Ok, my "new" boat has not been kind to me. I posted in another thread that I fixed a problem with the motor, which was a cheap fix (plugs and fuel filter). Now the trolling motor is blowing fuses and has a strong burnt smell in the central housing. Am I looking at a whole new unit?

Something is not right. Are you normally running the motor in open water and this is happening or are you running the motor in  thick vegetation?

Open water, even in the garage, it'll spin a few times and blow the fuse. I removed the two central housing screws and they are charred with a burnt odor.

Sounds like the motor. Probably time for a new one.

Yeah, I guess I was just wondering if it could be repaired...probably not worth it anyway.

I know that the units are repairable however it is often not cost/effective. Also, down south you probably have more marinas then up here in the North but I can tell you that i found one place willing to work on the motor and it was 30 miles away. I would check for obvious problems, such as fishing line inside the motor behind the prop. If not, I would replace it so you don't have to mess with it anymore. Trolling motors aren't entirely expensive. 

Is your wire a heavy enough gauge and are your fuses big enough? You can burn a fuse or connection up easily if those things aren't right. 

Ok, my ex father in-law gave me an old 25lb thrust Motorguide that was collecting dust in his shed. It came on a boat he bought but he had a bigger, newer one that he put on. So..the question is..will it be big enough for my 175 Bass Tracker?

Is your trolling motor plugged into a receptacle? If it is the plug could be arcing in the receptacle. This will cause a burning smell. If it is you will need a new receptacle & plug.

Is your trolling motor plugged into a receptacle? If it is the plug could be arcing in the receptacle. This will cause a burning smell. If it is you will need a new receptacle & plug.

The smell is from the motor housing. The screws that go into the housing were charred black. So my old motor is definitely toast.

Is a 25lb thrust enough to move a 175 Aluminum boat?

The smell is from the motor housing. The screws that go into the housing were charred black. So my old motor is definitely toast.

Is a 25lb thrust enough to move a 175 Aluminum boat?

Under perfect conditions it will move it. If there's much wind at all you'll be in trouble though. It's better than nothing if that's your only option. 

Under perfect conditions it will move it. If there's much wind at all you'll be in trouble though. It's better than nothing if that's your only option.

Ok, thanks. Definitely not my only option, but it was the only free option, lol. I think I'll throw it on and see. The one that's on it now is a 43lb. I sometimes think it's too fast even on the lowest setting. I'll let you all know how it does. Thanks

If you fish in any wind, I think you'll get fed up in a hurry. I used to have a 2 man pvc bass boat and I had a 28 lb thrust on there. There were times when the wind picked up and I couldn't do anything so on a 17 1/2' it's going to struggle to say the least. 

 

Your old tm is most likely toast. If it's a 43, it's probably not worth taking it in to have it worked on unless you can do it yourself.

Ok, not going with the freebie. Besides a low thrust, the shaft is bent. It's a little rougher than I thought. I think I'll go with a Minn Kota Edge. I've always owned MGs but figure I'll switch it up. Thanks everybody.