# MinnKota Talon Issues



## *DoubleThreat* (Nov 1, 2009)

So i used my talon last wkend and worked fine all day until towards the end of the day it would only go down 4 ft,as in the spike only would deploy.

Got it home and took the water hose and cleaned it off thinkin maybe mud or somthin was jammin it up,so i took it off the boat and turned it sideways to see if it would run the total 8 ft it was supposed to be,and it worked fine,spike came out 4' and then the rest of the housing came out the rest of the 4'.

Problem now is,it works fine layin on its side,but when i stand it up straight the whole housing comes out first and when it hits the ground it doesent want to stop/disenguage like its supposed to.

I emailed minn kota last week with no response and was wondering if anyone had this problem,i cant figure why it would work fine on its side but as soon as you mount it upright,it acts stupid.Thanks fellas in advance


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## Spots and Dots (May 23, 2004)

Call them monday

I called to get a backup spike and couldn't have been more happy with their service.


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## toehead (May 19, 2010)

Check and make sure the pin that holds the stake in place has not backed out some. I posted a problem here on 2Cool about 3 weeks ago where my pin backed out and the stake fell out while anchored. They sent me a new stake and after two trips the new stake fell out last Friday due to the same problem. Called this morning and they are sending a new stake overnight and a brand new replacement unit will be in next week. I must have a defective unit since I cannot find anybody else that has had this problem.


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## *DoubleThreat* (Nov 1, 2009)

I finally got ahold of a lady at minn kota,very nice lady,i explained my problem and she did all she could to help,we did figure out the first problem was from the pin backing out,as i found that when i took the bottom plate off at first,as far as it working on its side and not right side up we couldnt figure,she even asked the head tech. guy and he said check the stake for trash or bent etc. but if nothing else they'd be glad to check it out if i sent it back,i think i will do some more investigation on it tonite,i really have grown fond of it as its a great tool.


I cant imagine throwing an anchor as many times as i put it down,makes life easier.I'll will see what i can find hopefully somthin i overlooked,and will post the results


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## toehead (May 19, 2010)

I got my new stake in this morning overnited as they stated. I will install it tomorrow and put it through a test this weekend. I have searched all over the internet and I cannot find anyone who has lost a stake from the pin backing out. I am expecting the new unit next week and I will inspect both very closely to see if I can find any differences. I can tell that you can easily push the pin in and out with your finger so its not hard to understand how it is pushed out.


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## *DoubleThreat* (Nov 1, 2009)

Well i tore into it last night and found that the upper pin at the very top of the stake housing back out halfway and had the cable in a bind.I pushed the pin back in and put 2 new e clips on it and mounted it back on the boat.

It still however will not stop on its own when it hits the bottom,i guessing its a sensor problem,when i pick it up it comes up fine and stops when its fully retracted but goin down when it hits ground, motor just keeps turning and i have to stop it with the remote. I imagine i will take it in to have it checked one day either in s.a. or there is a authorized service center in rockport maybe drop it by when im down there.


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## bryanevans (Jun 24, 2011)

Minn Kota has great customer service and will even send you a replacement unit if you ask them or should I say demand it!


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## toehead (May 19, 2010)

What is an e-clip? Where do you get them?


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## toehead (May 19, 2010)

Did you disconnect the power to the unit when you removed it from the boat? It may need a reset. When the stake fell out of mine the 4 led lights stayed lite up like it was still down until I disconnected the power and reconnected.

Minn Kota does have great customer service, they are sending a complete new unit, told me to keep the bracket and remotes from the old unit.


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## shallowgal (Jun 11, 2004)

Thats the 3rd MinnKota Talon problem I've heard of this week. The other two were very quickly resolved and the MinnKota rep called here multiple times a day and really stayed on top of the issue, which surprised me. So, they appear to be having more issues than I've seen with Power Poles (but that may very well be coincidental) however they are backing it up with exceptional customer service.


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## Red Line (Jun 9, 2009)

I broke my stake last weekend, called them Monday AM and they shipped me a new for free. I did'nt even have to pay for shipping.


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## *DoubleThreat* (Nov 1, 2009)

An e-clip looks like a stainless steel flat washer cut in a half moon shape with a little finger in the middle,any parts house will know exactly what your talking about,but they do come in all sizes.

I will have to call minn kota back with the remaining issue,the lady did say there was a circuit board that might have to be replaced,you never know she might be able to send me one to fix it,i'd really hate to pay shipping to send it off.

Hopefully it can be resolved,my buddy has a power pole,and he and i like my talon more.


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## leadhead10 (May 14, 2010)

I passed a boat the other day with a talon on the back and it would shake pretty good when he hit a wave. Is this normal? I couldn't tell how it was mounted, so could that be the problem with the shaking?


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## ckinchen (Oct 25, 2006)

My talon has been in the shop here in Houston two times in the last month. Both instances the unit would only go down to 4/5 feet and not engage the remaining 4/3 feet. The first time the problem was fixed and the anchor worked for a week and now I have the same problem again. My dealer had to send the unit back to Minnkota which took around a week and they had to "diagnose" the problem and then ship it back. Minnkota refused to replace the unit so we will see how the repaired version works this weekend. I have had multiple power poles without an issue so being down for extended periods of time over an anchor is disappointing. At this point I regret buying it.


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## beckbean (Dec 8, 2009)

I had the same problem with my Talon. It would only go down 4-5' and then stop. took the bottom plate off and noticed that both e-clips were missing and the roller shaft was backing out hitting the bottom plate. I called MK and they sent me two new eclips had them in two days. The e-clips do not seem to have enough room to fully engage over the shaft I have not had a chance to use mine since I replaced the clips, maybe they need to go back to the old cotter pins instead fo the e-clips. Between the ST trolling Motor, OB charger and the Talon I have a lot invested in MK hopefully they get these issues lined out. This thing is Great!


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