Eltrim tab issue

[mbird]

Hi All

I have a bit of an issue with the Eltrim tabs fitted to my Sealine 310. The head unit is showing that the port tab will not retract fully, and has a minimum of 3 lit LED's. When fully extending, all the LED's except one will light. The first thought I has was that the tab motor was playing up and not travelling to it's fullest extent. However, I swapped over the port and starboard wires at the head unit, expecting the problem to now manifest itself on the starboard LED's, but to my suprise it stayed on the port side.

Does this seem to show my head unit is knackered?

 

[halcyon]

Hi All

Does this seem to show my head unit is knackered?

Sounds more like a display problem, as the fault stayed on the same side.

May be a corroded track in the display stopping some LED's lighting.

Brian

 

[Elessar]

Are the tabs actually moving correctly? Proves if it's the indicator bit or the motive bit that's faulty.

On mine the buttons failed, but they are replaceable albeit with fiddly difficulty. If it's moving a bit it's probably not the buttons.

Your profile isn't helpful

If you're near SQ I'll let you swap head units with mine - that will prove the point. A temporary swap for the avoidance of doubt!

Head units are pricey if it is gone.

 

[dj43]

Hi All

I have a bit of an issue with the Eltrim tabs fitted to my Sealine 310. The head unit is showing that the port tab will not retract fully, and has a minimum of 3 lit LED's. When fully extending, all the LED's except one will light. The first thought I has was that the tab motor was playing up and not travelling to it's fullest extent. However, I swapped over the port and starboard wires at the head unit, expecting the problem to now manifest itself on the starboard LED's, but to my suprise it stayed on the port side.

Does this seem to show my head unit is knackered?

hi mbird
had similar problem,had to change drive units and main control head,water had got into units, hutchins marine services stocked originals,or try seabridge marine.was told it's a common fault if rubber gaters are not changed on under water units,might be worth changing contol head first

 

[PRH]

Hi mbird and welcome to the forum.

I had some problems with mine when I bought the boat this year. The head units are very basic electronics and can be fixed very easily. Mine needed a new resistor which probably cost less than 1p, I just had one in the garage (like you do!). Like Elessar, the buttons also went on mine and I replaced them as well.

If the tabs are moving correctly then I would look at fixing the head units because as Elessar has already said, they are a bit pricey to replace.

 

[Canopy Locked]

Had pretty much identical prob on my port unit. The tabs were working but the display was not giving the correct indications.

When I took off the bellows on the port side, water poured out - the stbd side was bone dry.

I bought a new drive unit and everything worked fine.

I took home the old unit and opened it up - there was a good deal of corrosion on the electronic circuit board which I figured had probably caused the problem at the helm indication.

There is a thread on the forum somewhere where someone posted a pic of their eltrim unit that had become totally corroded... the moral is .. make sure your maintenance schedule inspects the bellows annually and change every 2 yrs - £20 for new bellows is better than £220 for a new motor.

 

[mbird]

Thanks for the advice, and Happy New Year to you all.

We got her up on the plane for the first time on new years eve, and immediately there was a dramatic list to starboard. I brought her off the plane, added some adjustment to port, tried again and this time got a dramatic list to port. Off the plane, added a little bit of adjustment to starboard, and this time she planed perfeclty and small corrections were possible to any listing.

I think it seems as though the motors are working okay, though what I need to try is applying full tabs and getting her up to see what happens. I reckon it is the head unit playing up, and there has been a leak from the canopy right ontop of it, and I'm not sure how waterproof they are. Having said that, since our little blast, the LED's seem to be working too, so it could be a bit of a sticky tab too. It's be just my luck to have to replace a tab motor AND a head unit

 

[Scubadoo]

Thanks for the advice, and Happy New Year to you all.

Having said that, since our little blast, the LED's seem to be working too, so it could be a bit of a sticky tab too. It's be just my luck to have to replace a tab motor AND a head unit

I had the same problem but fortunately it happened just before lift out for the annual maintenance, that way I could check and found that the trim tab motors were working fine and then I swapped with a spare head unit but still had that same problem. I did find the connection blocks (behind the engine) for both sides had corrosion so replaced the blocks and also installed water proof cases. Anyway after all that I still had the same problem but as I was happy the tab motors were working I carried on with the fault only to find once back in the water the lights were all working again except the last one.

I change the bellows every two years and both were dry when I last checked.