Trim Sender Help Please

[nickcasa]

Here's the deal, I'll try and keep this short, 89 merc 5.0 v8 305CID with alpha 1 outdrive, trim down and trailer have been working fine for about a year now, and the senders were toast so i replaced them, what a bear, now my up button will still not work, checked and reversed the bullet plugs just in case on the upper limit switch, trailer and down still work as they used too, just not the up, not the solenoids i imagine, fluid is new and topped off, is there something i can do to see if the switch on the shifter does not have to be replaced, really dont feel like replacing the shifter, i heard it is a nightmare.

ps - great forum by the way, you guys on here especially Don S, keep up the great work for those of us who can't afford boat mechanics.

Nick

 

[BAYLINER185]

Re: Trim Sender Help Please

I ve never taken one of the shifters apart I have seen inside them and they are scary looking lol....Lots of machanical stuff in there.

If you can possibly get to the trim switch I would see about pulling the leads off the switch and making the contact for the up possition without the switch. In other words short the up switch contacts together to close the circut for up without using the switch to eliminate the possibilities of a bad switch. If the down works the up shoud work UNLESS the limit switch is shot on the drive and is only allowing the down position to work.

Im not 100% sure about that limit switch on the drive as I have only had the gauge senders go bad. I replaced one on an alpha 1 10 years ago myself and it was pretty easy. I havent had to replace a limit switch. I may have to replace the sender on my BRAVO as it has a bad spot twards the end of its travel and after the drive is at its 1/2 trimmed down position the gauge falls to full down way before the drive gets there.

Check your switch, is all that might be bad. You may need a volt meter to help trouble shoot as well.

 

[nickcasa]

Re: Trim Sender Help Please

actually, after i posted that, i took the shifter apart and got to the switch, it was real easy, just 2 screws, i did short the pins and still nothing ( i got down and trailer to work, so its not the switch and the limit switch and trim position senders are both brand new, i bought a kit, i also checked the purple wire for continuity that makes the drive go up from the pump all the way forward and it is good, no cable breaks...my switch has 4 wires on it, red (power) purple(up position i thinik) teal/greeen (down wire i think, this is attached to the up and down switch) and brown/tan attached to the trailer switch

is there a wiring diagram for this stuff? i have the pump with the plastic fluid tank, single engine alpha one.

 

[Don S]

Re: Trim Sender Help Please

is there a wiring diagram for this stuff?

Yea, they call it an OEM service manual book #6. Here is a link to it.
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6covr3.pdf
Just scroll down to the outline page and click on the section LETTER you want to view.
You want section 1-C Troubleshooting.
There is a complete section in Troubleshooting, on checking the trim system, with wiring diagrams and discriptions.

 

[nickcasa]

Re: Trim Sender Help Please

thanks for the link Don, here's something else I did after dinner which someone suggested, i removed the trim limit switch and jumped the 2 wires together that the sensor hooks to and low and behold the trim switch in the control works as it should, does this mean that my brand new trim limit sensor is bad? at least i know now its not the wiring, switch, solenoids, power, etc, i would really not like to bypass it just in case i get drunk or something and trim up too much or whatever, dont wanna blow my new outdrive ujoints...

 

[Don S]

Re: Trim Sender Help Please

You may just have the sender turned wrong when you installed it. Did you recheck it? The manual tells you how to set it and test it.
USE the manual and check the system out. That's what it's for.

 

[nickcasa]

Re: Trim Sender Help Please

i assume you are reffering to the reference / alignment marks on the sensor, correct? i thought i lined up the marks but maybe i messed up, i got the manual with the new sensors...i saw a post somewhere else where the guy said he didnt line up the marks and the sensor failed to work, so that is something i will check in the morning, thanks!