Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

[Luke in AK]

My trim/tilt guage started dieing on me this last summer and now it's to the point where it hardly works at all. The needle usually just rests in the down or off position. Is this a sign that I need a new one or maybe that something has just come loose. I believe it's an OMC. Any suggestions on where to start troubleshooting?

Thanks!

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

It could be the sender on the outdrive, they usually go as moisture gets inside them and corrodes it. If you have access to the engine compartment you can trace the 2 wires coming through the transom mount behind the engine and pull the plug apart, using an ohm meter you can measure across the 2 wires (from the sender) and check for approx 10 ohms or 180 ohms and then move the arm on the sender to the other end and the meter should give you the opposite 10 or 180, if you get no change or something much higher than the 180 then the sender is shot.

also here is a link to a site that has some additional info, scroll down the middle column until you get to the trim troubleshooting guide
Trim Problems

 

[Luke in AK]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

Thanks Bob I'll look into it and post when I know more.

 

[whiteman]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

I had the same problem on my Yammie 115 2s and for 6 months I didn't use the trim gauge then 2 weeks ago it started working for no reason - not serviced, not touched. It must have been my Xmas present from the boating gods.

 

[The_Ursus]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage? (pics added)

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage? (pics added)

Ok, I lost my old password for my acct so now I'm going as the_ursus. So anyway, here's some pics of the trim unit on my engine. I'm looking for the sending unit. Is it in any of these pics?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/alaskan_waters/P4080028.jpg
or
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/alaskan_waters/P4080029.jpg
or
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/alaskan_waters/P4080027.jpg

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage? (pics added)

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage? (pics added)

When you said OMC above I thought you meant a sterndrive not an outboard (Johnson?) but it definitely looks like this in your third picture, Look within the yellow circled area. You don't say make, year or HP but you can see the follower arm and the spring in the picture. You should be able to follow those wires along to a plug and then do your resitance check before replacing it.

 

[The_Ursus]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

Thanks Bob, I had a hunch that was it. The engine is a 2004 Johnson 115
4-stroke. I'll take a look at it when I get off work today. Now I need to see if I can get ahold of an ohm meter to test it.

Luke

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

OK with it being a Johnson the resistance measurements are different, the one I posted above was for an OMC Cobra sterndrive. For a Johnson outboard it should be 1 ohm in the up position (as it is in the Picture) and then 88 ohms in the down position. You should be able to reach in there with your hand and move the arm down and up for this test.

 

[The_Ursus]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

So would the plug be located here?

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Glitchy trim/tilt guage?

I can't really tell from the picture but typically they wouldn't put a plug where it could be underwater. I can't see where those wires go but I suspect somehow they get up to the engine and then tied into the main harness that runs up to the dash. All a trim sender does is act like a variable resistor. One of the 2 wires will run up to your gauge, the other will be tied to ground somewhere. You may be able to test the sender by removing the S wire off the back of the guage and hooking one lead of the ohm meter to it and the other to ground.