Autopilot issue

redunculous

redunculous

.
May 13, 2011
420
Hunter 40.5 Legend Jupiter
Did a major re-wire of my cockpit today and discovered that after my 'tinkering' my autopilot doesn't seem to fully disengage

I have a ray marine auto helm unit and when I switch it on in standby it's difficult to turn the wheel (the autopilot doesn't stop me turning it and doesn't try to control it) - it's like I'm turning the motor of the autopilot rather than it fully freewheeling for want of a better word

If I pop below and switch off instruments the wheel turns easy

Any ideas what I did wrong? I'm guessing the clutch but that really is a guess
 
woodster

woodster

.
Sep 15, 2009
6,244
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
sounds like you have a wiring mistake somewhere trace down the ap wiring first and you may find your problem ...i have my auto pilot wired on its own circuit and breaker just for that reason
 
Allan12210

Allan12210

.
Jan 22, 2008
1,700
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
redunculous said:
Did a major re-wire of my cockpit today and discovered that after my 'tinkering' my autopilot doesn't seem to fully disengage

I have a ray marine auto helm unit and when I switch it on in standby it's difficult to turn the wheel (the autopilot doesn't stop me turning it and doesn't try to control it) - it's like I'm turning the motor of the autopilot rather than it fully freewheeling for want of a better word

If I pop below and switch off instruments the wheel turns easy

Any ideas what I did wrong? I'm guessing the clutch but that really is a guess
Click to expand
Very strange as it is a combination of mechanical and electrical controls. If its the wheel driven unit (like my X-5), flipping the handle up should fully release it unless the belt tension is too tight. I found this out last weekend when I tried to correct the squeaking it was constantly making. It was driving my wife and the dog crazy. After loosening up the Allen screw on the tension control, I increased the belt tension and the squeaking stopped but like yours, I could hardly turn the wheel in standby unlocked mode. I ended up loosening the belt tension again and flushed the entire thing with the hose. That stopped the noise and the wheel turns easily. But, for how long? I never tried killing the breaker.
 
kloudie1

kloudie1

.
Nov 6, 2006
10,213
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Yup, probably "clutch" circuit is continuously energized by the instrument power.There should be a switched circuit from the control head that is "Standby". It should be not hot when on standby and hot when on Auto, I think. Ya may have a connector at the control head in the wrong place.
 
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