228 Power Trim Down Works; UP & UP/OUT Do Not

[Kola16]

Hello all! First post of hopefully many! This forum has helped me a lot as I've been a long-time lurker just never got around to creating an account.

Anyway, my MerCruiser 228 will lower but, not raise. I have the old 3 button control panel style from 1979. The serial number on the outdrive is 5166600. The unit lowers fine. The trim up or trailer button do nothing. No clicking sound from the solenoid or anything. To get it into the trailer up position while on the lake when it first did not work, I just jumped the blue wire on the solenoid that goes to the pump. Came right up just fine when I jumped it. There is only one solenoid that is mounted on the pump not two.

Actions taken to attempt to fix:
1. Replaced the solenoid - no change; still no UP or UP/OUT
2. Cleaned grease out of trim limit switch and lightly sanded contacts - no change
3. Tried to bypass the trim limit switch by disconnecting limit switch and jumping leftover blue and purple wires together - no change
4. Cleaned out of the starboard side puck (trim sender?) - no change and managed to break the white circular plate so now the trim gauge does not work...whoops
5. Checked plug going into trim pump - no change
6. Checked fuse - no change and fuse was good

The 3 button switch is working. I tested it with a voltmeter. The red leads on the IN and OUT/UP always have power. The green, purple, and blue wires all get power when the respective buttons are pushed. The blue wire also gets power all the way back at the solenoid stud mounted on the trim pump. There are 4 studs on the solenoid:
A black ground stud;
a red power stud that always has power;
a thick blue wire that leads into the pump, which is the one I jump from the battery to get the drive up (it has no power when I press the trim UP and UP/OUT buttons);
and a small blue wire that does indeed receive power when I press the UP and UP/OUT buttons

Sorry for being longwinded, but I am at a loss. I just want my outdrive to come up without having to jump it from the battery. Please help!

Thanks! Robbie

 

[achris]

Hi Robbie,

Sounds like you have a decent handle on how these circuits work, and have tested most of it. If you are confirmed as getting 12v on the small blue wire on the solenoid, and when you jump the large red to the large blue the pump runs, and you've put a new solenoid in, then the problem must be on the ground side of the solenoid. You need to check that small black wire. Even try running a new (temporary) wire directly from the battery negative to the solenoid terminal...

Here's a circus diagram if you don't already have one.... (you may not have a reverse lock valve. Even if you do, the fact that you're getting 12v on the small blue wire at the solenoid indicates that wouldn't be the problem)



Chris.....

 

[Kola16]

Thanks for the wiring diagram! I'm not sure if I have that interlock switch either, but I am indeed getting power at the solenoid from the small blue wire. Unfortunately, trying to fix the ground did not work. I took all the wires off, cleaned all the contacts and even put new terminals on some. I ran another (temporary) wire from the ground on the solenoid directly to the battery negative and still not a sound. I am still getting power to the small stud with the little blue wire on the solenoid. I can jump the solenoid by either going from the big red stud to the big blue stud, or by going from the battery to the blue stud. Completely lost!

Maybe I do not understand how 4 stud solenoids work. Could it be possible I got a bad solenoid right out of the box? If I have the one stud grounded well, and the solenoid mount plate mounted on clean metal, and I get power to the SMALL blue terminal and large positive red terminal, shouldn't it power the other LARGE stud with the large blue wire?

Thanks for any pointers!

 

[achris]

..... Could it be possible I got a bad solenoid right out of the box?

Completely possible...

If I have the one stud grounded well, and the solenoid mount plate mounted on clean metal, and I get power to the SMALL blue terminal and large positive red terminal, shouldn't it power the other LARGE stud with the large blue wire?

Completely correct. Just check that you have the full 12v on that small blue wire when it's connected to the solenoid. Another way to test is to connect a lead directly from the battery positive and tap it on the small terminal (not the ground terminal ) and see if the solenoid picks..

Chris....

 

[Kola16]

Another way to test is to connect a lead directly from the battery positive and tap it on the small terminal and see if the solenoid picks..
Chris....

Thanks so much! I did exactly this yesterday and got nothing. I'll try it again tomorrow, but I'm not gonna hold my breath. It must be a bad solenoid right out of the box!

 

[achris]

If you have a multimeter, check the resistance of the solenoid coil, should be about 6-10 ohms.

Chris.......

 

[Kola16]

Well I got a new solenoid today. Still nothing! No click or anything! It is grounded more than adequately with the jumper and I have 12.6V at the little blue wire and big red wire. Nothing on the big blue wire. I do not have a multimeter unfortunately. Why is wiring such a bleeper!?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Narrow it down, 12+ to the small blue wire lug, 12- to the ground stud.solenoid must operate Yes
remove your 12- and test again, solenoid must operate Y,ground is good, No ground is bad
operate trim up , solenoid must operate or the blue wire is not carrying the current . may read 12v but is the connection is bad , no current

 

[achris]

Putting a wire directly from the battery negative to one of the solenoid small terminals and a wire directly from battery positive to the other solenoid small terminal MUST pick the solenoid. If it doesn't, you have 3 options. 1 of the wires is faulty, the battery is flat, the solenoid is faulty... It can't be anything else, that's how electrickery works...

When you have the wire from battery neg to the solenoid and you tap the other wire to the other small solenoid terminal, are you getting a small spark (you should)?

Chris.........

 

[Kola16]

I'll try to narrow it down. I am pretty sure I know how a solenoid is supposed to work, but it seems as if I am having really bad luck or I am really missing something. I'm not getting any spark when I tap the little blue terminal if I remember correctly, but I will try again tomorrow. I know the battery is charged for sure. I also know that it is grounded (I did an ever so quick positive to negative tap, spark spark!). The big blue wire is definitely carrying a current since I am able to get the outdrive up when I put a jumper on the big blue stud from the battery.

And to make it worse my 350 is not running right! Lovely!:frown-new: Wish me luck!

 

[Kola16]

I had to put this project on hold for a little bit due to motor issues. But my trim up now works! O'Rielly sold me 3 solenoids and every one of them were bad. The first the stud broke off and the second two did not close the circuit. They left the circuit open. 3 BAD SOLENOIDS! Went to my local marine store and theirs worked! I guess you should test the solenoid before installing it. Now for the darn motor!

 

[Kola16]

I thought I was going crazy and did not know how a solenoid worked haha!

 

[achris]

.... 3 BAD SOLENOIDS! ...

Wow, that sucks....