Tilt Gauge? Not working maybe tilt not working? Troubleshooting Help Please?

Back Story:
I recently (one week and one day ago) purchased a 1996 Sea Ray Sundancer 270. I had the full survey and sea trial done. The boat has a single 7.4 Merc and a Bravo three outdrive; it also has trim tabs. When I use the switches on the dash (trim tabs) the tabs move as expected. When I use the trim control on the throttle I hear noise but I have not yet tried this out of the water to see if the outdrive moves. I don?t know if this is OK to tilt engine when it is not getting any cooling, this is my first run with an I/O, I have owned an inboard for years and driven outboards for years but still new to I/O land. I took the boat out for our second trip after have a very short first trip due to a shredded impeller and overheat issue. The former owner took very good cosmetic care of the boat but did not seem to know a lot about the mechanicals as he thought the impeller was done as part of his yearly winterizations and never used muffs on the outdrive to flush out the salt water (things I learned after purchase). On this second trip I noted that the trim gauge on the dash was not changing. I have looked around the forum and it looks like it could be the gauge, the limit switches, the actual pump, or possibly something else???
Questions:
#1 - There is a button on the throttle that is not quite clear I can read Tra***er and could either say ?Trailer? or ?Trawler? any idea what this button is supposed to do?
#2 ? Is it ok to use the Engine Tilt out of the water?
#3 ? Where do I start on troubleshooting? I am pretty handy with both mechanical and electrical systems but don?t know which wires should do what so I am a little lost. I am just starting on the troubleshooting so wanted some direction as 10 heads are better than 1.
#4 ? Is there a way to hook up a similar gauge for the trim tabs. I store high and dry on the Chesapeake Bay and one of the requirements is that the tabs are fully up but you can?t always look down into the murky waters and make sure they are fully up. Something simple like a light system to tell me they are up would work but I think it would be nicer if I could read the amount of trim tabs (angel) deployed on each as I am running.

Any help is appreciated
Thanks

Re: Tilt Gauge? Not working maybe tilt not working? Troubleshooting Help Please?

Howdy. I opened this thread because I have a trim guage that isn't calibrated correctly...

Some answers,
1. Trailer moves the outdrive up past its normal in the water, running position, to its uppermost position to clearobstacles when on the trailer. On my boat it would drag on the ground in the full trim up position, needs to be in trailer position to trailer at all. On my alpha 1 it can be engaged but only at idle speeds, its clear that it doesnt like running with that much tilt.

2. yes it is fine.

3 and 4: There are much more knowledgeable folk than I here, I'm sure they will chime in soon.

Enjoy your boat!

Re: Tilt Gauge? Not working maybe tilt not working? Troubleshooting Help Please?

Ok I did some fundamental troubleshooting.
*Tilt Gauge is (stuck) in the full up Position.
*When I hit the Trailer button the outdrive tilts fully up.
*When I hit the down button from trailer tilt the outdrive goes down to a normal operating position
*When I hit the down button from the normal operating position the engine does not move but I hear noise from the tilt motor?
*When I hit the up button from the normal running position the engine does not move and I hear no noise from the tilt motor.

What should I do Next?

Re: Tilt Gauge? Not working maybe tilt not working? Troubleshooting Help Please?

The stock trim tabs usually don't have any way of indicating the position. There are add-ons available. Search iboat's store for "trim tab indicator". You can save the cash, though. With the boat out of the water, put the tabs all the way down. Now hit the Up switch as someone watches the tabs. Count the time it takes for them to go all the way up. The next time you need them all the way up, hit the switch and count (one thousand, two thousand, three thousand ...) until you know they're up.

The same hydraulic system is used for both trailering and trim.
* The gauge could be stuck. With the drive all the way down, tap the face of the gauge. If it doesn't move it's probably a bad sender, which is a round plastic cover located on the starboard side of the gimbal ring.
* The drive should move all the way up when the Trailer button is held. You will also hear the hydraulic pump slow down when the drive reaches its full-up position.
* The down button: Correct
* Noise from the tilt motor: Actually hydraulic pump. This is normal. Don't run it excessively after the drive is all the way down or up. All it's doing is stressing the hydraulics.
* Up button not working: Check the drive limit switch, a round plastic cover located on the port side of the gimbal ring.

A new sender & switch are available as a packaged set from Mercruiser. Unfortunately replacing the sender and switch on a Bravo require some special tools. You might try adjusting them first.

In any case, do not run above idle with the drive tilted to or near the trailer position. (That's what the trim limit switch is for!) There are universal joints inside the drive that can be damaged.