Salvage Minn Kota trolling motor lube & seal replacement repair - Mini Pontoon Boat

I refurbished a salvage bow mount minn kota 12v trolling motor to use with my foam & fiberglass pontoon boat. It appears that at some point the motor banged into something while spinning and parts of the armature coating got scrapped off inside the motor, leading to horrible grinding noises.
After I took it apart and removed all of the debris, added synthetic grease and replaced the seals and o-rings, it purrs right along.

[@briantday]

Nicely done! And, yes, that cardboard ring is there to aid in reassembly (brush retainer), according to a similar video that Minn Kota put out. Apparently they also offer a spring loaded spanner type tool to hold the brushes apart while removing the armature. Oh, and the copper bars that the brushes ride on is called the "commutator." 🙂

[@diveflyfish]

Do you know what type of plastic the brush bearing support is made of?

[@summetj]

I'm afraid I don't.

[@minniesfishies3024]

I went through a similar process today with my 2001 RT55/SC. Like you, I had to improvise in order to first get the 2 seals out of the Plain End Housing, then guess at how far into the housing the new seals should go. In removal, the outer seal came out easily by prying it out with a screwdriver, but the inner one was a devil. In the end, I poked a nail down from the other side and tapped it out, having to switch angles every few taps. When replacing them, how far down do you tap the inner seal? No guidance I could find. I left a bit of a gap between the 2 seals which is how I found them. I've watched other videos and what you ended up doing with the cardboard ring is correct - it's meant to hold the brushes apart until you stick the armature down.

[@summetj]

It's been long enough that I don't remember the exact spacing on the seals, so putting them back like you found them is probably your best option.

[@diveflyfish]

What is the shaft seal made of specifically? Thank you for any information! Cheers!

[@summetj]

I don't know the specifics, some type of rubber.

[@diveflyfish]

Thank you!

[@Busyascanbe]

Very informative!

[@newwavepressure6478]

Im having problems finding what seal kit i need i dont hav the manual

[@summetj]

You will have to measure the shaft diameter and the casing diameter, a pair of calipers may be useful for the shaft but you can do the casing with a tape measure. If you have a boating shop nearby just taking the entire thing to it and asking them maybe the easy way.