Can't lower motor & trim not responding

[Thejanitor000]

Engine is now de-winterized, new batteries in, all fluids changed and she fired right up today. Now the d^* motor won't go down & trim not working! No response to the switches at all. Why me!

Darren

[biggerseagar]

Is the trim motor running when you try to lower the out drive? When you press your down control on your handle is it silent or do you hear a motor running?

You might have a loose contection or fuse blown or your trim motor is shot.

Better call that mechanic....

Roger

[Thejanitor000]

Nope, don't hear the usual "whining" noise at all. Headed outside to check fuses and battery connections again shortly. If that's not it, headed back to the mechanic.......

[CountryME]

Darren,
Does the trim pump whine when you press the trailer button? If the trailer button runs the pump, but the down button does not, it may be either the switch in the throttle handle or the control solenoid on the trim pump. I had to change one on my boat when the contacts got all carbon-ed up and wouldn't work. If you have power to the solenoids and they are clicking, look to replace them. The starter slave solenoid and both the trim solenoids are the same part number and suffer the same drawback where after many years of use, the contacts get all arc struck and covered in carbon so even though they actuate, you get no current through them. Good luck and let us know how things work out.

-JP

[jrsick]

Have you tried helping the trim motor by pushing on the outdrive while trimming down? Sometimes it takes a little push to get it working again. Sit on the swim platform and push with your feet while someone trims down. Also, if possible you should store the engine in the down position to ensure the gearing sits in oil during the winter.

[Thejanitor000]

Checked every fuse I could find and all are intact. Gave the outdrive a few nudges while a neighbor played with the trim and still no luck. Not getting any sounds (the whine) or response at all. Everything else works fine (motor starts, all electronics & lights, ect.). Hmmmm.....

[mcoffey]

There is not a whole lot to this system as far as electric goes. Should be a solenoid, electric motor, some fuses, the limit switch and the trim and trailer switch. As far as I am aware, the Trim Down does not run through the Trim Limit switch (mounted on the outdrive). So if the motor is not running at all when you push Down, it is a bad switch, blown fuse, faulty solenoid or the motor itself (similar to a starter motor). If you have a meter, locate the solenoid and test for power at it. You should have 2 larger wires connected to it. 1 goes to the battery and should have 12v on it at all times. If not, you have a blown fuse (or possibly a bad connection somewhere). The other should go to the Trim Motor and should only have 12v when you engage the switch. You should also have a trigger wire which will be a small wire. There are probably a few (sorry, don't have scematic handy right now). Test them all and one should energize to 12v when you push the Trim Switch Down. If not, you have a bad trim switch or a blown fuse. Now if you do get 12V on the trigger wire and you also get 12v feeding the motor at the same time, the motor could be bad or a bad connection at the motor. It could also be a dead spot on the motor (starters can get these too). Try tapping on the motor housing while some pushes thewitch to see if that gets it going. It just may though I would replace the motor when possible as it could stop on that dead spot at any time and may stop working when you need it the most.

[mcoffey]

Ok, found a diagram for mine atleast (1996 Alpha 1) and there seems to be 2 solenoids. One if for Up and one if for Down. If yours is the same as mine, the one with the GRN/WHT wire connected to it is the Down solenoid. The Up solenoid should have a BLU/WHT wire on it. It also shows as 20A fuse just after the main harness plug (looks to be round plug) and also it lists a 110A fuse but does not show it on the diagram.
So here is how I read the diagram:

RED (large) connects to + of battery and to 1 post on Down Solenoid
RED (smaller) connects to Throttle Harness and to 1 post on Down Solenoid
GRN/WHT (smaller) connects to Throttle Harness and to 1 post on Down Solenoid (this is the trigger wire I think)
GRN/WHT (large) connects to Trim Motor and to 1 post on Down Solenoid

The 20A fuse seems to be Inline of the smaller RED wire that connects to the Solenoid and I assume it would have 12V on it but not 100% sure here. My assumption is this wire is what feeds the Trim switch and this power is transferred to either the GRN/WHT or the BLU/WHT by the switch being pushed down or up.

I would assume the smaller GRN/WHT should show 12V only when pressing the Trim Down button.
You then also should get 12V passing through the Solenoid to the larger GRN/WHT wire which should engage the motor.

[ss3964spd]

Darren,

Not much to add to what's already been said/advised. I'll only say that it was working fine last season and isn't working at all this season my guess is it's something simple - like that fuse. If you hear nothing from the trim motor when you try to raise or lower the drive my guess is the trim motor isn't getting any 12V power for whatever reason. Did the mechanic even hook it back up to the new battery(s)? If the unit has power to it you should be able to hear the solenoids "click" when you operate the trim switch, even if the electric motor doesn't run.

Dan

[Thejanitor000]

Thanks for the detail Mcoffey. Went out again today & wiggled, checked, tested every connection & fuse I could find. Double checked all of the battery connections also. Looks like it's mechanic time.

[Phillbo]

Try pulling the wires on the trim limiter switch.

[pascavone]

its easy to jump out the switch, pull the boot off and there are 3 leads.

jump a wire from the battery to the leads, the middle is ground.

if it dose not run, then its the pump, if the pump runs its the helm switch.....

Sometimes my trim motor will not work if the battery's are low, stick a changer on them and then try.

[shrew]

Are you hearing the 'click' of the solenoid? Try jumping the connections on the solenoids to bypass them to see if that is the issue.

[Thejanitor000]

Don't you hate when you miss the easy ones? I didn't even notice that they had it the trim motor hooked onto the negative side of the battery when they replaced them. Problem solved.

[ss3964spd]

Gotta love when it a fix turns out to be an easy one!

Glad ya got it taken care of Darren.

[Phillbo]

Doh

[Thejanitor000]

I need an easy repair here & there to keep me interested. Now bring on the spring!

[jamanati]

Try jumping the solenoid. Remove the cover from the trim motor and pull the plug out. In it you will see what looks like a 3 slot outlet. With a test wire, probe the slots, one should have power. If it doesn't have power, trace back the hot wire until you figure out where you lost power. If it does have power, you can jump it. Get a spare wire of decent guage, 14 or better, put one end in the hot slot, and try the other two. One of these two will lift your drive, the other will lower it. If that doesn't work, you either have a faulty drive motor, bad solenoid, or disconnected wire. If that does work, then its the wiring that goes from your helm to the outdrive itself. The green wire lowers the unit, the blue wire raise the unit. Best way to remember is green is grass (down), blue is sky (up). Good luck.

[shrew]

Or just take an insulated screw driver and span the large posts of the solenoids on the trim pump. One solenoid is for UP, the other is for Down. This is not for the faint of heart and somewhat dangerous as it can cause a spark. Any fuel vapor and BOOM.

[mcoffey]

Hey Jam and Shrew, this one was fixed per comment #14. Had power lead connected to negative post of battery by mistake