Alpha 1 Gen 2 - Twin Merc 5.0 MPI - trim and trailer up and down both not working

csa1130

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Sep 30, 2022
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New to the forum and in the process of purchasing a 2005 Chaparral 290 signature - Boat is in pristine condition however the trim up and down or the trailer up and down trim is not working. Engine compartment open and don't hear any noise from either trim pump. Both stern drives are not working. There is no noise or anything, Appreciate any help.

Thanks
 

QBhoy

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Mar 10, 2016
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8,310
New to the forum and in the process of purchasing a 2005 Chaparral 290 signature - Boat is in pristine condition however the trim up and down or the trailer up and down trim is not working. Engine compartment open and don't hear any noise from either trim pump. Both stern drives are not working. There is no noise or anything, Appreciate any help.

Thanks
Are the batteries on and you have power to the dash and ignition etc ?
 

csa1130

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Are the batteries on and you have power to the dash and ignition etc ?
Yes, all batteries are on power to the dash. Tried them with ignition on and with the engines running. The guy I'm purchasing the boat from said he had the drives raised last week and was looking at them over the back of the boat checking them for barnacles and stuff. I can't imagine both pumps or all 4 solenoids just went bad at the same time. Thinking it might be something stupid.
 

dubs283

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Jul 27, 2005
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5,115
Sounds like a poor/missing connection +/-. Have you checked for power and ground at the pump assys?
 

csa1130

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Sounds like a poor/missing connection +/-. Have you checked for power and ground at the pump assys?
yeah thats what i was thinking. I dont have the boat yet just in the process of buying it....was a little bit of a negotiating point but i dont think its a big deal if they were working last week. Im curious if there is a fuse somewhere.
 

dubs283

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Jul 27, 2005
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There are fuses on the trim pump assy, one in line for the primary side and one fusible link for the main power. If the connections were hooked up backwards I'd suspect the fusible link to have failed.

If the batteries were replaced recently, (possible due to selling) there's a cance the connections were missed or connected incorrectly.

There is no protocol for boat manufacturers wiring of trim pump main power and ground. Some are direct to battery, some come off the starter post, others off the battery switch. I've seen weird things on bigger chaparrals, sometimes they do their own thing and it takes extra investigation to source a problem
 

csa1130

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Joined
Sep 30, 2022
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There are fuses on the trim pump assy, one in line for the primary side and one fusible link for the main power. If the connections were hooked up backwards I'd suspect the fusible link to have failed.

If the batteries were replaced recently, (possible due to selling) there's a cance the connections were missed or connected incorrectly.

There is no protocol for boat manufacturers wiring of trim pump main power and ground. Some are direct to battery, some come off the starter post, others off the battery switch. I've seen weird things on bigger chaparrals, sometimes they do their own thing and it takes extra investigation to source a problem
Thanks for the insight...its not going to hinder the sale for me im sure its something simple that they both stopped working together i'll ply around with it when i get the boat.
 

tank1949

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Messages
1,767
jump solenoid. My first thoughts are bad grounds or connections. If a saltwater boat, I'd bet on it. I added plastic shields (covers) to both my trim motors, including solenoids. Salt spray ruined two solenoids.
 
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