Mercruiser MR-1 leg goes down, nothing on up

[MaxGlide]

1978 Mercruiser, stern serial number 3843732, single solenoid system.
Trim limit switch on transom bypassed by previous owner.
Leg only went up using both UP buttons.
UP function stopped working spontaneously while out if water, at home.
No noise at all from pump when trying to raise leg.
Jumped wires A to C and A to D and leg comes up fine.
Cleaned all contacts.
Would it be correct to say the solenoid has failed while sitting in my yard?

 

[kenny nunez]

The original solenoid was a non grounded base Mercraiser #25661.
Mercruiser# 65057a1 is a grounded base style. Both are for marine use.
NAPA has a line of marine solenoids that will cross over.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

When you jump A and D, you are powering the drive tilt motor through the solenoid still, but bypassing the 3 button switch and trim limit switch. To me it seems like your blue wire that is on D isn't getting power through the switches. I'd test that wire back in it's series and see where it looses 12 volts.

Jumping A and C bypasses the solenoid, 3 button control and trim limit switch. A & C put power directly on the "up" pump motor wire.

 

[MaxGlide]

When you jump A and D, you are powering the drive tilt motor through the solenoid still, but bypassing the 3 button switch and trim limit switch. To me it seems like your blue wire that is on D isn't getting power through the switches. I'd test that wire back in it's series and see where it looses 12 volts.

Jumping A and C bypasses the solenoid, 3 button control and trim limit switch. A & C put power directly on the "up" pump motor wire.

Thing is, using both up buttons to raise leg worked last week. It just stopped working while sitting there?

 

[Scott06]

Thing is, using both up buttons to raise leg worked last week. It just stopped working while sitting there?

Electrical components work … until they don’t.

You need to trace out where you have 12v and where you don’t I suspect you may have had loose or corroded connections or wires, and probably had a voltage loss. Eventually gets to a big enough voltage loss that solenoid won’t work or switch just dies

Last summer my brothers boat when trying to start it in the spring, engine wasn’t turning over. Wire harness below floor had corrosion in it worked perfectly previous fall, just sitting there had enough resistance due to corrosion in harness that couldn’t get 12v from helm to engine . Replaced the harness works perfectly again

 

[MaxGlide]

Electrical components work … until they don’t.

You need to trace out where you have 12v and where you don’t I suspect you may have had loose or corroded connections or wires, and probably had a voltage loss. Eventually gets to a big enough voltage loss that solenoid won’t work or switch just dies

Last summer my brothers boat when trying to start it in the spring, engine wasn’t turning over. Wire harness below floor had corrosion in it worked perfectly previous fall, just sitting there had enough resistance due to corrosion in harness that couldn’t get 12v from helm to engine . Replaced the harness works perfectly again

Ok… I’ll see if I can find a voltage meter, learn how to use it, and test the system!

 

[achris]

Ok… I’ll see if I can find a voltage meter, learn how to use it, and test the system!

Use a test light, not a multimeter. Testing circuits like that, you want to impose a laod on the system, multimeters don't add enough load, test lights do, and they are 'quicker' to read....

 

[bbook83]

Any chance you have the shifter in reverse and the reverse lockout is preventing the drive from going up?

 

[MaxGlide]

Any chance you have the shifter in reverse and the reverse lockout is preventing the drive from going up?

You’re a genius! It appeared to be in neutral, nonetheless I shifted the remote control into full reverse, full forward, then in to neutral and … IT WORKS!! Lordy, Lordy you guys rock!!

 

[bbook83]

Well, sometimes ideas are thrown out there because we have been there, done that. You are lucky, as when I jumped across the solenoid while the shifter was in reverse, as you did, a trim cylinder virtually exploded and split the tube, so I can also tell you where to get those parts.

 

[kenny nunez]

2Xs on Bbook83. I had a customer do the same thing, the outer jacket is pretty thin and is only exposed to 700 psi for lowering the drive. The fluid has to be able to return to the pump whichever direction the pump runs.
The inner cylinder is 1” in diameter and the pump can deliver over 3000 psi on demand.
Later models the reverse lock valve was eliminated and replaced with a extra check ball with an adjustable spring in the pump body. If the spring adjustment was too tight the the outer ram cylinder will blow out.
Also possible for the tiny return spring in the micro switch on the reverse lock valve to fail and prevent the up circuit to not energize the solenoid.

 

[MaxGlide]

Well, sometimes ideas are thrown out there because we have been there, done that. You are lucky, as when I jumped across the solenoid while the shifter was in reverse, as you did, a trim cylinder virtually exploded and split the tube, so I can also tell you where to get those parts.

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t actually in full reverse. I think the remote control lever was just back enough to activate the switch.

 

[achris]

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t actually in full reverse. I think the remote control lever was just back enough to activate the switch.

Only have to be 3mm off for the switch to open.

Chris.......

 

[MaxGlide]

Only have to be 3mm off for the switch to open.

Chris.......

Yeah, I’m finding I gotta wiggle the control a bit sometimes, to get the up to work. Otherwise i have the shifter, and sift interrupter switch, set right as it disengages from forward and reverse beautifully, with no effort.