Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work.

[swbondurant]

I am new to this forum but have learned a lot from all of you since I discovered it. I have a 1991 Cobalt Condurre 222 with a Volvo Penta 740 DP-B. Frequently when the boat is in the water the trim up button will not work unless I depress the tilt button also. I am worried that someone else may raise the outdrive to much while underway without knowing it. One mechanic has told me the gauge is faulty and causing the problem. Sometimes the gauge is way off. Another mechanic has told me the trim limiter may be bad. He also told me that no one make a replacement limiter. It seems to work fine when on the trailer. The engine serial number is 4100125992. The drive unit serial Number is 3102093019. I have been underneath the dashboard and do not remember seeing a limiter mounted under there. However the boat is at another location and I won't get to check that for another couple of weeks.

Can anyone out there give me some ideas where to start on fixing this problem. I don't believe it is at the switch or the relays at the pump but I am not 100 percent certain. There is a relay underneath the dash that makes a loud clicking noise sometimes but i am not sure if it is connected to the tilt/trim.

I will have more info when I can get to the lake again in a couple of weeks.

Any help would be appreciated. This is a great forum!!

Thanks,
Scott

 

[Don S]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

I don't think I have ever found a gauge bad, unless it was full of water. Most of the times when the gauge readings are eratic, the sender aka potentiometer in the top of the steering fork is bad. You can check it as in the .pdf file below.

View attachment Testing the Potentiometer.pdf

 

[swbondurant]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Don,
Thanks for the quick reply. I agree on the gauge issue. Although the gauge is pretty erratic about 75% if the time. I had the sender replaced a couple of years ago to try and eliminate the problem but it didn't make any difference. This has been ongoing for a few years. The second mechaninc I talked to is a former service manager for a Cobalt dealer. He is now in sales at that same dealer although he stays pretty closely tied to the service department. I just don't remember seeing a black box with white wires (trim Limiter) under the dash. He tells me that Volvo stopped putting limiters on the trim around 1995. My boat is a 1991. There is a relay under there that makes a loud clicking noise on occasion but doesn't seem to be related to the trim/tilt. I will know more in a couple of weeks when I get down to the lake so I can look at it again. I just want to be armed with as much info as possible when I go down.

Thanks for the wiring diagram and test procedures. I will check that when I get a chance.

Any other ideas would be appreciated!!

 

[Don S]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

You should have the black box on your model, download the manual at the link below. On pages 166 and 167 of the manual, you will find the wiring diagram for your setup. It may be just a corroded connection somewhere. Maybe even a damaged wire in the throttle control if you have a trim switch in the handle.

http://www.4shared.com/file/48536730/fa3b3311/280_to_DP-C_Drive_manual.html

 

[swbondurant]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Thanks Don, I will check it out

 

[swbondurant]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

OK Don, I cleaned all the connections on the trim/tilt system including the back of the gauge and so far so good. Everything is working OK on dry land. The gauge even came to life and appears to be working accurately. We will see this summer when I put it in the water and run it around for a while.

 

[swbondurant]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Don, I tested the trim again this weekend and I am back at square one. Now I have to hold both trim and tilt buttons to get the outdrive to raise any at all from any position. The gauge is not working at all either. Not sure what is going on. Do you know how to bypass the trim limit? Volvo doesnt make this part anymore. I have been told that it can be bypassed.

 

[thejetman]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Errrr.....Did you check both trim relays? Had that problem last year. Also check ALL wiring......even grounds.....

 

[swbondurant]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Jetman,
I originally cleaned and sanded every connection I could get to including the relays and the back of the gauge. I did not have time to work on the switches in the handle nor trace the ground wire down. I am not sure how to test a relay to see if it is working. After I did all this it worked fine for a bit but the next weekend when I tried it again the gauge would not work and I had to hold both Trim & Tilt buttons to make the trim go up. How can I test the relays?

 

[thejetman]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Just buy new ones from the local auto parts store. Normally 5 bucks a piece. I keep an extra on on the boat for the just in case scenario. You have to hold both buttons, and it will trim up?

 

[swbondurant]

Re: Trim up is intermittent when boat is in water. Holding tilt button makes it work

Yes, I have to press both the Trim and Tilt buttons to raise the outdrive from any position. I have three new relay and will install all of them when I go the lake in a couple of weeks. I hope this fixes the problem. Thanks for the suggestions!!

Scott