Alpha gen 1 trim switches not working at all

[porscheguy]

I had my boat on the trailer for a few weeks due to the weather. I put it back on the lift Thursday and everything seemed fine. Trim worked as it was supposed to. As I approached the lift, I bumped something under water. Not a hard bump. Didn't do any damage to anything. Just hard enough to let you know you bumped something. Today I use the boat and I notice that my trim isn't functioning. The trim and trailer switches are both inoperative. I checked the main power leads and I've got voltage. The 20 amp fuse appears intact. What's the next step? Test the solenoid? FWIW, when i press either switch, I get nothing, no clicking or anything else.

 

[alldodge]

Check the plug to see if power is actually going thru it, mine went bad internally and it looks fine
Can jump from the red to the small terminals on the relays (Blue/white and Green/White)

 

[porscheguy]

I have power at the plug on the red wire. When plugged in, with the trim limit switch disconnected, I've got 12V on the purple/white wire when the trim up (i think) switch is pressed. On the blue/white wire I only get 6V. when the trailer button is pressed.

 

[alldodge]

Your getting 12V on the Purple/White so if you jumped the Purple/White to the Blue/White then the UP function should work. By pushing the trailer, this does the same thing. So if bypassing the trim switch causes the pump to work and not the trailer switch then part of the problem is in the handle wiring

 

[porscheguy]

I'm just perplexed at how this goes from totally functioning, to totally nonfunctional in 48 hours.

I should add that when I jumped the red to the small terminals on the relays, they just clicked. The WSM says the pump should operate. Now if I jump red to the big terminals, the pump does operate. Again, I find it hard to believe that both solenoids could fail at the precisely the same time. I'll bypass the trim switch and see what happens.

 

[achris]

Solenoid clicks but nothing happens + pump runs when solenoid bypassed = solenoid failed ...

 

[alldodge]

Now if I jump red to the big terminals

I'm assuming that when your doing trim its with the motor running. If the motor is not running then maybe your battery is dead. If motor is running and ALT output is 14.5V then sounds like the motor

 

[porscheguy]

I don’t think it’s the battery. The battery is a group 64 AGM that’s a little more than a year old. Plus it sits on a tender in the off months. I had used the boat yesterday for about an hour when I discovered the trim issue. So when I was doing my various checks, the motor was off but the meter was still reading 12.9-13V.

As for the solenoids, I’d really like to hope they’re the problem, but I’m not sure because I think the odds of both failing at the exact same time are pretty slim. Not saying I don’t rule it out, but I’m thinking it seems more like a single problem that is causing this.

are the trim and trailer switches still available for the Quicksilver commander classic?

 

[alldodge]

Check the ground to the block

 

[porscheguy]

So I bypassed the trim limit switch and nothing happened. Then I opened up the shifter and checkedthe voltage at the red wire and I got 12V where it connects to both the trailer and trim switches. Then when I toggled either switch, voltage would drop to about 3v and not a sound from the solenoids. I also checked for circuit continuity at both switches and they're good. The fact that I jump to the small terminals on either solenoid and they just click has me leaning in the direction of solenoids, but I just don't like the fact that it appears both are dead, and I'm not sure how both failed in 48 hours.

 

[alldodge]

Dropping to 3V means you have a bad connection. The bad connection can be anywhere and don't forget the grounds.

Start with the fuse on the starter post, the trim pump should be connected to it. Then follow it to a similar fuse on top of both relays (see post 2 item e).

You mentioned you tried to jump across the top studs on the relays and the motor did not come ON. Check the fuse

 

[porscheguy]

Where is the fuse on the starter post?

Item e is the 110amp fuse?

 

[alldodge]

It may have been removed but if there it looks like this

 

[alldodge]

Also, all grounds bolt to the frame of the pump plate, and there is a larger wire going from that bolt to the block

 

[porscheguy]

Loosened and retightened the ground wire to the pump bracket. Removed and connected the main power lead. Tried jumping to the small terminals on the solenoids, and the pump worked. Tried the switches and they worked. I guess it was a bit of corrosion that will bite me again later. At least the problem appears solved for the last day or two of the season.