Trim Switch Given Up, Help Required

[darrenw]

I wondered if anyone could help or advise on how I go about fixing my Trim Control ?

I have a Jeanneau Leader 705 with Volvo KAD32 and 290DP Outdrive.

The Trim switch was a little temperamental (would sometimes work and other times not), then the 'Up' gave up altogether. The 'Down' would still work, although with the Trim on the maximum -4 there was no further movement of the leg. Then the 'Down' gave up too. And by giving up, I mean the buttons would depress with a mechanical click, but no electrical motors would whirr.

I'm not particularly mechanical or electrically minded, but have a basic understanding.

My initial thought was poor connections at the switch end, but on removing the panel behind the instruments I couldn't see anything obvious and wiggling stuff made no difference. The switch is a moulded type with no obvious way of opening, so if at fault I guess I'd just need to replace. Is it likely to have given up, or is the problem more likely to be elsewhere in the circuit ?

And if elsewhere, what else should I be checking, as I'm totally unfamiliar with this set up ?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Darren

 

[darrenw]

Quick update, the 'Down' had started working again as the motor can be heard when pressing.

The 'Up' is still dead though.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Have you tried swapping the relays over on the trim pack, to see if the fault changes from up to down? These are a common point of failure.

 

[darrenw]

I haven't, but sounds like a good lead. Thanks.

Showing my ignorance here, but are they likely to be in the rats nest of cables stuffed in behind the instrument panel (so i just trace the cable back), or typically mounted in a separate area say with fuses ?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

No, they'll be on the hydraulic power pack for the trim - so in the engine compartment, somewhere near the transom shield.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

This is what the power pack looks like. The relays are the two black things about an inch square at top left. They just pull out but note they must both be present for either up or down to work. Swap them over to see if the fault moves with the relay.

 

[darrenw]

That's great, thanks Jimmy.

Sounds like a very plausible cause, so fingers crossed.

Now, touching on another thread, to find out how much of a contortionist I'll need to be !

 

[darrenw]

As I feared, access nigh on impossible, even with the air filter removed.

But it looks like the two relays are mounted upside down on a bracket on the far side of the pack.

I can't feel how to unclip them so a bit stumped as dont really want to start dsmantling stuff i might not be able to put back together.

Fun & games !

 

[Ian h]

I too had a similar issue with 1 leg trim not working at all.

What it turned out to be was a simple fact that the plug had over time slipped off the relay, Like yours mine where this was round, My engineer had worked on the V24 race boats and was a common issue,
The Plug was cleaned up the gaps reduced and fitted back together, All worked perfectly, But for added good measure they are now cable tied on, While he was in the engine bay the other side was checked and cable tied to prevent a repeat issue

 

[darrenw]

Thanks Ian. It does sound highly likely to be the cause, so i need to persevere.

Think i'll attemp to remove the L brackets holding the silver caps on to try and get to the relays.

 

[henryf]

Thanks Ian. It does sound highly likely to be the cause, so i need to persevere.

Think i'll attemp to remove the L brackets holding the silver caps on to try and get to the relays.

I suspect you will find the silver caps are in fact the relays. Undo the nut holding them in place, probably going to be a nut on the other side of the metal frame which will need a spanner to stop spinning. You might be lucky and find it's a captive nut or a threaded hole in the frame.

Once undone you should be able to manipulate to see the connection on the underside of the relay. You should be able to get replacements, all bit it possibly not with the tab on from any motor factors for a few pounds as a replacement.

Henry

 

[darrenw]

Thanks Henry, that makes sense - the caps/relays are marked as Volvo 854 357.

The bolts holding the L brackets to the frame are accessible on both sides, so i should be able to get spanners to them. I think removing will 'crack' off most of the paint on that part of the frame, but the least of my worries I guess.

 

[volvopaul]

Push the plugs off and fit back on again you may find this works as it cleans the contacts , will it left in the override beach command?

 

[darrenw]

Thanks Paul

I've not had a chance to work on today, but hope to do so again soon. The relays do seem like the likely culprits though.

Not sure what you mean by override beach command, is that the same as trailer mode, ie. fully up ? If so then no, as the boat lives in the water.

However, I do recall the problems starting after I accidentally drove the boat with the engine running , but the ignition key knocked back to neutral, so the Trim had no power.

 

[darrenw]

Decided I would go over to the boat tonight and have another go and it was a case of one step forward and one step backwards.

I managed to remove the relays, clean them up a bit (removed excessive grease and scratched away at the flat pins with a small screwdriver) and reseat them. The Down still worked, the Up still didn't. So I switched them over and rather than the problem swapping, it stayed the same.

I also checked for loose connections and disconnected and reconnected two clip-in connectors, but all to no avail.

So it would seem that it's not the Relays, but something else in the 'Up' circuit.

Any thoughts on what I should try next ?

Really appreciate everyone's input so far and it's a great learning curve, albeit extremely frustrating !

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Does the up relay click when the trim up switch is pressed?

 

[jrudge]

Replace them anyway. They are cheap from Keypart and are a known cause of failure.

 

[darrenw]

Does the up relay click when the trim up switch is pressed?

Tbh I'm not sure which relay is which, but no, no clicking from either relay when the Up button is pressed.

Replace them anyway. They are cheap from Keypart and are a known cause of failure.

Keypart have genuine replacements at about £45 each. I've found non-genuine at £12 each. Seeing as they're a known point of failure, I'm inclined to buy the equivillents plus a few spares. Does that make sense, or is that a false economy ?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Tbh I'm not sure which relay is which, but no, no clicking from either relay when the Up button is pressed.

Time to get busy with a multimeter then. Does the coil circuit at the relay get voltage when the up switch is pressed? Does the up switch common contact have voltage? Does the up switch switched contact have voltage when the switch is pressed?

 

[darrenw]

Right oh, will do. It's about time i learnt how to use one in anger !

As an aside, is this type of switch mechanism know for failing ?