Cleaning/maintenance on MinnKota Terrova

The Terrova is in need of some love. It makes a creaking noise when turning. I’m sure it has dirt/dust/grime inside. Anyone ever tear their Terrova apart and clean it?

I just had mine apart this fall to put a new gear on the motor drive. It was sealed very tightly and there was no dirt or grime inside. There was the gear lube. other wise it was completely water tight.

Huh. Mine creaks and groans as it turns like there is dust in there.

Wade Boardman wrote:

Huh. Mine creaks and groans as it turns like there is dust in there.

Sure it isn’t the shaft in the guide collar? On my old Minn Kota, the shaft would get oxidation on it and I’d clean/lubricate with car wax.

I really have no idea exactly where the problem is. Just starting to explore possibilities and options.

Armour al on the shaft

Does it sound like a creaking noise or more like a grinding noise? Mine started doing it when I turned left with the motor. It got worse and would not turn at all left. Eventually it would not turn right.

Creaking. Like a creaking door

Wade Boardman wrote:

Creaking. Like a creaking door

I have the same thing. Some days it’s worse than others but it sure does drive me nuts.

Bringing up an oldy here but my trolling motor is currently doing this and it’s driving me nuts. When people are saying armor all or silicon spray on the shaft are you putting it on the joint where the two shafts come together?

FYI just realized this was a Terrova post. My trolling motor is the Maxxum where the two shafts meet halfway down the length of the TM.

Bearings in the steering housing are shot. I’ve replaced mine once and when I was in there last to fix a broken steering collar I noticed the bearings were rusted, again.

Those steering housings aren’t sealed. They are vented, have no f’ing clue why but it makes no goddam sense.

This generation of terrovas was plagued with poor design and crappy plastics.

I can’t help with your Maxxum but I am very familiar with the terrova and ulterra steering housings and can say with absolute certainty they really missed the boat with these.

biggill wrote:

Bearings in the steering housing are shot. I’ve replaced mine once and when I was in there last to fix a broken steering collar I noticed the bearings were rusted, again.

Those steering housings aren’t sealed. They are vented, have no f’ing clue why but it makes no goddam sense.

This generation of terrovas was plagued with poor design and crappy plastics.

I can’t help with your Maxxum but I am very familiar with the terrova and ulterra steering housings and can say with absolute certainty they really missed the boat with these.

when you say they missed the mark with the terrovas and ulterras, do you mean all of them or a specific generation? I was under the impression that the new bluetooth generation was pretty good??

The current generation terrova and ulterra share the same steering housing. The ulterra has a second motor in the same steering housing for lifting deploy/store. In the terrova that space is simply empty.

The housings are vented by a little notch between the two halves even though they have a gasket between the halves. It blows my mind. I believe the vent is for drainage. It probably affects people that store their boat outside the most. I’ll see if I have pictures on my phone.

Since I am very familiar with this work I’d be willing to replace the bearings for cash if anyone wants. Your service center is just going to replace the entire housing in this case. I think they are about $250 plus labor. The bearings are only a few dollars each and I re-grease them with ultra low temp grease for use in the winter.

interesting. I have a bluetooth ulterra. I’ve heard of them having issues in salt water environments, but not so much in freshwater. Any tips or tricks to keep them working well? I always garage store my boat.

biggill wrote:

The current generation terrova and ulterra share the same steering housing. The ulterra has a second motor in the same steering housing for lifting deploy/store. In the terrova that space is simply empty.

The housings are vented by a little notch between the two halves even though they have a gasket between the halves. It blows my mind. I believe the vent is for drainage. It probably affects people that store their boat outside the most. I’ll see if I have pictures on my phone.

Since I am very familiar with this work I’d be willing to replace the bearings for cash if anyone wants. Your service center is just going to replace the entire housing in this case. I think they are about $250 plus labor. The bearings are only a few dollars each and I re-grease them with ultra low temp grease for use in the winter.

I had my Ulterra(2020 model)steering assembly replaced this past spring,it was sounding pretty bad when turning right.Left turn was almost silent.And a month ago I had the trim module replaced because the belt let loose and wadded-up inside module.That’s the reason why I now have a Terrova for back-up.Can’t be without a TM for the most part.

Yes,the ASC replaces entire module and sends defective parts back to MK if warranty work is done?That’s what I was told,and if not warranty replacement you can have the old part back.

luttes wrote:

interesting. I have a bluetooth ulterra. I’ve heard of them having issues in salt water environments, but not so much in freshwater. Any tips or tricks to keep them working well? I always garage store my boat.

Not really. It is what it is.

I know I mentioned that the housing was vented, which is true, but I forgot to mention that the main path for water to get in is through the shaft itself. They offer very little in protection from leakage thought the shaft. This literally goes right in through the bearing. This is in large part due to the key way in the shaft. If I remember correctly the bottom bearing goes first. Water enters through the top bushing and pools at the bottom bearing.

It’s funny because I am a manufacturing engineer for a company that makes assemblies that transfer fluids from a stationary point to a rotating point, almost identical to the what the steering housing is supposed to do. Only the steering housing is keeping fluids out, not in. I just don’t see anything that can be done otherwise I would’ve done it myself. Store it indoors is your best bet.

Better materials exist, but they come at a cost.

This is pretty good info! so would spraying down with a water displacing silicone or wd-40 type spray help water impedance? or are we just kind of expecting to have to replace the steering housing ever so many years of running in a marine environment/rain? pretty crappy to spend that much on a motor with such a glaring flaw, but, i guess at the end of the day it is what it is.

I doubt anything like that would work. I’d avoid spraying any fluid like that in there in fear of causing a chemical reaction between whatever you use and any seals or bushings. Some of those products can make rubber swell, especially those types of rubber made for water applications. EPDM doesn’t swells when it comes into contact with hydrocarbons (oil).