Trim Clicks and Makes noise, but won't go up or down

[tolzon]

I tried searching the forums for this type of issue and couldn't find anything, so hopefully this isn't a duplicate.

I have a 2009 Crestliner Superhawk with a Mercruiser Alpha One Gen 2 motor. My trim is currently stuck in the down position. Both the up and down tilt/trim buttons will cause the pump to make a "click" noise and come on briefly, but the motor will not move.

I've checked all the wiring connections and they appear to be clean and in good condition.

Any ideas what this could be?

 

[alldodge]

I've checked all the wiring connections and they appear to be clean and in good condition.

Either a weak battery (should be 12.7V for lead acid)

Or there is a bad connection, meaning wire, terminal lug or relay contact.

With it doing the same in both directions Look close at the wires and that even the ground is clean and tight. Don't just look, remove the wires and verify they are clean and tight

Pic below
Main power comes in at "e" red wire
The up relay has 2 Blue/White wires, one small and one larger
The down relay has 2 Green/White wires, one small and one larger

The small wires come from the throttle handle. Use a short jumper wire and go from "e" terminal to the small Blue/White. Motor should start going up

 

[mickyryan]

just dealt with this check all of your connections to the pump for me it was read lead coming in was slightly corroded

 

[tolzon]

I'll head out after work today and disconnect/reconnect all the leads. Thanks for the info. Battery is brand new, no issues starting the boat, but I'll put a tester on it anyway to be sure.

 

[shrew]

Jump the posts on your solenoids. If the trim pump works, then the issue is your solenoids.

FYI: What you describe is very, very, very frequently the result of bad solenoids.

 

[Bondo]

I tried searching the forums for this type of issue and couldn't find anything, so hopefully this isn't a duplicate.

I have a 2009 Crestliner Superhawk with a Mercruiser Alpha One Gen 2 motor. My trim is currently stuck in the down position. Both the up and down tilt/trim buttons will cause the pump to make a "click" noise and come on briefly, but the motor will not move.

I've checked all the wiring connections and they appear to be clean and in good condition.

Any ideas what this could be?

Ayuh,..... Is the tank full of oil,..??

 

[tolzon]

Ok, I tested the selenoid. When I jump it, the pump motor will click, sometimes whine a little bit, and then not do anything. Same as when I use the switch.

When I engage the trim button, I’ve got 12.5V at the selenoid post that the pump connects to (large blue/white wire).

The hydraulic tank is full.

The pump motor casing is fairly hot, which seems unexpected.

Could this be related to the limit switch?

 

[alldodge]

The pump motor casing is fairly hot, which seems unexpected.

Could this be related to the limit switch?

Sounds like you need a new trim pump
It gets hot when running, doesn't move much and is full of fluid

 

[tolzon]

Sounds like you need a new trim pump
It gets hot when running, doesn't move much and is full of fluid

Grrrr, that’s what I was afraid of. The boat is currently in the water and I need to try to get it out before the weekend. Is there a good way to get the trim up manually so I can trailer it to my house to work on it?

Do I have to pull the pin and raise it up manually, like with a ratchet strap?

 

[alldodge]

Don't know about a "good" way. Get container, ratchet straps and rags. When boat is close by, disconnect lines from trim pump and put them in the container. Place ratchet straps on drive and lift drive out from rear cleats or other that is available

 

[SternDriveEd]

Or try this. If it’s possible to get into the water safety, engine off, disconnect both of the trim ram cylinders from the rear of the out drive. Pretty straightforward. Now you can use a ratchet strap to hoist the drive up to trailer position. No loss of hydraulic trim fluid.

 

[alldodge]

Or try this. If it’s possible to get into the water safety, engine off, disconnect both of the trim ram cylinders from the rear of the out drive. Pretty straightforward. Now you can use a ratchet strap to hoist the drive up to trailer position. No loss of hydraulic trim fluid.

No
Doing this all the fluid from the cylinders gets spilled into the water. A hydraulic (trim) cylinder has oil on both sides. Lifting or lower anything will cause fluid to come out the other side

 

[dubs283]

No
Doing this all the fluid from the cylinders gets spilled into the water. A hydraulic (trim) cylinder has oil on both sides. Lifting or lower anything will cause fluid to come out the other side

I think he's saying to remove the aft trim pin holding the rams to the drive, not disconnecting either of the trim fluid lines. This would allow one to raise the drive but not spill fluid

 

[alldodge]

I think he's saying to remove the aft trim pin holding the rams to the drive, not disconnecting either of the trim fluid lines. This would allow one to raise the drive but not spill fluid

Ok I'm sorry. Yes that will work

 

[tolzon]

I’ll try that. Thanks everyone for the help. New motor is on order and should be here Saturday. The holiday weekend may not be a wash after all!

 

[tolzon]

I replaced the trim pump yesterday and everything works great now! Is there any sort of bleed/purge I need to do after swapping out the pump motor?

 

[alldodge]

Just raise it full up and down a few times, its self bleeding
Watch that it doesn't go dry