Power Tilt basics, help...

[rbuljo]

Hi Gurus of the seas...

I bought my first boat last season, with an Mercruiser 140 and Alpha one sterndrive.

one thing that puzzled me was the way the power trim acted.

today my setup is like this:

two switches, one off/on/on and one up/down.
pic http://dl.dropbox.com/u/40786817/2013-04-05 18.39.07.jpg


the off/on/on switch must be turned to the 2nd on position to get anything working, and then I can tilt the stern all the way to "beach mode".

shouldnt it be like: 1. position on is for everyday use, 2nd position for "beach mode" so i dont accidently trim it all the way up?

previous owner changed all the switches on this boat, also, it seems like only one of the trim limit switches in the back/stern is connected. I guess he didnt get this done correctly. is there any wiring diagram etc for this.
pic http://dl.dropbox.com/u/40786817/2013-04-05 18.38.53.jpg

any help appriciated.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Power Tilt basics, help...

The unit on the port side of the stern drive is the trim limit switch. The unit on the starboard side is the sender for the trim gauge. The older boats had a three button control panel, an IN button, an OUT button and an UP button that had to be pressed along with the OUT button to bring the drive all the way up. The newer boats use a switch like your right hand one, and also a momentary contact switch usually called the trailering switch, to bring the drive all the way up.
The limit switches gave a lot of trouble, and when they did you had to press the up and out buttons to trim it out at all. As a result a lot of the limit switches were bypassed at the blue/white and purple/white wires that come out of the trim wiring harness just before the pump. With this done, the in and out work normally. But you have to watch you trim gauge carefully.
I have no idea what he was trying to do with the off/on/on switch. The system does not need an off switch.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Power Tilt basics, help...

There is one limit switch on the outdrive and the other is for the trim gauge. According to your pic's I didn't see a trim gauge so having that one working would be of no help. The previous owner re-wired the switch probably because the limit switch stopped working or he/she didn't know how to adjust it. Your first "on" position should pass through your trim switch then go to the outdrive limit switch. Once the limit is reached the limit switch will stop all trim out. The trim down position does not go through the limit switch, The second "on" position should be for "beach mode" or reciently called "trailer". The beach mode/trailer is only used when trailering or beaching.

Suggest get an ohm meter and unplag the limit switch and place the leads across the leads coming from the limit switch. Loosen the limit switch screws on the outdrive (which may require and impact screw driver, they can get stuck). Rotate the limit switch and see if you can get an open/close (meg ohms/0.0 ohms) reading. If you can the switch is working, how well will need to be determined. If no chage in reading you will need a new limit switch. This isn't yours but it gives you the idea. Google Image Result for http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/JeffGr/2011-06-27_191636_trimwiring.jpg