Wagner autopilot pump problem

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ancora

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Joined
Dec 16, 2007
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I removed the autopilot pump to replace a leaking seal. When I re-installed the pump, two wires were crossed which caused a capacitor on the motherboard to blow. I replaced the faulty capacitor and now have a dead short when closing the autopilot breaker. Any ideas?
 

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Obviously the blown cap wasn’t the only casualty of the crossed wires.
First off, I’d follow the circuit path on the board that the crossed wires hook to. Check for bad diodes or other signs of heat related failure.
It looks like there are some triacs on the heat sink on the one side, possibly those or their drivers are faulty. The other thing I’d look for would be a small transformer or voltage trimmer that cuts voltage to low level. (Like five volts) that could have blown too.
Really though, if a board is available, it could save a ton of hassle trying to figure this one out. Especially without a schematic of the circuit board.
 
I have the schematic but to me it is undecipherable as I am a retired millwright and know nothing about electronics. I replaced the cap because I could see it was fried. Due to the age of the unit, there is not another motherboard available. "Call the boat guy" is no help, they just want to sell another autopilot. Trying to find a motherboard repair center, if there is such a thing, but no luck.
 
I feel your pain. There used to be people that could do these types of repairs, but they’ve all but disappeared. I’m no electronics expert either, but if I have a schematic in hand, and it’s an older board with larger components I can muddle my way through.
Maybe look on eBay or Craigslist for circuit board repair services. May just get lucky.
 
Start another thread searching for control board repair.
There are several regulars that have posted good results with mail in repair facilities.
 
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