Bypass trim limit

[citygent111]

Hi all, Alpha one gen 2 outdrive. Trim down works and trailer up works, but trim up doesn't. It used to!

The trim limit switch on the outdrive has been cleaned up but still no trim up.

The trim sender doesn't work as there is no disc inside the switch, so trim gauge on the dashboard doesn't work, but I'm not bothered about this.

I've been reading about bypassing the trim limit to establish what the problem could be, but wondered if anyone has experience of this and could explain in simple terms what I need to do?

The only guides I've found say to disconnect the two wires and connect them together, but then I read they are both male connectors so how does that work?!

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

 

[Seastoke]

If they are spade connections , you slide them inside one another only temppory obviously.

 

[citygent111]

Done a bit more reading and they're bullet connectors apparently so hopefully more straightforward... And yes, temporary of course, it's more of a fault finding exercise.

 

[spannerman]

The blue wire from the switch is the UP circuit, it normally goes via the trim limit switch and on to the relay by the pump. If the trim limit is adjusted incorrectly it will give problems. If you want to bypass it then the wires on the pump side of the connectors need to be joined when you disconnect the two black wires coming from the trim limit switch. You should then have unlimited trim, if not and it only trims from the trailer button then there is a fault between the trim button and the pump on the blue wire.

 

[citygent111]

Thanks for this! I've moved the switch the full range of the contacts and nothing changes so assume it's the wiring.

I created a jumper cable using a length of 3 core wire, and had to twist all 3 strands together to get the end wide enough to fit in the end of the connector!

People say it should only be temporary, but as I've got so used to the sound the motor makes is there any risk to the motor if I make it a permanent fix?

 

[Grubble]

Not having a working trim gauge is ok, but not having a working trim limit switch is, in my opinion, a risk not worth taking. You aren't supposed to operate the motor at anything over tickover when the outdrive is trimmed too high, as it puts too much strain on the universal joint at the top of the outdrive. Without a working limit switch you are risking accidentally trimming too high up when operating at any kind of speed.

When were the bellows last changed and when was the impeller last changed? You might want to invest in getting all of that done and put new a trim limit switch and sender in at the same time. An alternative is to route the trim switch/sender wires up the back of the transom, rather than through the hole the outdrive passes through - you can then easily change the trim limit switch/sender whenever you want, as they will fail again soon enough.

 

[citygent111]

Thanks Grubble - understood! The sender hasn't worked for ages, but not fussed about that - and because the limit switch hasnt worked for most of last summer, I used the trailer button to lift the drive up/out.

In fact, I've just fitted trim tabs so potentially I won't need to raise it too far anyway....

Bellows and impeller were done just less than a year ago so they're fine for a while. Re the wiring up the transom - not a bad idea actually, rather like the wire for the sounder transducer?

Thanks for that!

 

[Grubble]

Are your trim tabs fixed, or can you raise/lower them? If they are fixed they will have the effect of you needing to trim the leg up even further than normal, so even more risk of going too far.

>>Re the wiring up the transom - not a bad idea actually, rather like the wire for the sounder transducer?

Yes exactly. I don't know if there is enough room for you to run the wires through any existing transducer hole, but if not, that is the sort of thing you need to add.