Trim gauge inop

Just bought the monterey, it is in great shape. Floor good and strong stringers strong and transom hard. Everything works except the trim gauge. The trim works and the trailor trim up works. Someone told me that in order to replace the sending unit the whole drive has to come off. Can the sending unit be replaced and the wires spliced? 1994 Monterey 206 5.0 alpha one drive. Also came with a 4 blade prop, Whats the advantage of using it?

Re: Trim gauge inop

Can the sending unit be replaced and the wires spliced?

Click to expand...

Nope,..... Not if you'd like it to last more than a day or so.......

Also came with a 4 blade prop, Whats the advantage of using it?

Click to expand...

Ayuh,..... That answer can be found up in the Prop Forum.....

Re: Trim gauge inop

How can i check the trim gauge to make sure it is the sending unit? I thought that if one of the senders or limit switch went out the trim would not function. I am planning to remove the drive assembly at the end of the 08 season to complete service it.

Re: Trim gauge inop

Ayuh,....

The wires pass thru the transom plate about centered,....
Disconnect them at the bullet connectors,+ By-pass them,....
The Trim should work perfectly,.. Except it won't Stop at Trim, but will continue All the way Up,....
And,... The Gauge should be Pegged....

Re: Trim gauge inop

The trim works like it should, stops at the limit. The trailor button takes the trim all the way up. I thought that the trim would not function if either of the senders went bad. Thats why I was asking about the check for the gauge. The gauge is pegged at the up side. If I unplug the sending wire at the gauge the gauge just stays pegged with the key on. Can I send voltage to the gauge to see if the gauge will work and if so what voltage. Also I would like a factory manual but all I can find is the aftermarket ones. Thanks

Re: Trim gauge inop

I have the same issue. trim and trailer work perfectly, but the gauge on the dash always reads full up (or full down, I can't remember now). Where do we start the checks for this?

Ryan

Re: Trim gauge inop

The gauge and gauge sender have nothing to do with how or why the trim actually works. All the gauge sender does it tells the gauge where to point.
The trim limit switch is on the port side of the gimbal ring, the gauge sender is on the starboard side.
Only thing in common with the two is they go thru the transome in the same hole.

Re: Trim gauge inop

Does anyone know the voltage output of the gauge sender for full up and full down? I'm assuming that the sender varies the voltage to the gauge, which drives the gauge needle. I'd like to confirm the sending unit or the actual gauge is not operating properly.


Ryan

Re: Trim gauge inop

No voltage is really sent by the sender. The trim gauge works on current, when there is no current flowing the gauge reads maximum trim and when the current is at it's maximum (usually a few hundred microamps or as much as a milliamp) the gauge shows the drive being down as far as possible.
The sender is just a variable resistor which as the resistance varies, changes the current and the meter moves proportionally to the change in current. To check the gauge, there is really one simple test. Disconnect the two wires coming from the gauge where they pass through the transom (the wires usually have bullet connectors fitted) and connect the two wires coming from the gauge side together (short them together) and the gauge should go from showing max trim up to max trim down. If this happens then either your sender or the wiring to/from the sender is not working, either way you need a new sender.
If shorting the two wires together doesn't make the gauge indicate full trim-down, then you either have a wiring fault between the gauge and the bullet connectors or the gauge is defective.
I would do this test first and then we can help you find/fix the issue. First we need to find out if its the gauge and it's wiring, or if its the sender and its wiring. Break the problem into easy parts.

Gary