trim tabs

[quigz]

i have a 1984 21 foot sea ray the boat came with trim tabs. they work out of water but not in, there is fulid in them and no leaks. cant seem to figure it out. and do you think they are needed? thanks

 

[agallant80]

Re: trim tabs

I was on the fence about trim tabs on my new boat. I ended up getting them. I don;t use them to get on plain, I just open up the throttle a bit more to get on plain faster but I use them all of the time to correct the boat leaning to one side or the other. I had a 21 foot Stingray ski boat before with no tabs I don' think I needed them on that boat or if I did I did not know what I was missing. On my 25 foot cruiser which sits much higher out of the water they are a must have.

Hope this helps you decide if you want to go ahead and replace them or not.

 

[dingbat]

Re: trim tabs

30 years is a long time. The seals in your pump and/or actuators are leaking.
The need depends on your desires. Personally, I wouldn't own a boat w/o them.

 

[quigz]

Re: trim tabs

You are right there is no issue getting on plain but i do notice a lean from time to time and for being a smaller boat it is pretty tall. thanks

 

[quigz]

Re: trim tabs

Dingbat. i believe the tabs are newer, i am not finding fluid any where and the tank does not seem to be getting low could the motor be worn and not have enough pressure

 

[Tabman]

Re: trim tabs

Do you know what brand Trim Tabs they are?

The first thing to try is to clean all the electrical connections very well, paying particular attention to both ends of the ground wire. Low voltage can result in low pump pressure.

Also make sure that the fluid is a nice clear red (ATF) if it is milky there is water in it which can also cause low pressure.

Let me know the brand (or take a picture of them and post it) and I will be delighted to give you more specific troubleshooting.

 

[Don S]

Re: trim tabs

Which one of these looks like your pump?

 

[quigz]

Re: trim tabs

Which one of these looks like your pump?

the bennett and the fluids are clean i am unsure about the gounds but i believe it is good

 

[Tabman]

Re: trim tabs

OK, let's dig into this.

Here is a system diagram, make sure all the connections are clean since that is the number one cause of low pressure.

You mention that they work out of the water but not in the water. It is possible that the solenoid valves are bypassing. To test them run both Trim Tabs all the way down when the boat is on the trailer. Leave them that way overnight. They should stay down, if one or both of them retract on their own, then there is a valve issue that we can fix.

If they stay down but still don't work while the boat is moving through the water we will want to check the fluid flow. To do this remove the hydraulic lines from the front of the pump. Holding a container to catch the fluid have a helper push the controls for Bow Down one at a time. The fluid should come out of the pump in a solid stream about the diameter of a pencil. There should be no air in the flow and not be "spitting". The fluid flow should clear the face plate and not dribble down it.

Try these things and let me know what you find.

 

[sasto]

Re: trim tabs

I have installed and/or used Bennett on many vessels from a 65' Sportfish to an 18' CC.

This is some very good info, Tabman, I may need this troubleshooting method sometime, probably not. I really never had a problem with them. Replaced a solenoid here and there. Easy to do, even for the novice.

As an ex boatbuilder, I understand we usually put the TT pump in the most difficult place on the boat to access. Back in the dungeons. If most of us would pay as much attention to our TT system, as we do our other systems.....we would get good life out of them.

I don't think I ever said thanks? I will say it now. Thanks!

 

[Tabman]

Re: trim tabs

Thanks for the kind words Sasto!

I can relate to your remarks about boat builders placing the pump in inaccessible locations. It seems to be getting better these days.

Tom

 

[quigz]

Re: trim tabs

OK, let's dig into this.

Here is a system diagram, make sure all the connections are clean since that is the number one cause of low pressure.

You mention that they work out of the water but not in the water. It is possible that the solenoid valves are bypassing. To test them run both Trim Tabs all the way down when the boat is on the trailer. Leave them that way overnight. They should stay down, if one or both of them retract on their own, then there is a valve issue that we can fix.

If they stay down but still don't work while the boat is moving through the water we will want to check the fluid flow. To do this remove the hydraulic lines from the front of the pump. Holding a container to catch the fluid have a helper push the controls for Bow Down one at a time. The fluid should come out of the pump in a solid stream about the diameter of a pencil. There should be no air in the flow and not be "spitting". The fluid flow should clear the face plate and not dribble down it.

Try these things and let me know what you find.

Thanks for all the info, my boat is currently sitting in my driveway covered for the winter but this weekend im opening her up. i will step by step try to eliminate what has be discussed and go from there. but also i notice when i turn the key off the motor seems to run and it seems that they return to the up position, honestly i dont know if they are supposed to or just a malfunction. thanks for all the help

 

[Don S]

Re: trim tabs

when i turn the key off the motor seems to run and it seems that they return to the up position, honestly i dont know if they are supposed to or just a malfunction.

Check up under your dash and see if you have an automatic retractor installed. Here is a picture of one.
Bennett Marine: The world leader in trim tab innovation, quality and service

It may be installed to keep the tabs from being damaged in case they could hit the trailer bunks when down.

Be sure to check all the wiring connections for the switch and power at the helm as well.

If you do have an auto retractor, you might want to disconnect the fuse from the main orange wire and see if that cures your problem.

 

[Tabman]

Re: trim tabs

Don,

Good Info Regarding the Auto Tab Retractor.

That's exactly what it does, retract the Trim Tabs when the ignition is switched off. Instead of the main orange wire, I would suggest removing the fuse or disconnecting the wire on the thin 22 gauge orange wire. It's the trigger that tells the system to retract when the ignition is turned off.

Here is the wiring diagram for the Auto Tab Retractor:

The Auto Tab Retractor is also built into our EIC Electronic Indicator Control shown here:

Just to be sure I am assuming that you do not have this control, but rather two side by side rocker switches. Is that the case?