HELP! Trim UP not working but TRAILER does!

[TheRussian]

Please help!!!

After purging all the milky oil from my trim pump on an Alpha 1 Gen 2 following the air bleeding instructions in the Merc manual my trim UP button is not working at all but I am able to raise the drive with the trailer button.

Prior to me messing with it the trim up worked just fine!

I did not disconnect ANY WIRES other than the battery itself. I had taken the trim motor off the pump to drain the reservoir without disconnecting the wires. I did not mess with the trim limit or sender on the outdrive. I did not mess with the up/down buttons.

Please tell me there is an easy fix!!!!

 

[stonyloam]

The trailer and trim share the same circuits EXCEPT for the trim limit switch and the trim button itself.Chances are you have a open circuit in the trim limit. Do this: In the stern locate the two black wires coming from the transom that plug into two connectors, one with a purple/white wire and one with two blue/white wires. Unplug the black wires and jumper between the two connectors with a short piece of insulated wire. Try the trim, if it works you have isolated the problem to the trim limit circuit. Try cleaning the connectors and see if it works. Let us know what happens.

 

[TheRussian]

As per the instructions I have jumpered between the two connectors and the up button worked but without a limit - so basically like the trailer button. So this has obviously bypassed the trim limit switch. So does that mean that I need a new one? I have opened it up and cleaned all the connections. I don't understand why it stopped working without me messing with it. Is there anything else I can check for? I really don't have the energy to be pulling the outdrive, bell housing, bellows etc. to change some wires!

 

[tpenfield]

As per the instructions I have jumpered between the two connectors and the up button worked but without a limit - so basically like the trailer button. So this has obviously bypassed the trim limit switch. So does that mean that I need a new one? I have opened it up and cleaned all the connections. I don't understand why it stopped working without me messing with it. Is there anything else I can check for? I really don't have the energy to be pulling the outdrive, bell housing, bellows etc. to change some wires!

Yup, it's busted and you need a new one

 

[TheRussian]

I just watched a video of a guy replacing the sender and limit switch on a Bravo 1 outdrive. Looks like he took the hinges off the bell housing, removed the exhaust bellows ring and rotated the bell housing 90 degrees. Looks like he did not damage the other bellows and he did not need to replace any. Is that really possible on an Alpha 1?

 

[stonyloam]

Yeah it is a pain to change. As you see when you took it apart it is just a contact arm and a brass conductor. It could be that it is either just out of adjustment now or you need to bend the contact arm a little to make better contact. but of course the wire could be broken. Pull the switch off and put an ohmmeter on the wires, should see resistance go from infinity to 0 and back as you turn the switch. if the wire is broken a solder splice and liquid tape may fix it. Should be able to salvage it. Good luck!

 

[achris]

It can be done without removing the bell housing, but you need to bend up a few spanners and screwdrivers to be able to get into the tighter places...Not really a job for the faint of heart... Just run with the jumper wire in place, thousands do...