2004 Johnson 150 Trim sensor, mechanical not electrical

[grtomboy]

My trim gauge hasn't worked since the motors were swapped. There is a lever (hooked to a coil tension spring gadget) up under the engine bracket that obviously is meant to travel with the trim of the motor. I believe it is not in the correct position because it contact the bracket whatsoever. I can move it by hand and the only resistance is in the spring. Where does this little "shoe" lodge itself against the bracket? How do I rotate it to seat properly?
Its an outboard, not a huge deal. I'm a newbie and its good for me to learn the feel of my boat, getting on plane, etc but it'd be nice if it would work so I know what I'm feeling...

 

[jakedaawg]

It only makes contact when the engines trimmed almost all they way down. I believe it only sends for the first 15 degrees or so of trim, not tilt.

 

[grtomboy]

But isn't that 15 degrees what is responsible for the gauge?

 

[Chris1956]

First of all, it sounds like your trim sensor is malfunctioning, as it should read the trim angle all the way up and down.

Just so you know, the trim gauges are not reliable enough (IMO) to use to set the trim angle. They respond slowly, and do not show the same trim reading consistently It is far better to set trim angle by feel, that is by engine sound, boat speed and steering resistance.

 

[Joe Reeves]

First, check the sensor assembly. Unless the sending unit design has changed, there are two wires leading from it that connects to the gauge. Disconnect those two wire, connect a ohm meter to them and manually move the lever of the sending unit from one extreme to the other. The gauge should read smoothly from one low reading to the higher reading & vice versa. Any jumping, hesitation, etc indicates a failed sensor.

 

[grtomboy]

But they lever doesn't connect to anything that makes it move. Shouldn't it ride against the motor in some fashion so that when the motor trim moves, the lever moves? I don't expect the gauge to read anything if it doesn't move with the motor.
This Hurricane rides a great deal differently than my cuddy cabin, so I'm trying to get the feel. She planes so easily (and stays there) that yes, I agree, the gauge isn't a big deal. Just thought itd be nice to see it work.
Does the trim gauge rely on the master circuit breaker on the panel at all? I don't think so, but I am swapping that out next week because my other gauges are intermittent at best (though I get more action out of them than I do the trim!)

 

[Joe Reeves]

All of the PTT gauge sending units that I'm familiar with have a spring loaded lever that just slides against the movable portion of the mounting system. As the engine tilts/trims, the lever moves due to the spring action. Check it for sticking, rust, corrosion, whatever.

 

[grtomboy]

Yes, exactly. That spring lever doesn't contact any part of the frame. Perhaps with the remount it didn't seat properly? Like it needs to be rotated into position? At rest, with no tension (and no contact) the boot of the lever hangs at about the 7 o'clock position. With the motor all the way up, and if it's wedged properly into place, I wonder where it would ride in the bracket?