Trimming advice please.

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gyislander

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Thoughts please. I'm used to the basic outboards but today was our first trip out on my Fairline Weekend 21, volvo d3 160 engine with engine trim. Trimmed fully in the guage shows -2 and she quickly gets on the plane. Slight trim adjustment and it'll go to +2 but a tiny touch too much and it shoots into the teens with the associated warning.
Should it be that sensitive? If I can settle on +2 she'll cruise from 16kts upwards and top out about28. At slow speed, about 7kts I find her much easier to keep straight and steady if I trim back to -2. Does that seem right ?
Thanks.
 
No that doesnt seem right.Can you clarify if this is the actual case on the leg or a gauge / sender reading error.
 
We had a similar issue with our D4/260, where just a touch too much pressure on the trim rocker switch would bring warning lights/alarms. I confirmed that the drive was behaving itself and moving up/down as it should then did a re-calibrate as to the manual and since then all has been well.

Might be worth trying the same thing with your set-up?
 
gyislander said:
Thoughts please. I'm used to the basic outboards but today was our first trip out on my Fairline Weekend 21, volvo d3 160 engine with engine trim. Trimmed fully in the guage shows -2 and she quickly gets on the plane. Slight trim adjustment and it'll go to +2 but a tiny touch too much and it shoots into the teens with the associated warning.
Should it be that sensitive? If I can settle on +2 she'll cruise from 16kts upwards and top out about28. At slow speed, about 7kts I find her much easier to keep straight and steady if I trim back to -2. Does that seem right ?
Thanks.
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Trim sender is knackered
 
Thanks for the replies, the trim is working as it should so it is possibly the sensor. When it does go high toggling the switch up n down seems to reset it to reality. I do have an excellent manual for the set up so I'll see if there's anything in there about calibration.
 
volvopaul said:
Trim sender is knackered
Click to expand...
I'm struggling to identify what type of sender I need if anyone can help. I've attached a couple of photos including some sort of sender on the transom but I don't think that's it as it doesn't seem to move.
 

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Sneds said:
Trim sender is knackered. Love the terminology :)
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That reminds me , when I was young working as a spark in a food factory , the new lab manager rang our workshop and says the ph is low , I had to ask what he meant . They just needed the salt changing in the water machine , I thought what a pri## . A week later he wanted a bath repairing I sent it him back with a note saying this bath is CF . He rang me and said can you tell be what CF is , reply it’s like your ph , trade names I explained it’s completely fu##ed , he got what I was saying and we became good friends.
 
The sender on the transom is rudder indicator showing where the drive is pointing. The trim sender is on the side of the gimbal ring, the part holding the drive and which pivots left and right to steer, its fitted where the hinge pin is which allows the drive to trim. Try a recal first, if that doesn’t work then its a new sender, there are two types one with 2 wires and one with 3 wires, it has a rubber grommet going through the transom and held by a small spring clip inside, buy a couple of spares as if you drop it you will never find it as it falls behind the exhaust, the surest way of refitting is to grip it in a pair of needle nose molegrips to push it over the new grommet. It can be done without moving the engine but requires patience.
 
I’d say that it’s possible you might have one of the older trim display units on the dash, from the original outdrive. The outdrive you have now, isn’t original to the boat. Just a thought. At the very least, the trim sender needs calibrated (there is a procedure) or your gauge isn’t compatible. For now, I’d use the old fashion method of trimming. Look out the back and listen to what’s going on.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. The engine and drive are not original, I know the drive is a volvo dp but for parts I need to identify which one. The sensor isn't bolted to the side of the drive so I know its not an sx.
The digital trim gauge was fitted with the drive and engine. On land it appears to read fine from -2 upwards but the issue is that on the water when I trim up to about +2 the gauge will often shoot up to beaching and set off the alarm. If I fiddle with the trim switch slightly I can usually get the right reading back. It's certainly not beaching it's just an erratic readings but only under load and I'm worried that if it keeps doing the alarm and I can't settle it down it might put the D3 engine into limp mode.
 
gyislander said:
Thanks for the replies so far. The engine and drive are not original, I know the drive is a volvo dp but for parts I need to identify which one. The sensor isn't bolted to the side of the drive so I know its not an sx.
The digital trim gauge was fitted with the drive and engine. On land it appears to read fine from -2 upwards but the issue is that on the water when I trim up to about +2 the gauge will often shoot up to beaching and set off the alarm. If I fiddle with the trim switch slightly I can usually get the right reading back. It's certainly not beaching it's just an erratic readings but only under load and I'm worried that if it keeps doing the alarm and I can't settle it down it might put the D3 engine into limp mode.
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Hi there. Just trying to think what trim switching toggle arrangement you might have. Apologies for asking, but are you perhaps using the trailer tilt function instead of just the trim only ? Again, apologies for asking, if not. But I know the old 290DP I had, had trim activated by a button…but if you held in two buttons it’s goes into trailer mode beyond normal trim level.
you’ll likely be aware of this for sure anyway and if it was genuinely trimming high like this, you’d definitely hear and feel the drive losing grip on the water for sure. I’d think it must just be a calibration issue perhaps
 
QBhoy said:
Hi there. Just trying to think what trim switching toggle arrangement you might have. Apologies for asking, but are you perhaps using the trailer tilt function instead of just the trim only ? Again, apologies for asking, if not. But I know the old 290DP I had, had trim activated by a button…but if you held in two buttons it’s goes into trailer mode beyond normal trim level.
you’ll likely be aware of this for sure anyway and if it was genuinely trimming high like this, you’d definitely hear and feel the drive losing grip on the water for sure. I’d think it must just be a calibration issue perhaps
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There's only a single toggle switch for trimming.
 
Embarrassingly having turned the steering I can now see the sensor and it does appear to be an sx.
Any recommendations on where I can get a reasonably priced 2 wire replacement? (plenty 3 wire ones online but not 2)
 
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