Trim Motor Double Check

[thisuldoit]

Ok, so the last time I went to pull my boat out of the water, I pushed the trailer button and the trim motor made a lovely grinding sound for about 10 seconds and then stopped. It has made this grinding sound before and has worked, so we figured it has worked again and the motor was up. We pulled it out of the water and to our surprise the motor was still down. I pushed the trailer button again and heard one click. We popped the top on the motor area, pushed the down button and one click. Pushed the trailer button again, one click. I took a piece of wire from the hot to the small blue/white (up/out) on the selonoid and one click. I touched it to the big blue/white (going to the motor from the selonoid) and nothing happend at all. The motor would not run.

Questions: 1. Is the motor dead as I suspect? 2. Can I successfully install just the motor, or do I need to install the whole motor, hydraulic assembly, reservoir, and selonoids?

 

[MercMonster]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

I'm not real knowledgeable in the trim motor area, but maybe you could get lucky with it just being a bad solenoid. Sounds like a solenoid(s) (clicking) issue to me.

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

I would normally agree, but I bypassed the selonoid by going from the hot (red) to the blue/white wire (up/out) going directly to the trim motor. When I did this nothing happened which leads me to believe that the trim motor is dead.

 

[Mike V]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

Sounds seized to me (I take it the hot wire has power as you heard a click)

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

Thank you and the hot wire did have power.

Now, for the next important question, can I just replace the motor or do I have to replace the motor, hydraulic assembly, and reservoir? I know I CAN just replace the motor, but I was wondering if anyone out there has good/bad experience with just replacing the motor.

Thanks

 

[thrasher]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

You said the motor turned before it stopped working but the stern drive did not raise, I would suspect the pump has failed not the motor. If the pump seized then the motor would not be able to turn.. The only certain way to be sure would be to dismantle the unit and check the pump and motor seperately..
As you say the pump made a grinding noise in the past, I would just go and change the entire unit. By the time you have dismantled the unit, found the problem and then bought all the new parts and gaskets, I bet a replacement unit from Ebay would not work out any more expensive, plus a replacement unit will have you up and running far more quickly..

Gary

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

The motor did make a sound, but it was not the nice hum of a normal trim motor, but a rough, sort of grinding sound. I will have to take the assembly apart and test the motor and the hydraulic unit separately.

Thanks!

 

[Alumarine]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

Hi. You don't say what kind of drive you have but on my mercruiser I did seperate the electric motor from the pump and replaced the brushes.

 

[wire2]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

It's not just seized or you would have had a big spark when you jumped red to blue. That sounds like an open circuit, worn brushes are the most likely cause.

The grinding sound doesn't fit in with worn brushes though.
You may well find the commutator has lost the bond with the insulator on the shaft and was destroying itself the last time it ran. That could be the noise you heard.

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

I have a 4.3L, 6 cyl, 262 CID motor with an Alpha 1 outdrive.

Thanks

 

[Scarebird]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

If it is anything like the trim pump I rebuilt last week, it separates easily, though you will need to take the assy out of the boat.

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

Scarebird...Do you need a new gasket betweent the motor and the hydraulic unit?

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

It's not just seized or you would have had a big spark when you jumped red to blue. That sounds like an open circuit, worn brushes are the most likely cause.

The grinding sound doesn't fit in with worn brushes though.
You may well find the commutator has lost the bond with the insulator on the shaft and was destroying itself the last time it ran. That could be the noise you heard.

No spark at all. Grinding may be a bad term. It was not like gears grinding. Not quite that hard, and it kicked between the hum and the grinding like sound before it stopped.

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

This might also help. Occasionally, when I went to raise or lower the motor, the trim motor would just not work. Later it would just start working again, often after I had driven it to and from the lake. I checked all of the connections each time, and there were no loose or dirty connections. Food for thought.

Thanks.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

I would pull the motor and bench test it. If it was the pump thats bad Ebay would be the easy way to go.All those little seals and o-rings in the pump...yikes!!

 

[thisuldoit]

Re: Trim Motor Double Check

Yeah, I would not touch the pump. I just wanted to know that the motor can be replaced independenlty from the pump and still work well.