It may work with a standard propane torch, but it will take longer.

One other thing that may seem counter-intuitive, but the acetylene torch is less likely to cause any damage to other components in the motor housing. By heating the local area quickly, before it can dissipate out, the remainder of the housing will be at a lower temperature. If you're using the propane torch, you'll have to hold it there for much longer and will be allowing the heat to spread throughout the housing.

But both methods can work with the proper application.

Good Luck!

 

[Two Rivers]

Got the job finished today. Wasn't too bad. The old shaft came off pretty easily with heat from a FatMax torch. The PO that cut the shaft down didn't cut the wires so I still had the wire leads for a 54" shaft. I'll have to shorten them when / if I add the IPILOT. Since I didn't have to replace the wires I didn't need the seal kit. Pretty sure I put too much red Loctite on so this shaft is never coming off.
Hardest part was centering up the top with the bottom to drill a hole in the shaft. Got it pretty close. Not a big deal if anybody needs to do this.
Thanks for your responses.
rob