Minnkota remote control issues

[AJ's Dad]

Well this time I'm not asking for answer, I'm giving one. If you own a Minnkota with the remote control with LCD screen, you will likely have this issue at some point. Here's the part number for the remote.1866350. When I bought my Lund, used back in October, the main motor only had 13 hours on it. The previous owner said he hadn't used the trolling motor at all. It's a Terrova with Ipilot. I have had the boat out 6 times now. On trip 5, the remote went dead. I assumed the battery was bad and replaced it. Problem solved. After half the next trip, the remote turned off and was dead again. I again replaced the battery and thought, that was short lived. With the new battery in place I tried to turn it on. No dice, it was dead. When I got home I googled the problem and saw a few different things to try, but none of them worked. There was a video that said the guy had contacted Minnkota and was told to insert the battery upside down and leave it that way for 20 seconds. I tried this and it didn't work. I emailed Minnkota asking for help. They replied and told me to insert the battery "Upside down" and leave it sitting that way for at least two minutes. I opted to let it set for 7 minutes. I removed the battery, replaced it in the correct orientation, and the problem has been solved. At least the LCD screen works now. I'll have to try it with the motor to make sure all is well.
Log this info into the memory banks, and if you have a similar problem or know someone that does. This should do the trick. I was a push of the "Buy it Now" button away on EBAY from replacing mine. Sure glad I decided to email them. Saved me $135

[hewesfisher]

Good tip for MK owners!

[Larry3215]

Thanks for posting that!!